Zorba The Greek Taverna

(by Jeremy)

Location: 3A River Valley Road, Clarke Quay, #01-02, 179024

Where do you go when you (or your special other) have a longing for the white sandy beaches, matching whitewashed buildings and the clear blue seas of Santorini?

If you’re stuck in Singapore (like the rest of us during this COVID pandemic), look no further than Zorba The Greek Taverna!

Zorba draws inspiration from Santorini and serves authentic Greek cuisine. We chanced upon this jewel thanks to Harmony’s unsatisfied cravings for Greek food when we initially intended to dine at Mykonos On The Bay at Sentosa Cove but it was closed. 

Check out our other post for deets on our staycay at ONE ̊15 Marina Sentosa Cove (link coming soon) and our meal at Sabio by the Sea, Tapas Bar & Grill (link coming soon)

Zorba is a quaint restaurant that’s sure to catch your eyes if you happen to take a stroll along Clarke Quay. It stays true to its Santorini heritage, with an alfresco dining experience next to the Singapore river (in place of the Aegean sea) coupled with white and blue furniture. I’m not usually the kind to eat outdoors if I can help it, especially when I’m dressed up, what with Singapore being hot and humid most of the time. The restaurant is sheltered by an artistically curvy roof that didn’t quite keep the sunlight out of the dining space (though we did see a couple of Caucasians choosing to sit in the sun while having their meal) and I have doubts about it keeping out the rain, especially if it pours.

But back to the food. Thankfully, the exterior isn’t the only thing that has stayed true to its roots, as the food we had got Harmony reminiscing of the time when she was physically walking along the white sandy beaches of Santorini, serenaded to the soft lapping waves of the ocean.

We started off our dinner with the Chicken Souvlaki (Greek styled grilled chicken skewers) and Hirines Brizoles (grilled duroc pork cutlet that has been marinated for 48 hours), both of which came with sides consisting of a small serving of Tzatziki (salted strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers,garlic, dill, salt, virgin olive oil and lemon juice) served with pita bread, chips and baby salad (cut tomatoes and slices of onions).

While the Chicken Souvlaki looks very much like your satay on steroids, it was pleasantly surprising as the chicken was tender and juicy. The marinade was also very flavourful, with a sweet and slight hint of spice at the end. Most importantly, it didn’t leave us with a thrist at the back of your throat when we left.

The Hirines Brizoles, unfortunately for this tongue of mine that lacks discernment, the 48 hour marinated and grilled duroc pork cutlet tasted like a pork chop that I could have grilled myself at home, sans the need for 48 hours of marinating. Apart from the taste, credit is given to its tender texture that still retained its juices (probably due to the marinating and obviously fine cooking skills).

The funny thing was that it was the accompanying Tzatziki and pita bread that was the show stealers. While the Tzatziki was light and mily sourish, everything you’d expect from a Tzatziki, it was the unassuming pita bread that took the prize home. It was served warm and fluffy and we just couldn’t get enough of it.

We ended the meal on a sweet note with a serving of Yiaourti Me Meli (imported Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts). There was a generous serving of honey and crushed walnuts. Personally I’d prefer the walnuts to be a whole, or at least in bigger sizes to give it a little more “kou gan”. Harmony would have preferred the yogurt to be thicker.

Overall it was a pleasant dining experience and food was enjoyable. Would recommend if you have a craving for Santorini cuisine.

We ended the night walking around Fort Caning as it was nearby but we did not manage to explore the entire area as we had limited time but the view was spectacular!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in our next post!

Food ♥♥♥♡♡

Service ♥♥♥♡♡

Ambience ♥♥♥♡♡