|
At 19:00 on Friday 26th March (I had booked the table the previous evening) I went with my parents and two sisters (aged 9 and 14) to CHEZ NICO a Greek restaurant found at 5 Market Walk in Huddersfield town centre (the road down the side of the Packhorse Centre, near Pink Cadillac). The building itself has always been a restaurant and six years ago before becoming CHEZ NICOS it was a Steak House. The location is handy if you are getting a taxi because it is only a short walk from the main road through town. However, there is a lack of parking spaces in the area.
Having never been to a Greek restaurant before none of us knew what to expect and were slightly weary of what we may find. When we first walked in to the restaurant we were able to view a menu in a small corridor leading up to the steps. There is no lift so obviously access for
disabled diners would be a problem.
After we had walked up to the stairs we were warmly greeted by a waitress and shown to our table. We were the only people in the restaurant but we had expected it to be quiet at such an early time.
We were given two menus, (a normal menu and a party menu). The normal menu boasts 18 starters, 24 main meals (including 2 vegetarian) and 3 salads. The party menu offered 5 different options with the average price being 15 pounds per person and for a minimum of 2 people. For example, Party menu 1 was a meat meze option and offered:
· Tsatsiki (Greek yogurt, cucumber, mint and garlic)
· Humus (puree of chick peas, tahini and garlic)
· Taramaslata (smoked cod in lemon juice and virgin olive oil)
· Halloumi Cheese
· Pitta Bread
· Keftedes (meatballs)
· Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves)
· Kotapitakia (chicken in filo pastry)
· Kota Souvalaki (chicken kebab)
· Beef Stifado (prime beef sautéed in red wine and herbs)
· Pork Afelia (pork cooked in brandy and mushroom sauce)
· Rice
(You get all of the above!)
We were not offered a children’s menu also we were not offered a smaller portion of an option from the main menu for my younger sister.
We were not rushed while looking at the menu and had plenty of time to decide what to have. We all decided on a started and main course from the normal menu.
· Me: Lounza (Cypriot smoked ham with lemon) followed by Beef Stifado
· My mother: Keftedes followed by Mousaka
· My father: Tsatsiki followed by Kota Riganati (chicken breast marinated in olive oil, lime and herbs)
· My 14yr old sister: Kota Riganati
· My 9yr old sister: Kota Souvalaki
I was tempted to order Pastichio Tou Forno (penne pasta with mushrooms, peppers, tomato and spinach glazed with feta cheese). In the end I decided to have Beef Stifado because I eat a lot of pasta and wanted to try something different.
The main courses all came with a choice of chips or potatoes and vegetables or rice or salad. My sisters both had the rice, I had potatoes and vegetables, my dad had chips and my mum had salad.
The presentation of the tables was pretty average, cloth tablecloths with a paper napkin each and a candle in the middle of every table. (We later noticed that some of the other tables had paper tablecloths). The only problem we had with the table was that they had put 2 tables for 2 together with 3 chairs down one side and 2 down the other. For my mother who was sat in the middle of the side with 3 chairs the arrangement was rather uncomfortable as she had little legroom. I think that the problem was that the restaurant is rather small and they had 2 very long tables set and a lack of space for much maneuvering of tables and chairs.
Complimentary water was not offered however when I requested some the staff were more than happy to provide it.
The décor of the restaurant was pretty basic however teamed with the Greek music; we really did feel like we were in a restaurant in Greece!
The starters didn’t take very long to arrive (approx 20minutes) and when these were finished the main courses didn’t take long to arrive, however neither did it feel rushed.
After we had spent a leisurely amount of time consuming our main courses the restaurant was full except for one table. The atmosphere was improved tremendously.
We were offered a desert menu but my sister and I were the only 2 who could manage one. Several deserts on the menu were not available and despite liking baklava I decided to go for the rather boring choice of chocolate fudge cake while my sister had an ice cream sundae.
The food and the service were fantastic and for once we had no complaints!
The toilets were not bad; however they could have been better. We couldn’t fault the cleanliness but the décor could have been better and one of the two toilets didn’t lock. Another problem with the toilets was that again they were upstairs which again offers a problem for disabled diners (and also to the members of the hen party who were slightly tipsy!)
We were ready to leave at 22.00 but were told by the staff that the entertainment was about to start. In other words live bouzuki, dancing, plate smashing and a late disco! There was also a competition where 1 person from each table had to see who could down a Greek liqueur the quickest (I won!) At this point the night truly became fantastic and even my dad was up doing the Zorba dance! In the end we didn’t leave until 00:00 because we were having such a good time!
The total price for the food was £58.75, which for such a good night is great value for money.
The only complaint we had was that although there was Greek beer on the menu they didn’t have any in stock.
We will definitely go again and will introduce our friends to CHEZ NICO too.
Overall the place gets 10/10 and as my dad sums it up “it’s the best kept secret in Huddersfield”!
To see
this restaurant on Virtual Huddersfield click here >CHEZ NICO
Back
to Restaurant Reviews
 |
