Nostimo — Restaurant in Seoul

I love Greece, I love Greek food, and I loved the experience we had at Nostimo.

We visited for my wife's birthday and we got a nice table near the window which was nice. The waitress we had was so kind and welcoming and gave us some time to order.

We started off with some wine from Greece which was an organic cabernet sauvignon red wine. We visited many vine yards on our travels to Greece and this took us right back to all the amazing Greek wine we'd had.

We ordered the dolmadakia and 3 Greek spread for our appertizer.

Thr dolmadakia was so well made with the rich flavour of the lamb and the rice giving an extra glutinous texture, all wrapped up in a grape leaf. I could easily have eaten a a bunch of them and still wanted more they were that delcious.

The 3 Greek spread consisted of tzatziki, feta cheese dip, and an egg plant dip, and it was served with homemade pita bread. Oh man! This was just amazing. The tzatziki was just awesome! It was refreshing and had an amazing garlic flavour which was just sensational and some of the best I've ever had. The egg plant spread was also finger licking good and had that nice smokey flavour coming through. The feta cheese dip was so creamy with a hint of citrus and complimented the other dips.

For our main meal we ordered the moussaka and the soustzoukakia.

The moussaka was well presented and you could see all the layers of eggplant, potato, beef ragu, all topped with the bechamel sauce. Usually, you can find moussaka isn't well seasoned but this was really well made with each individual element prepared well and put together to create a truly amazing taste of Greece.

The soustzoukakia is made with beef and pork meatballs in a tomato sauce and served with country bread. This was another delicious dish with a lovely tomato sauce and the meatballs tasting so good with a mixture of beef and pork. The country bread was nice and fresh and dense which was good for soaking up the sauce. The chef came out and spoke to all the customers which was really nice and gave us some extra bread to soak up the sauce which was really kind of him.

For dessert we ordered the Greek style figs and the mosaiko.

The Greek style figs are poached in wine and served with greek yogurt. The figs were soft and sweet and together with the yogurt was just what we needed after the delcious and rich food we ate. The mosaiko is Greek chocolate and biscuit dessert topped with whipped cream. This was another winner with the chocolate and biscuit combining well to satisfy your sweet tooth and the whipped cream balancing out the flavours.

We finished with a glass of Ouzo which is a traditional Greek spirit that has a nice aniseed flavour. It is clear and then when you add it to ice it turns cloudy and is very good.

An amazing experience with amazing...

Nostimo, meaning 'delicious' in Greek, is a Greek restaurant located near Naebang station. I made a reservation via instagram message.

We ordered the roast lemon chicken in advance, but due to the restaurant's mistake, didn't get to eat it. A few menus that I planned on trying, such as the tiropitakia or the greek yogurt cheesecake, were also unfortunately sold out. It's probably because it was monday and tuesday was the day off. Nevertheless, there were many other dishes to choose from, so it wasn't too depressing. ♤ Spanakopitakia (Σπανακοπιτάκια) (19,000₩) A Greek pie, made by stuffing spinach and feta cheese within thin phyllo pastry. Somewhat resembling spring rolls, but much lighter and less oily. It was not as impressive as I expected, but still good.

♤ Moussaka (Μουσακάς) (21,000₩) A Mediterranean dish, made with eggplant, potatoes, and ragu sauce. The Greek version has a pancake-like layer on top. It has the looks and ingredients similar to a lasagna, but the taste is quite different. Contrast to the crispy, salty, and greasy lasagna, the moussaka is soft and light. A tasty and unique dish that I recommend.

♤ Shrimp Saganaki (Γαρίδες σαγανάκι) (22,000₩) Spicy tomato stew and steamed shrimp, served with Greek country bread. The stew was rich with the taste of fresh tomatoes, and the shrimp was also good. The most interesting part was the dense, heavy bread. It was a type of bread I've never encountered before.

♤ Soutzoukakia (Σουτζουκάκια) (24,000₩) Greek style meatballs, with rich tomato sauce and feta cheese. This was the best main dish for me. It was unlike the usual meatballs. The fat was drained out, leaving only the thick meat and aavory taste behind. The sauce was also great, thanks to the delicious feta cheese.

♤ Mosaiko (Μωσαϊκό) (6,000₩) This was undoubtedly the menu of the day. Chocolate mixed with biscuits, served cold with whipped cream on top. It's a limited edition, so if you see it on the menu, don't miss the chance to try it.

