Philhellene is where one returns to, time and time again, for its food as much as its spirit. Located on Mt Alexander Road in Moonee Ponds, there is something about Philhellene that captures the soul. The rustic exposed walls are adorned by old photos and portraits of ancestors. The warm familial ambience, the good food, and the vibe creates the Philhellene community.
New chapter, rooted in tradition
The new owners, Paul and Anna, are a young couple who have an imported authentic coolness about them, from Greece. The relaxed chef Spyros Kassidis, has adorned on one of his arms a tattoo of olive branches, to reflect his roots in the Peloponnese, and his love for olive trees. Philhellene is a joy for all the senses, its food, and its own story are good reasons to always go back.
Their moto is ‘We are moving forward with respect to the past’. Paul and Anna have transformed the place they took over from the previous owners a year and half ago, yet still pay homage to them as founders. The restaurant has kept its old rustic charming character and has added some quality contemporary touches to the main hall and function rooms – an overall inviting fresh look completed with the large bar, wooden furnishings and an assortment of Greek art.
Paul Chatzis, originally from Ioannina in the Epirus region of Greece, has been working in hospitality since he was 13 years old.
“My dad worked in restaurants and every school holidays I will be working with him” he tells Neos Kosmos. By the age of 30, Paul was the manager of one of the best known restaurants in Ioannina. When he came to Australia, eight years ago, he was managing a restaurant in the Southern Suburbs before the opportunity arose to buy Philhellene from previous owners, John and Susie Rerakis.
Flavours of Greece, crafted with passion
The food is authentic and delicious and the set menu is full of old favourites: braised lamb shoulder cooked for more than fourteen hours is a sellout dish together with the ‘kokkinisto’, which has all the traditional Greek flavours and cooks for more than four hours.
The love that chef Spyros has for fish, and all seafood is evident in the Philhelhene menu. The specials always feature a fish dish, made of whatever Spyros finds fresh at the market. “I get barramundi and we fillet it here and I cook fish simply, just like in Greece, so all the flavours come out, either grilled or pan fried”.
His knowledge for fish comes from his work in one of Williamstown’s s best known fish restaurants where he worked for seven years, learning everything about fish and seafood.
“I want to produce honest, nice Greek food that’s hard to find and I want to do more of that. That’s my vision for this place, is to implement more dishes that are lost in Greek Australian cuisine and bring whatever I ate at the ‘xorio’. Yes, that’s what I want to do and this is why I want to visit Greece as often as I can to learn more and bring that here” he says.
Vegetarians fair well, the yiayia recipe of gemista, are there, as are seasonal wild greens, or horta, then there are new touches such as smoked eggplant and classic fava – yellow chickpea dip.
Celebrations in the main room or in the more private function room – weddings, baptisms, birthdays – can have a tailored banquet menu ranging from classic dips and prawn youvetsi to home-made baklava.
And for many of us, the Philhellene cocktails reflect the marriage of new and old Greece – Greek Paloma with Greek rakomelo or the Skinos Med with the unique mastiha liqueur from the island of Chios.
Formal culinary training combined with passed down secrets from his Greek aunt have given chef Spyros a confidence that is evident in his dishes. It’s no wonder that the google reviews are raving about it, such as, “Food is not only plentiful, but absolutely delicious” and “Always a delight to eat here, the choice of food is amazing and cooked perfectly every time,” are just an example.
Chef Spyros Kassidis started cooking at the ripe age of ten. “I wanted to help dad out, so I started cooking and used to experiment with little things that I would do at school, like a pancake day and then I used to go home and make pancakes, you know just little things.” Spyros would prepare all the meals for the family while holding down a couple of jobs, and taking culinary studies at the prestigious Academy Sofitel of the famous hotel chain. He fell in love with Greek cuisine through his auntie who he says, is an “excellent cook”.
“I learned a lot from my auntie. I used to spend a lot of time with her just to learn, but I didn’t apply it in my professional career until recently” he says.
Being a chef is not easy it requires stamina and sacrifice.
“You sacrifice weekends, you sacrifice evenings, so you don’t see friends. You don’t see family all the time because you are working at Christmas and Easter. So, you’ve got to enjoy it. I love it. I wouldn’t do anything else, really” he says.
His baptism in fire came with a stint at pop-up Kafeneion in the city where he started introducing his own secrets to the dishes – he then joined Philhellene.
Chef Spyros will “never compromise” on high quality Greek olive oil. “Even if I don’t work in a Greek restaurant I always have the best Greek olive oil. Always. It makes the flavour of the dish and takes it to another level. We don’t compromise on quality and yes, it costs more but Paul is onboard with me on this” he says.
Beyond the plate: A cultural hub
Philhellene is more than a restaurant; it’s a cultural hub. If you are on the subscribers list of the restaurant, you might receive an invitation for theme nights like the wine tasting in collaboration with the Ktima Lazaridi wines. About fifty selected guests tasted a delectable menu paired with the Lazaridi wines.
“To enjoy a wine tasting evening, mid-week and without driving the distance, combined with the experience of discovering Greek quality wines and the knowledge shared by the host of the event Ross Karavis, was a very good idea” one of the guests commented.
Sous chef Maria also one of the very creative crew, brings a Cypriot flair to the menu.
“Maria is full of good ideas and very creative. Together we decide on our menus and next year we will introduce a Cypriot night” Spyros says.
The team has big plans for this year – they will introduce local Greek cuisine theme nights such as from Minor Asia, from Thrace, and Cyprus.
“It’s a new challenge for me, because I have to learn a lot for the local cuisines,” Spyros says while he speaks enthusiastically about the project.
From happy hour week night drinks, to regional Greek cuisine nights, to Rebetika, to wine tasting, the team is looking forward with enthusiasm and lots of great ideas that bring home food and Greek products to our plate.
DO
– Try the lamb shoulder.
– Sign up for the subscriber list to catch special events.
– Explore the cocktail menu—trust us.
DON’T
– Skip dessert. The baklava is incredible.
