Icon

And Icon is all Greek - from the tag-line that reads 'Food Mythology' to the extra virgin olive oil, the village bread and the moussaka. Thankfully, the all-Greek dedication doesn't stretch to the décor, so you won't find any rough white-washed walls with blue accessories but rather an incredibly stylish and sleek-lined space filled with low lights and uncluttered dark wood furniture.

 

The bar is equally good looking with a wide wood counter that makes for comfortable appetisers while you wait for your table. While Christina has moved on to satisfy her craving for opening and building up new restaurants (watch for more Karmas), Icon bustles with Nicole's good vibes, snappy, black-clad waiters, and chic patrons noisily sharing plates of meze and hot pita bread. The meze may be the done-to-death classics but the dips - tzatziki, taramasalata and hummous - as well as Cypriot sausages, fried haloumi and our favourite, the ambrosial meat dolmades, are all so perfectly spiced and prepared that you won't be able to bear a tacky take-away version again.

If you're thirsting for retsina, you'll not find it on the winelist, but there's a staggering selection of ouzo to try. Plus a carefully chosen selection of local wines at prices to suit all pockets. Descriptions are informative but vintages would be helpful.

Sheer quality aside, what sets the menu apart is its combination of traditional and contemporary Greek cuisine. Yes, there are vine leaves but there's also marinated goats milk feta with wood-roasted tomatoes, wild rocket and herbs. Yes, there's kleftiko - a superb, fall-off-the-bone, slow-roasted lamb shank, which, admittedly, is as traditional as the Parthenon. But Icon gives the speciality dish a modern twist by dousing it in a rosemary and balsamic glaze, or a mint and red wine version, and pairing it with caramelised onions, roast vegetables and parsley mash.

The peppers stuffed with spicy meat and chickpeas, the souvlakia kebabs, the prawn saga-naki, and the utterly rich and delicious moussaka will leave traditionalists sated; while the fillet Corfu, stuffed with feta and baby spinach, the roasted baby chicken with tarragon sauce, or the honey and orange-glazed spare ribs will satisfy those after something less Mykonos-inspired.

You might be deflected from the kleftiko route for your main course but you simply cannot afford to miss out on a sticky sweet pastry for dessert. Again, the classic would be baklava or thick Greek yoghurt layered with honey halva and hazelnuts but the gourmet choice has to be the fig and walnut croutons with gorgonzola ice-cream. Topped off with a late-night ouzo, it makes for a delightful and not-too-cloying end to a feast befitting Mount Olympus.

Average three-course meal: R100.

By Sam Alexander