Greek food for games
By Pamela Shookman ( City Weekend)
Updated: 2004-08-09 09:40

Let's be upfront about two Greek food facts.  1.  Real Greek cuisine is fantastic. It's a simple, healthy cuisine based on an abundance of fresh ingredients. 2. It also suffers from many restaurants serving flavorless fare.  I headed to Athena, conveniently located in Sanlitun, wondering which category it belongs to.

On a humid weekday evening the restaurant was virtually empty.  Several diners sat at outside tables but inside was cooler and benefits from a hand-painted wall mural of the Parthenon, photos of Greece and pleasant Greek music.  The small bar area sparkles in a blue and white mosaic design. 

The menu is long, laminated and lacks any mention of olives, a sure sign that something is amiss.  Appetizers include traditional mezedes  - stuffed vine leaves, filled pies, fried cheese - but each comes separately instead of as a convenient sampler plate.  Soups, salads and pastas are uninspiring and meat rules over seafood. Lots of lamb is lovely but how does Veal Zurichnoise fit into a Greek menu? And Baked Prawns with Provencal herbs?  What's wrong with Greek ones?  And where are those olives?

Small details like bread reflect a restaurant's attitude toward food and sadly Athena's stale bread rolls forewarned of the imminent meal. 

First to arrive was the Greek Salad - a colourful combination of chunky cucumber and tomato, thinly sliced onions, olives and oregano dusted feta cubes.  Despite excellent olives available in Beijing, these were bland and the feta's cream cheese texture and one-dimensional saltiness was a far cry from crumbly feta that bursts with the goodness of sheep's milk. The salad dressing, inexplicably based on a tasteless vegetable oil instead of olive oil, enhanced nothing.

Grilled Octopus with Lemon and Vinegar had potential. Large pieces of tasty octopus were tossed with oregano and a tiny dice of red and yellow peppers alas all drenched in the tasteless oil. The sad Spinach Spanikopita - triangular parcels of spinach stuffed inside a wanton wrapper and deep fried - was closer in flavor and texture to a bad spring roll than to the stuffed pastry parcel of its name. 

By this time one thing was clear.  The cooks do not understand the vital role of olive oil, olives and fresh produce in preparing Greek cuisine.

My theory was confirmed by the mains. Like the starters, the mains lacked the delicious flavors of authentic Greek cuisine. 'Grilled' Snapper on a mountain of couscous tasted sautéed while the lemon and oil sauce failed to perk up the not so fresh fish. The moussaka hovered like a huge hockey puck in a sea of bright red tomato sauce. Thin shavings of eggplant disappeared between layers of chewy meat topped with a solidified cheese sauce. The saving grace was the lively tomato sauce garnish, traditionally cooked with the meat. 

I was ready to forgo dessert, but my dining partner rightly convinced me that a complete review required sampling the baklava.  The syrupless portion - enough for 4 - was desperately dry while the cavity inducing sweetness overwhelmed the nuts. The filo pastry lacked the requisite richness from brushings of butter. Luckily the orange segment garnish cleansed the palate. 

The drinks list was comprehensive yet the wine list void of the stellar Greek wines made today.  We ordered a glass of the Greek red but the waitress steered us away saying it wasn't very good.  Instead she recommended a French merlot (Vichon 2001) that was the best part of the meal.

The service was friendly and helpful but they did miscalculate the bill by Y20 in their favor. 

Real Greek food is simply superb.  What a shame that Athena hasn't yet discovered the essential ingredients.