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I’ve been eating at Greek restaurant Vrisaki in Palmers Green for quite a few years now, and all the friends I’ve taken there have loved the food. It’s also great for groups as the atmosphere is hugely entertaining. But as it involves eating excessive amounts of food, I can only go there about twice a year at most. Recently my Greek Cypriot friend Maria Moustaka (who has a couple of great recipes on World Foodie Guide for halvas tis kasarollas and kallo brama) recommended Babinondas, on Green Lanes in Haringay. So I thought I’d go and investigate, to see how it compared to Vrisaki.
What I ordered:
The four of us chose the special meze (£16.50 each, minimum 2 people). At Vrisaki, it’s £18.00 per person. Comparing the food, there were far fewer courses - the first course of dips (houmus, taramasalata etc), beans, seafood, beetroot, potatoes and so on, with warm pita bread, consisted of less than that served at Vrisaki. The seafood course was served at the same time - a few miniscule boiled shrimps, four oysters and a few pieces of smoked salmon and mackerel. At Vrisaki, the second course consists of a whole platter of much larger shrimps, followed by another platter of cold fish, then a plate of delicious grilled langoustine.
Next came a salad, a tiny plate of chopped mushrooms (not enough for 4!), an even smaller plate of meatballs (3 for 4 people!) and another plate of grilled halloumi cheese on ham. A plate of kalamari followed, along with grilled whole sea bass, which was very fresh. Again, Vrisaki offers far more here, including a gigantic field mushroom per person. The final meat course was again smaller than that at Vrisaki, but quite tasty - chicken, lamb and kofta.
Babinondas is a small, quiet restaurant. The service is friendly, but low-key. Vrisaki is a vast dining hall at the back of a kebab shop, full of groups and Greek families. The service is provided by elderly men with a fantastic sense of humour (unless you get the grumpy one).
The verdict?
It’s not that Babinondas isn’t any good. If you’ve not been to Vrisaki, then it’s just a perfectly fine local restaurant. But I have compared it to Vrisaki for its similar meze menu, and that’s where it fails. For around the same price, Vrisaki offers far more food, at much better quality, a buzzing atmosphere and quirky service. It’s a place you look forward to returning to, despite the fact that it’s not so easy to get to. If you live near Babinondas, then try it by all means, but it’s not worth a long journey.
The bill came to about £90 in total, including service.
Better Greek restaurants that I like are:
10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average
Contact Details:
Babinondas
598 Green Lanes
London N13 5RY
Tel: 020 8886 1010
www.nostos.com/babinondas/
