Julie Bindel

Where to find a taste of Greece in London

I still think about Kalimera's dessert in the dead of night

  • From Spectator Life
Kalimera in Crouch End [Caitlin Caprio]

Last time I visited Toronto, Canada, I stayed in Greektown, home to one of the largest Greek communities in North America. Several scenes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding were filmed here, and street signs are in Greek as well as English.

On the day I arrived, jetlagged and disorientated, I happened upon a restaurant that was so authentically Greek I imagined I could smell the pine trees and hear the soft chirp of crickets. A couple of elderly men sat drinking ouzo at the bar, and rather than being led to a table I was taken into the kitchen where Maria (reader, that was her name, what can I do?) was stirring various pots, including a green bean and tomato dish (fasolakia giaxni) and meatballs (soutzoukakia). On the side was a giant moussaka, and chicken souvlaki was ready to go on the grill. I ordered bitter greens, a giant Greek salad and some of that souvlaki.

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