Overview
Meltemi Mediterrania lands in Broachbeach, bringing the bold and diverse flavours of countries from Spain to Morocco, Sardinia to Lebanon and Turkey to Greece with it. With three distinct spaces, including a main dining room, a bar and an expansive al fresco area centred around an olive tree, it's sure to be a bustling spot come summer.
This is the latest venture from Dino and Kate Georgakopouls, who own the lively Xenia Grill venues in Main Beach and Coolangatta. Dino, who was an engineer before becoming a chef, says he wants diners to feel they have been transported from the Gold Coast to the European Coast, "We want people to feel like they're sitting overlooking the Mediterranean, as a gentle breeze blows over them."
To achieve this vision, Space Cubed Design Studio has created a space featuring curved fixtures, a concrete wrap-around bar, cut-out wall arches, and signature light fittings. A large mural of a coastal European town adorns the main dining area, and a copper mirror in the bar glows with a golden hue, reminiscent of a Mediterranean sunset.
In the kitchen, hatted chef Tapos Singha mans a rotisserie that showcases ingredients from lobster to lamb skewers, which guests can observe from their seats. Dino has two spits in his own backyard, and says rotisseries "play such a special role [in Greek and other Mediterranean cultures], and we want to expand people's minds — and tastebuds — to show how many variations there are."
Each section of the menu features a dish from a different country. Greek saganaki sits alongside Sardinian coral trout crudo, Turkish sesame-crusted bread rings, next to Spanish octopus with pimentón and romesco. To drink, try a Nick the Greek cocktail, with rosemary-infused ouzo, lemon, star anise and lemonade, a Negroni Scalas with Campari, Greek vermouth and Beefeater gin or work your way through the Mediterranean-inspired wine list.
Dino says that the Greek philosophy of filoxenia, or love of the stranger, underpins the ethos of the restaurant. "Each of the cultures we've brought together all has something in common: connection through food. By having the flavours of these countries on the table at the same time, we're redefining share-style dining and showing that they can all be enjoyed side-by-side."
Images: Dan Peled.
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