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It is a rare occasion for a foodie to feel defeated by food... But for $50, David Tsirekas serves up a banquet that goes beyond satisfaction. It leaves a lasting food coma... So a few nights ago, I introduced Perama to my sister and a few girlfriends who have become instant fans.

These photos are from a Tweet-Up late last year with @CarmR, @CitrusAndCandy, @Reemski, @KristinMoore2, @felixeplody, @GastroPorn and @FionaLaughton.

It starts off slow with a trilogy of classic Greek dips and plentiful bread. There's creamy taramasalata, a refreshing tzatziki, and a eggplant dip which is elegantly smokey.

Dips with bread: taramasalata, tzatziki and smokey eggplant

Small courses then began to roll out, starting with the epitome of Greek salads. Chunky pieces of tomato, cucumber and olives were well dressed with EVOO and oregano. Topped with a handful of rocket, creamy feta and the crisp cut-through of red onion, the salad was vibrant and put many other Greek salads I've had in the past to shame.

Greek salad

The decor at Perama suits the food quite well - homely and comforting.

Interior of restaurant

The graviera crumbed haloumi cheese were sizable bites with a golden deep-fried exterior. I've always adored the squeaky texture and slight saltiness of haloumi but when deep-fried, it is just irresistible. Or that's at least what I thought before the next dish arrived.

Graviera crumbed haloumi cheese

Move over crumbed halloumi 'cause barbecued halloumi is just so much more better! There's a slight smokey aroma that complements the salsa of diced tomatoes and shallots and side of peppery candied figs. The dish is salty, sweet, slightly peppery and so addictive. It is a dish I'm sure I'll try to whip up at my next BBQ... They were a beautiful inspiration of flavours.

BBQ haloumi cheese with honey peppered figs

I discovered zucchini fritters in Santorini and now every time I have them, that's all I can think of! These moreish fritters are divine. Upon breaking the crisp seal, a creamy aromatic mixture is revealed, causing one to pause, admire and reminisce.

Zucchini fritters

Unfortunately, I've always had a massive weakness for anything starchy and ate so many of these chips that I forgot about the meatballs. The chips are conveniently named Rustic Grandma's Chips which I think summarizes it all.

Rustic grandma's chips and meatballs

Now, I've been introducing the next dish as the highlight of any visit to Perama, so beware.

The pork belly baklava isn't a combination you'd fantasize about but upon taking the first bite, I knew straight away that it was what foodie dreams are made of. It's nothing fancy but just bloody good. The crackling is rich and crunchy and inbetween each crisp layer of filo pastry are moist pieces of pork belly, intertwined with a sweet caramel of finely chopped dates and pistachios. Each stack of pork belly baklava sits on a piece of steamed green and a puddle of sauce. Imagine the temptations David and his team have to go through each day just to compile each piece!

Pork belly baklava

The chargrilled octopus is another favourite. I think it is quite hard to fault anything that has the perfect charcoal grilled flavour. Feeling rather stuffed at this stage, we begin to pace ourselves for dessert.

Chargrilled octopus

Not usually a lamb-eater, David has outdone himself by converting me. I often prefer to avoid the stench of lamb but this slow braised shoulder is soft and full of flavour and has become a signature dish for good reason - the lamb is slowly braised with oregano, olive oil, wine and garlic and then chargrilled with a lemon, olive oil baste and served with baked oregano lemon potatoes and string beans.

Lamb skaras

Dessert consists of seasonal mini-bougatsa and caramel baklava ice-cream.

Bougatsa are custard parcels wrapped with filo pastry. They're served hot with a dusting of icing sugar. The custard filling is sweet and is enhanced with the oomph of passionfruit pulp. The seasonal varients sees Perama switching out passionfruit for mandarin mid last year and mango earlier this year. I can't wait to try all the luscious bougatsa flavours of the year.

The caramel baklava ice-cream on the other hand is frozen cold. There are layers of vanilla icecream, caramel and nuts which combine brilliantly in the mouth.

