Nestled in the heart of the authentic Chester town centre, The Olive Tree brasserie combines authentic Greek cuisine with a luxuriously stylish interior and impeccable service, making it a total must visit for a special occasion – whether that’s Sunday dinner, Friday night fizz or a leisurely weekend lunch. One of a few restaurants dotted around the North West, the Chester venue is set back off the high street, offering a cosy retreat to while away a few hours with some really delicious food. Here’s what we had.
Alongside a delicious glass of Prosecco, we opted for the pittas and dips tray – super soft, warm and pillowy pitta breads served with traditional Greek dips – from Tzatziki and humous to a roasted red pepper pot and taramasalata. As well as the sharing starter, we chose a slice of traditional spinach pie which came packed full of creamy greens and accompanied by a honey and mustard dressed salad as well as a pot of Tzatziki. Perfect.
As we listened to the live music of the afternoon, indulged in a glass of Prosecco and shared our delicious starters, it became clear to see why The Olive Tree Brasserie is a popular choice for many. Next up, were our main courses. The restaurant’s menu provides an amazing amount of choice, taking the flavours of Greece and creating dishes with a slightly modern twist. From gyros style kebabs served with your choice of rice, fries or sweet potato to lamb kleftiko and cheesy butternut squash parcels, there’s plenty for both meat eaters and vegetarians to choose from. After much deliberation, we went for the roast pork and apple skewers with sweet potato fries and the halloumi and fig kebab, served with grains and quinoa.
Both dishes weren’t only impressive portion sizes but also packed full of flavour, the slow roasted pork melting away from the skewer and the chargrilled halloumi producing that much loved salty flavour. The roasted pork was complemented by sweet, baked apple and the halloumi’s salty flavour was offset by the sweetness of roasted fig. Just delicious.
After so much food, more prosecco and more fantastic live music, we just about had room to share a dessert. With a menu featuring greek donuts, tahini brownies and freshly made baklava, the choice was pretty impossible. Eventually, the homemade pistachio ice cream served alongside the baklava slice helped us make our decision and we ordered one with two spoons. The bakalava was everything we’d hoped for and more – with the warm, sweet and nutty filling served in between crisp pastry sheets and the creamy pistachio ice cream pairing perfectly with the pudding’s honey-soaked centre, it was a little slice of heaven on a plate and the perfect end to our meal.
The Olive Tree Brasserie serves everything from Monday Meze (3 dishes £12.95) to Sunday Lunch and it definitely worth a try – delicious food, relaxed atmosphere and gorgeous interiors – your next special occasion sorted!