♤ Yiayia's lemon cake (Κέικ λεμονιού της γιαγιάς) (6,500₩) This is the dessert Mr. Todd (the owner) gave us to apologize for the lemon chicken mishap. The cake, baked with Mr. Todd's grandmother's recipe, tastes very similar to a lemon pound cake. It was good, but not exactly the 'dessert' type. More like the food you would take home and enjoy along with a cup of tea. Though it's a shame I didn't get to enjoy the restaurant 100%, I was generally satisfied with the unique experience. I think I might visit again to try some other intriguing dishes.

The cork charge is 20,000￦.

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맛있었지만 100% 즐기지 못한 것 같아 아쉽기도 하다.

내방역의 그리스 음식점. Nostimo는 그리스어로 '맛있다'는 뜻! 인스타그램으로 예약하고 방문했다.

레몬 닭고기 구이를 미리 요청드렸는데, 주문이 누락되어 먹어보지 못했다. 그 외에도 다음날 휴무여서 그런지 궁금했던 티로피타키아, 치즈케이크 등의 메뉴들 이 품절 상태였던 점도 아쉽다. 그래도 다른 색다른 메뉴들도 많아서 선택의 폭이 크게 제한되지는 않았다. ♤ 스파나코피타키아 (19,000₩) 가장 호평이 많았던 메뉴라서 망설임 없이 주문. 필로 페이스트리지로 만든 그리스식 파이로, 시금치와 페타치즈를 넣은 춘권 정도의 느낌이다. 굉장히 담백하고 기름기 없다. 안에 시금치와 치즈가 밀도있게 들어차 있다. 기대보다는 무난했다.

♤ 무사카 (21,000₩) 가지, 감자, 라구소스 등의 다양한 재료를 층층이 쌓아올린 지중해 요리. 맨 위는 팬케이크같은 빵으로 덮여 있다. 라자냐와 비슷하게 생겼지만 맛은 상당히 다른데, 바삭한 라자냐와는 달리 기름기가 적고 식감이 부드럽다. 그리스 대표 요리인 만큼 한 번 드셔 보시는 걸 추천.

♤ 새우 사가나키 (22,000₩) 새우가 들어간 매콤한 토마토 스튜를 빵과 곁들여 먹는 요리. 가장 인상적인 건 정말로 묵직한 빵... 밀도가 정말 높다. 새로운 맛은 아니었지만 실패하진 않을 메뉴.

♤ 그리스 전통 미트볼 (24,000₩) 메인 디쉬 중에서 가장 맛있게 먹은 건 미트볼이다. 미트볼이 미트볼이지~ 하고 먹었는데, 생각했던 것이랑 꽤 다른 맛이다. 기름기가 쫙 빠져서 고기의 고소함만 제대로 남긴 미트볼. 페타 치즈가 들어간 소스도 맛있었다. 추천!

♤ 모사이코 (6,000₩) 한정판이라는 말에 혹해서 주문했는데... 고르길 너무 잘했다. 이 날의 no.1 메뉴! 초콜릿과 비스킷을 섞어 차갑게 식히고 휘핑크림을 올린 디저트인데, 너무 맛있다. 메뉴판에 있다면 무조건 시키시길.

♤ 할머니의 레몬케이크 (6,500₩) 레몬 닭고기 구이가 누락된 것에 대한 사과의 의미로, 토드 씨가 서비스로 내주신 디저트. 맛있는 레몬 파운드케이크라고 생각하시면 될 듯. 괜찮았는데, 내가 생각했던 디저트의 느낌은 아니었다. 식사의 마무리로 먹기보다는, 테이크아웃해서 차 한잔 하면서 같이 먹으면 좋을 것 같다. 몇 가지 삐그덕거린 부분이 아쉬웠지만, 그래도 나름 만족스러운 경험이었다. 다른 궁금한 메뉴들도 많아서, 한 번쯤은 재방문 해 볼 것 같다.

음식이 빠르게 나오는 편은 아니니 감안하시길! 콜키지는 20,000₩.

[다음에 먹어볼 것 - 호리아티키 샐러드, 돌마다키아, 티로피타키아, 레몬 양정강이 구이, 요거트...

As a Greek I can wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant, if you want to get a taste of Greece in Korea.

First of all, the service is excellent. We arrived without a reservation and they were still able to accomodate us, even though the restaurant was nearly full. It is probably smart to get a reservation, since it seems to be really busy. The service personal, as well as both co-owners were really nice and had a moment to chat with us and explain the story behind the restaurant.

The restaurant itself, including the Greek music, could certainly be from Greece, since it has the right look.

The cheese is selfmade and really tasty. I also really liked the Pita bread. The owners speak Korean and English perfectly and the menu is also in Greek.

Even though we love Korean food, it was fun to try a Greek restaurant in Korea and we did not regret it. If we would live here, we would certainly pass...