Mini seasonal bougatsa and caramel baklava ice-cream

And finally, because this tweet-up was from back in October 2009, David spoilt us with his Sydney International Food Festival sugar-hit platter. There was an apple and rhubarb rice pudding, an amazing chocolate wafer sandwich with peanut butter ice-cream and a slice of nutty kataifi baklava.

Oct 2009 Sydney International Food Festival (formerly Good Food Month) Sugar Hit platter

Tweet-up at Perama

Perama Greek Restaurant
88 Audley Street, Petersham, NSW
Phone: (02) 9569 7534
Web: www.perama.com.au

Santorini was like a flawless movie set. The sunsets glowed immaculately day after day and the white washed buildings were ever so impeccable. A panoramic view from any angle was breathtaking. I was sold as soon as I saw a travel brochure of this Greek island, but to see it in person was something different altogether.

So, to the start of it.

We hopped onto this tiny Olympic Airways plane where my fear of heights and sensitivity to G-force had me gripping onto the arm rest.

Zen in front of the teeny Olympic Airways plane we were about to board

Here I am beside the astonishingly compact Smart car. The norm would have been to rent a quad-bike or scooter but we didn't want to be one of those annoying tourists! Besides, we had way too much luggage and wanted to explore the whole island from Oia to Akrotiri to Perissa. We soon learnt that the bonus of forking out a little more for a car was the shade it provided from the scorching heat and the strength it had to pull us up and around mountains.

Me next to the rental Smart car

We stayed at the Aressana Spa Hotel and Suites which was tucked away behind the busy streets of Fira but still in walkable distance to the shops, restaurants and views -I thought it was well deserved luxury. We read beneath the outdoor four-poster day beds, sun-baked on Milano wicker pool chairs, dipped in the pool and ate up big. The buffet breakfast was grandeur, featuring traditional Greek items, homemade Santorinian jams and treats, fresh fruits, juices, breads and so much more. The serviced poolside bar was so convenient, the service was top-notch and the food did not disappoint. Eating by the pool with a background of jazz music in a spectacular retreat like this is an unforgettable experience.

Lunch of fried meatballs with housemade French fries, bread with tsatsiki and grilled chicken with basmati rice and mastic white sauce at Aressana Spa Hotel and Suites

On another day, we ate at Ouzerie which serves up traditional Greek dishes. The moussaka (lasagna with eggplant and potato), Greek salad and chicken souvlaki were scrumptious! It was a hearty and satisfying lunch.

Homemade style Greek food of salad, moussaka and chicken souvlaki from Ouzerie Greek Mezedes

I couldn't resist getting a massage at the beach. The black pebbled sand wasn't very exciting to rest on but I did love the widely available chaise lounges. This is me getting a foot and leg massage ;)

Getting a foot and leg massage on Kamari Beach in Santorini

Santorini is truly a honeymooner's playground. I witnessed several weddings and lovebirds flourished the streets, adding more demand to the stunning sunset views. Many restaurants had amazing terraces on the cliff, offering gorgeous caldera views. One of them was Spinx Restaurant...

Dinner over sunset at Spinx Restaurant in Santorini, Greece

Fine dining in Santorini was interesting. Koukoumavlos Restaurant was experimentally creative with introducing Asian flavours to traditional Greek cuisine. I started with the Santorinian fava which is a delectable local bean, served with smoked trout and salmon tartar in mandarin sauce and roasted almonds. And for mains, I had the fresh papardelle with scampi and shrimp sauteed in ouzo and anise with fresh tomato and light cream flavoured with orange zest. The view of course was beautiful but once the sun has set, you're left in a nice but average restaurant with pitch black views of the sea.

Santorinian fava from Koukoumavlos Restaurant

I think I much preferred the cheap and cheeful, such as this grilled seafood platter of freshly caught calamari, gilt-head bream, octopus, shrimps, mussels, fried potatoes, rice and salad from Argo.

