After his stint on Masterchef in 2010, Philip Vakos opened up his own place right here in Melbourne, with business partner Stell Kaponas. Bahari offers Modern Greek, or as they like to call it, Gringlish, in an intimate setting. I have to admit that I’m hard to please when it comes to Greek food, but Bahari ticked all the boxes for me.

Bahari’s sharing menu includes salads and small plates such as dips and saganaki. They have quite a decent list of specials for the day, and they change regularly. There’s plenty of haloumi on the menu when we visit, and we are eager to try the Haloumi, Thyme and Honey Cigars, which are crisp and cheesy bites of deliciousness.

Chicken Souzoukakia in spinach and feta sauce are a highlight. The soft and juicy meatballs paired with the cheesy, creamy sauce was an explosion of flavour in the mouth. It’s a special, but here’s hoping it will make a return.

The proteins section of the menu brings items such as their hearty lamb shoulder and pulled pork to the table. Our chosen proteins, the Char-grilled Octopus and Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder, are handled beautifully, and the warm and comforting Moussaka does not disappoint.

Our lunch concludes with some sweets: Baklava with orange blossom pistachio, walnuts, honey and cinnamon, and the dessert special of a Brownie with halva ice cream. We don’t get to try the galaktoboureko this time, but it will be a definite order when we return!

Disclaimer: I was invited to Bahari as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Bahari
179 Swan St
Melbourne, VIC, 3121
(03) 9427 7898
bahari-richmond.com.au