Stalactites

Located at the intersection of Lonsdale and Russell Street, it is one of those places where I passed by a bunch of times before going in, but I must say it was AMAZING!!! Every dish had loads of flavour, reasonably priced and you can see that a lot of thought went into the presentation. Every bite you take, you just crave for the next. The restaurant was jam packed with people so it’ll be wise to place a reservation or time yourself well.

A friendly waiter directed us to a nice corner seating beside the big window overseeing the buzzing streets of Melbourne. We had a huge variety of choices, from homemade dips to pita breads, souvlaki, giro and selection home-style Greek dishes. My friends and I started of with the Appetizer Platter with warm flat pita bread, then dived into the Mixed Giro Platter and Homemade Cabbage Rolls.

Appetizer Platter $15.5 (for one)

Tzatziki, hommus & tarama dips, dolmadakia, feta cheese, kalamata olives, smoked sausages, Greek rissole & lamb fillet skewer.

Mixed Giro Platter S16.5 (small), $29 (large)

Absolutely loved the lean cuts of marinated spring lamb and chicken from the spit. Juicy but not fatty, meat was tender, nice caramelisation on the outside and well seasoned.

Homemade Cabbage Rolls $22
Totally would recommend this dish. I’ve tried stir friend cabbage dishes, raw cabbage as salads but this dish is definitely an eye opener. Though the rolls were simmered in a light tomato based sauce, the rice and mince beef mixed inside stayed well intact while the oven baked potato adequately soaked up the flavoursome sauce. 

We were so satisfied with our meal that we had a second stomach for dessert. Totally burnt my diet today.

Homemade Baklava $7

Chopped walnuts and sweetened honey wrapped in layers of filo pastry served with vanilla bean ice cream. Those of you who have a sweet tooth might enjoy this but for me, it was too sweet for my liking.

 

Homemade Galaktoboureko $7
A Greek dessert of semolina based custard sandwiched between two crisp sheets of filo pastry coated with syrup and cinnamon. I personally prefer this over the Baklava.

Never had Greek food before this, and I would totally come back for more. Long wait for a table but service was quick. YUM!! Though guilty over the amount of calories I packed in, I walked out a happy girl.

Cuisine: Greek

Contact: 177-183 Lonsdale St, Melbourne CBD. (03) 9663 3316

Opening hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week