Could 2015 be the year of Greek food?

Every year there’s some kind of new food craze. A nation’s culinary heritage re-packaged for the London palate and suddenly it’s everywhere from pop-ups in Shoreditch to the West End. Peruvian ceviche, Korean kimchee, outer Mongolian horse confit and Eritrean bacon rolls (not all of these are true). How about for 2015 we go Hellenic?

The Greek Larder, newly opened in the formerly dodgy stretch of King’s Cross north of the station, is certainly doing its bit to back the bid.

Despite the proximity of Granary Square and Kings Place, the area is still a bit bleak, and the building itself has less character than a breeze block, but once inside it’s like a warm, cosy Taverna.

Cured meats and Greek produce line the walls and hang from the ceiling (it’s also a fully-functioning delicatessen), chefs work busily in the open kitchen and thankfully they resisted the temptation to slip the bouzouki music on (some seriously toe-tapping northern soul took its place).

Everything here is from the birthplace of democracy - the wine cellar, the cocktails (metaxa old fashioned anyone?) and naturally the grub.

A long meze list (read: small plates) and a more traditional, (though small) three course section make up the menu.

We started with the tzatziki laden chick-peas and souvlaki (a kind of sausage wrap), both of which were excellent.

On the waitress’s recommendation we had the eel and dolmades, which terrified me, but was in fact fantastic - tender, smokey flesh balanced by the mellow vine leaves.

We also had the rare grilled beef with beetroot, which was cooked perfectly, although didn’t strike me as hugely Greek.

The main events were the rich, piney, succulent venison lounging luxuriously on a bed of quince-laden pilaf, and moist grilled cod with mussels in slightly piquant lemon sauce.

The only real let down was the cheese - which ranged from bland to ulcer-inducing sharpness. If 2015 is the year of Greek food - the Larder’s got things going nicely.