2 weeks Ago By Dani Valent
Greek $ $$$ You already know Secret Souv is a souvlaki joint but we need to start with the Greek salad. Ordering something as simple as a $15 side dish is a failsafe way to find out if an eatery is obsessively proud of what they do. Limp, sad lettuce is like a balloon after a birthday bash: useless and deflating.
On the other hand, pert, proud leaves are a party waiting to happen. Secret Souv’s salad is set for celebration: torn iceberg, juicy sliced tomato, crunchy cucumber, bright red onion, gleaming olives, a scattering of crumbled feta and a subtle spritz of lemony dressing combine to say one thing: “We care”. That attention and commitment is threaded through the rest of the experience at this seven-year-old community hub in a low-key shopping strip in a south-eastern suburb.
Sorry Ashwood, but this place is too good to be left to you folks alone. Owner Alex Zaffiris runs the shop with his wife Jess. He’s a chippie who wanted to take a punt on his food dream, she’s the waitress he met in an Oakleigh restaurant.
Both are from Greek backgrounds and the simplicity of the menu recalls backyard gyros gatherings: meat twirling over white-hot charcoal in a barbecue fashioned from an old steel drum, men arguing about lamb, women chatting over salad prep in a spotless kitchen and kids getting told off for kicking a ball into the tomato plants. There’s no vegie patch in this tiny store, just timber panelling and shelves dotted with Hellenic knick-knacks, a fragrant sizzle emanating from the open kitchen and friendly order-at-the-counter service. Families gather for skewers, chips, hand-cut coleslaw and Greek soft drinks, tradies swing by for souvas to go, old folks sit at pavement tables with a nip of ouzo and smoky eggplant dip.
Whenever you show up, Alex will be there, tending the grill, hugging regulars, spooning out his famous tzatziki, warming house-made gluten-free pita for a happy coeliac customer. Everything I’ve eaten here has been good – cooked to order, presented with smiles – but I’ll call out the Secret Lamb souvlaki, stuffed with perfectly seasoned, cooked, charred lamb shoulder, caramelised onions and a secret sauce that made me wonder if mayo went partying with ketchup and stumbled through a lemon tree on the way home. Cooked onions are sometimes considered sacrilege in a souvlaki but they work here.
I’m also a fan of the Secret Spud, with its double-cooked crunchy chat potatoes loaded with chicken and lamb gyros, coleslaw and tzatziki-laced sauce. Imagine a Halal Snack Pack taking a beach holiday in Santorini. Want one more secret? If Alex and Jess have enough, they’ll be happy to put any of their dips in tubs for your own fridge, just one more way of sharing the love.
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