The Greek Fisherman is one of the oldest restaurants at the V&A Waterfront, offering Mediterranean dishes with a focus on authentic Greek cuisine. It’s still owned by the same family that started it back in 1992 – and it continues to go strong.
To Begin
Guests who want to sit outside and watch the hustle & bustle of the V&A Waterfront are greeted with warm blankets and heaters, but we decided to take a seat inside, rather than brave the cold.
We started in true Greek style, ordering three items from their mezze selection.
The Crab Cake consisted of a beautiful seafood mash that hit the spot in all the right places, served with a delicious crayfish sauce. It is very lightly fried, in very hot oil and served immediately – this means it isn’t oily or dry, but retains its flavour and moisture. I’m normally not a big fan of fish (seafood)-cakes BECAUSE they’re usually dry, but these ones won me over.
As it’s not always available, we were delighted that the octopus was on the menu for the night. Served in a tomato based sauce, with a fresh pita, it wasn’t chewy at all (a rare find); but the sauce was a bit bland and needed additional seasoning.
It was a tough decision, but we chose not to try the spinach and cheese variety, and instead went with Two baked phyllo pastry parcels filled with Emmentaler cheese, parma ham and tomato, then drizzled with honey. This beautiful combination of Mediterranean flavours was sublime and the honey balanced the flavours with that little bit of sweetness.
As our Mains
Yes yes, I know that when you’re in a seafood focussed restaurant, you should order seafood – but when I see duck breast a l’orange on any menu, I NEED to order it. It’s going to happen, don’t try to stop me. The waiter warned me that the orange sauce is very strong, but I didn’t want to listen and I paid the price for it. The duck was excellent and cooked to absolute moist and tender perfection, but there was just way too much orange for me to handle. The intensity and sweetness of the sauce took away from the flavour of the duck, which was a great shame.
Give me grilled calamari and I am happy. Add butter and garlic to it and I’m in heaven. Similar to the octopus, these were as tender as can be, but this time, bursting with flavour. I could have carried on eating this for hours.
Lastly, we also tried the spicy mushroom steak. It’s a lazy-aged sirloin, which is grilled, then sautéed with chopped onions, mushrooms and peppers. Finally, it’s topped with wine, cream and creole spice sauce and oven-baked with a touch of mozzarella cheese. Cooked perfectly medium rare, the sauce had quite a kick. Being the sister restaurant of City Grill, I expected nothing less. Very, very good.
The Highlight of the Evening
The best for last. Moussaka. In case you aren’t familiar with the dish – it’s layers of aubergine, minced meat and béchamel sauce, which is then baked and served with roasted potatoes. This is one of the most popular Greek dishes and it’s easy to understand why. Great quality mince, a creamy, rich cream sauce, layered with succulent (yeah, succulent) veg – all in all, this was magnificent.
The owner mentioned that this is a family recipe, which has been handed down with every generation. They should make sure it’s kept somewhere very safe, it could very well be the next plot for Ocean’s 14.
Overall, we enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Greek Fisherman. The staff were attentive and helpful throughout the evening, always filling up our glasses or ensuing that we are enjoying our meal.
The menu also has a great variety of Greek dishes – from safe options if you aren’t too keen to try something new, to options for those who are willing to explore different flavours. I would definitely recommend the Moussaka and I’ve heard great things about their Lamb in the Oven (which I will be giving a go next time, because there certainly will be one).
P.S.: Make sure to check out their great meze selection, which are on special every day!
Directions to Greek Fisherman
Breakwater Boulevard
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
8002
021 418 5411
