Summer times in the City

It seemed like a terrific idea at the time. I was a young, desperately poor student who wore a balaclava on my visits to the bank for fear of being recognised and having my request for a one pound withdrawal refused. The prospect of a last-minute cheap beano to some Greek island or other was too good to pass up - until, that is, I arrived at the airport and realised that the following 14 nights would be spent in the company of social wolves.

Even copious amounts of ouzo and metaxa couldn't cloud the experience of this self-imposed period of incarceration with the world's most mind-numbingly awful people - the Brits on holiday. It was tempting to loiter at the airport with the intent of planespotting, thus throwing myself at the mercy of the Greek authorities.

Although I was so scarred by this experience that I have never returned, I am reliably informed that away from the playgrounds policed by club reps, Greece is a truly beautiful country, and that 'real Greek' cuisine is significantly better than the Greek Cypriot dishes of moussaka and kebabs, so often peddled in this country as genuine Greek.

Theodore Kyriakou's Real Greek bar and restaurant in Hoxton has been serving traditional Greek food and drink since the late Nineties, and has quite rightly seen no reason to adopt the ersatz Greekery antics of plate smashing (not deliberately, anyway) and endless Nana Mouskouri tapes.

Kyriakou's second outlet, the Souvlaki And Bar, opened just a few weeks ago on the site of the ill-fated Fish! restaurant and, even in its first week of operation when I visited, was attracting healthy numbers of hedonistic Hellenists. The setting is one large, ultra-modern room with a huge island bar also containing a massive open kitchen.

The idea behind Souvlaki (simple pork or lamb snacks, usually served with flat bread ) is to provide an arena where you can enjoy a drink, and dip into the food menu for as little or as much as you desire. And from the mezedes (starter snacks) you should try the gigandes plaki (oven-cooked giant beans, £2.80), melitzanosalata (smoked aubergine and walnut salad, £2.80) and htipiti (a delightful purée of cheese, peppers, roasted onions and olive oil, £3.20).

As an aperitif you should try a glass of Boutari, a smooth, refreshing white wine, or a Tsippouru, a distillation of must-residue from wine presses and similar to vodka. They offer three different Greek beers here (Marathon, Alfa and Mythos), all very nice, all very refreshing. And there's a cracking little wine list of some fine Greek wines including the excellent Tselepos cabernet merlot at £22.50 per bottle. Most wines are sold by quarter- or half-litre carafes, which fits perfectly with the pick'n'mix philosophy of eating there.

But it's the cocktail list that could draw howls of protest from traditionalists. I mean, whoever had a mojito made with ouzo? If you're a fan of ouzo, you'll love it with lemon juice, gomme, soda and fresh mint (£4.50). Similarly, if you like metaxa, the cherry fizz cocktail with morello cherry purée and sparkling wine should float your boat (£6).

As I polished off the evening with a nice glass of calvados, I could almost imagine being transported to Greece once again - but this time not on a charter flight.

The Real Greek Souvlaki and Bar
140-142 St John Street, EC1V 4UB