Seafood platter from Argo

Me at the south of Santorini with volcanic caldera view

Shores of Santorini near Fira

Now, where do I start with traditional Santorinian delicacies? Well... there were the fried tomato balls which taste exactly as it sounds and are totally addictive; zucchini fritters, fried salted cod served with skordalia (dip made of garlic, potato, vinegar and nuts), grilled squid or calamari or bream, gyros (the kebabs we're all used to eating at 2am after a night out) and keftedes, which are meatballs with parsley. Creme caramels, baklava, kataefi and panna cotta were also popular desserts across Santorinian menus.

Tomatokeftedes (Santorini tomato balls)

Zucchini fritters / fried baby marrows

Creme caramel from Atlantis Island Restaurant

Dinner of meatballs and fresh bream at Naoussa Restaurant

Seafood marinara spaghetti at Thalami Restaurant, Oia

Deep fried salted cod from Thalami Restaurant in Oia

Oia in Santorini

Overall? Santorini definitely sits within the top 2 of my favourite places visited during this trip to Europe. I was lucky to see its real deal, right before it would be flooded with summer tourists.

You can read about my trip to Monaco, London and Barcelona, France and Italy here; or stay tuned for the next post on Dubai (the last leg of the trip).

[!] This post isn't really about food

Eugenia is the first of B.DesComp's 2004 grads to get married... woohoo! So here we were on Saturday night, to congratulate the bride-to-be.

For $55 plus drinks, we were fed and entertained...

Starters were bread, fried eggplant, dolmades (aka stuffed vine leaves), celery & carrot sticks with dips. The tzatziki was deliciously refreshing and the fried eggplant was light and crispy.

The Greek salad was traditionally tossed with plentiful olives, onion, feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumber.

I really loved the fried halloumi cheese. It was pan-fried to a golden brown and was flavoured with oregano, olive oil, salt and lemon. The texture was hard... quite similar to chicken... and very addictive!

We were then served more filo pastry with spinach and feta cheese... as well as a seafood and meat platter. All you need to know is that Mykonos is very generous with the serving portions. We were stuffed... but luckily burnt it out on the dance floor :-D

The theme was 'devilicious'... like our horns?

For more photos of the night (including a few R-rated ones), visit my Flickr set flickr.com/photos/foodiejenius/sets/72157603100981425.

Mykonos on Crown
248 Pitt Street Sydney (Basement of Zodiac Hotel)
Web: www.mykonosoncrown.com.au/php/welcome.php

One of the perks of being a food blogger is the exposure to hidden treasures. Thanks to one of my regular readers, I have recently discovered a fabulous Greek gem. The ironic thing is, it's not so much hidden... as there's a huge neon sign... and I only just work next door!

The Pitt Street entrance to Diethnes leads you down a staircase to a large underground room with plentiful ornaments (perhaps to distract you from the fact that there are no windows). We feel the Greek vibe immediately as we're greeted by jolly waitstaff who leaves a huge basket of bread on the table. The chilled butter was not a good sign as I prefer it at room temperature. Thankfully, the crusty baguette was loaded with sesame and tasted of freshness.

The menu included several banquet options which all looked superb... but there was a minimum of four per order. So without a choice, we skimmed through the house specials and they were just as enticing. I ordered the beef bifteka which was served with a garden salad on the side (not sure why it wasn't a greek salad! I would have loved some herbs, feta and olives...). The biftika was delicious. It was hot, hearty but not too meaty... and somehow light at the same time.

My two lunch buddies ordered the lamb dishes... both of which said the lamb was so tender it fell right off the bone. I'm not a fan of lamb... there's something about the smell. But try it. I've been told it's the one thing you must order at Diethnes.

Albeit full with our belly protruding, we couldn't resist having dessert. The creme caramel was bouncy... jelly-like and gorgeously sweet. The custard pie reminded me of baklava although less syrupy and more caramely. The cream was divine also. It was so airy... & completely disappeared the second it touched my lips, but i'm sure the effects still went down to my waist!

Diethnes definately gives you your money's worth and they cater well for large groups! I'd love to try the Moussaka soon too... but this time, I was positively too full.

Diethnes Greek Restaurant
336 Pitt St Sydney
Web: www.diethnes.com.au