Our meal at Greek Affaire was complimentary.
Not much stays a secret in Stony Stratford; I’d heard rumblings for a month or two that the owners of French Affaire had acquired another building in Stony. I was absolutely thrilled when I got a message from Razvan to let me know they would be opening a second restaurant in Odell’s Yard in Stony Stratford – and it wasn’t going to be an extension of French Affaire! A totally new venture, Greek Affaire is Milton Keynes’ latest independent restaurant to hit the street and I can tell you now that it is going to be a hit. You guys know how much I love French Affaire – they’re a regular recommendation of mine and one of the best spots for brunch in MK. I was so keen to see what Greek Affaire had to offer, so Dan and I popped in for lunch on their second day of opening.
Greek Affaire brings authentic Greek cuisine to Stony Stratford. Now, there are plenty of Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants in Milton Keynes, but no Greek that I know of so it’s great to see a new cuisine on the high street. The restaurant is in a petite unit in Odell’s Yard where the jewellers used to be and it has truly had been Affaire-d! Where the interior at French Affaire features pastel pinks, rose gold and marble, Greek Affaire is all about those rich blues, wicker and gold details with jungle greens. Greek music fills the space and you almost want to start smashing plates! Almost.
Seating only 12 covers, Greek Affaire might be a teeny tiny venue but I have no doubt that it is going to be popular.
The menu was always going to be a lot more varied than French Affaire, which serves mainly crepes. You could say I am a seasoned expert when it comes to Greek food having spent the last 10 years holidaying in the Ionian Islands! The menu has all the classics: gyros, tzatziki, moussaka, feta, saganaki – everything I expect to see when I turn up at a Greek Taverna!
As well as food there are plenty of drinks available, including Mythos, the Greek beer.
To start, we ordered the oven-baked feta parcel (£5.80) to share. Feta cheese is baked in a parcel with tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and oregano. Usually, this is served on its own but they added some extras so we could get more of a flavour for the menu! The cheese was delicious – feta goes so creamy when it’s baked so this had a lovely texture. I was immediately transported back to Greece when I ate an oregano covered tomato!
The pitta bread was so soft and floury. it felt really fresh and went with the feta so well. We also had some hummus and tzatziki which went down a treat.
Dan opted for the meat moussaka (£14.95) which is essentially a Greek lasagne with mince meat layered with aubergines, courgettes and potatoes. This slice of moussaka did look a little bit sad on the plate. We saw another slice come out for another customer which was more like the doorstep slices I’m used to seeing in Greece! It was tasty, though could have done with some more nutmeg flavour to lift it slightly. It was also slightly dry which might have been down to it being a corner. Razvan was fully aware that it wasn’t the best, so I am sure they’ll take the feedback on board and improve. As I said, there were other slices that looked really good.
My lunch was much more up to scratch. I had the chicken gyros (£8.20) which are quite literally the best meal EVER. If you’ve not had gyros before, it’s a pitta filled with chicken or pork kebab meat, tzatziki, onion, tomatoes and french fries. Yep, it is the ultimate hangover cure if you ever did see one.
The pitta was soft and delicious once again and the chicken was tender. I love tzatziki and how it leaves a lovely garlic flavour. Though I’m pretty sure I can still taste it at the moment… It’s not the most glamorous thing to eat but boy, was it tasty! Other than the gyros I eat in Greece, the best gyros in MK are by Eat is Greek and I would say these ones from Greek Affaire are a pretty close contender.
If you don’t fancy eating it in a wrap, you can also order a gyros platter.
We thought we didn’t have room for dessert, but when they offered it we made room! They served us chocolate baklava (usual portion £6.90) and Galaktoboureko (usually £6.80). Baklava is an incredibly sweet Greek pastry made from filo and sugar syrup, usually with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg. I don’t actually like Baklava that much – I find it too sickly sweet, especially when you’re in 30-degree heat! However, Greek Affaire has toned down the sugar syrup so it’s much more subtle. The addition of chocolate adds a welcome bitterness to it and it’s a really delicious dessert.
Now, I’ve not had Galaktoboureko before – it’s also a dessert made with filo pastry but it’s filled with custard. Ohhh this was good. Not too sweet but so delicious! I felt it needed a bit of cinnamon or something just to set it off but I really enjoyed it. Both are served with vanilla ice cream which was really tasty and so creamy!
Read more: A Guide to Exploring Stony Stratford
So there we have it, a first look at the brand new Greek Affaire! It really is a lovely spot and it’s great to see Stony getting so many food spots. Odell’s Yard is becoming quite the dining destination with French Affaire and The Knife and Cork too! I think Greek Affaire will be really popular and with owners who evidently have a very clear vision at the helm, I have every confidence it will be a success.
As it’s so small, booking in advance is highly recommended! To view the menu and book head to www.greek-affaire.co.uk.
Will you be visiting Greek Affaire?
DISCLAIMER: This meal was complimentary – I was going to review it anyway! I’ve supported French Affaire since it opened and Razvan and Anca are incredibly kind to us every time we visit and very supportive of what I do. This doesn’t affect my opinion.
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