Artemis & Apollo: The Greek Dining Gods Have Come To Town

Prepare to be transported to Greece with one of Black Sheep’s newest eateries.

District: Wan Chai
Cuisine: Greek
How much: Mezze ranges from $28 to $128, spit roasted meats and seafood from $58 to $588, sides and salads from $48 to $168, baklava dessert $68
Must Order: Saganaki platanos, Tzatziki Theodoros and Steki Tou Ilia lamb chops by the kilo
The Best for: A fun night out with friends or a family feast
Sassy Tip: Go in a group as the dishes are designed to be shared

The restaurant, which is in Wan Chai’s trendy Moon Street area, is named after legendary Greek twins Artemis (the goddess of the hunt) and Apollo (the god of music). In honour of its namesakes, the welcoming 50-seat taverna is split into two stylish rooms, linked in the middle by the kitchen area.

We started the evening by sampling some cocktails to whet our appetites. The Lemnos ($98) contains Greek brandy, cassis and some ginger ale, while the Phaeacia ($98) is a mix of vodka, pomegranate and prosecco. Suitably refreshed, the feast began. We had a mixture of mezze to start. We were impressed to hear the pita bread ($28) is specially imported from Greece for added authenticity. It’s incredibly moreish and the perfect accompaniment to scoop up the deliciously creamy Tzatziki Theodoros ($38) and hummus ($48). A word of warning, the hummus is incredibly garlicky so make sure your dining companions also indulge! One of our favourite dishes was the Saganaki platanos ($98). This salty fried cheese is served on a hot skillet and we guarantee it’ll have you coming back for seconds.

Other highlights were the beautifully-charred pork souvlaki ($88). It comes with both garlic and harissa yoghurt, red onion, tomato and parsley so you can roll your own pita to taste. We highly recommend the lamb chops ($588) which are sliced incredibly thinly and grilled over a charcoal fire. They come by the kilo so make sure you’re hungry! We drizzled over some fresh lemon and can honestly say they were a delight (our other halves concurred when they got brought home the leftovers). The only thing we both found a little disappointing was the baklava dessert ($68), which was a little too dry for our taste.

Perhaps one of the things we found most surprising about this meal was how much we enjoyed the exclusively-Greek wine list. Of course, considering Greece has been producing wine for thousands of years, we probably should have realised it would be palate-pleasing. We tried an organic white from Santorini, before heading north to try a blended-red from Macedonia. It was a tough call, but the white came out on top for us. We were urged to try some Ouzo pilavas ($68) as a digestif, and liked the spicy cinnamon taste. It’s directly imported from source so you can’t go wrong. Yamas!

Our verdict: Make sure you come hungry because you will want to try as much as possible from the menu. We left vowing we’d be back and we mean it! The restaurant doesn’t take bookings, so be prepared to put your name down for a table and grab a drink nearby while you wait.

Artemis & Apollo,  G/F 9-11 Moon Street, Wan Chai, 6991 6231, [email protected], www.artemisandapollo.com