The oxtail with red wine sauce and tomato-olive orzo. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Honey, chilli, oregano and lemon enhanced the saganaki. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Pan-roasted half chicken with creamy spinach kritharaki (the Greek version of Italian Orzo pasta). Photo: Wendy Johnson

Grilled flathead with a preserved lemon gremolata. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Octopus with oregano and lemon. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Lemon potatoes with garlic, oregano and citrus salt. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The Spanakopita with spinach and salty feta. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Baklava cheesecake… created with cream cheese, walnuts and syrup drizzled on top.Photo: Wendy Johnson

“Alia’s fit-out is gorgeous and upmarket, but don’t fret. The prices of wine and food – by design – aren’t outrageous.” There’s a new Greek eatery, writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.

Madly passionate about Greek food? Run, don’t walk, to Alia on London Circuit, Civic. 

A relatively new kid on the block in the Canberra dining scene, Alia’s fit-out is gorgeous and upmarket, but don’t fret. The prices of wine and food – by design – aren’t outrageous. 

We lucked into a big, round marble table near large windows with soft flowing curtains, sinking into soft, comfy dining chairs under a stunning glass chandelier. 

The Alia experience continued with shared dishes curated by chef John Santos, served by attentive, friendly staff and washed down with well-priced wines.

Alia correctly describes its offering as “contemporary dining meets Greek taverna in Santorini”. You expect a wise yaya (grandma) to come bounding out of the kitchen to encourage you to “eat, eat and eat more”.

While we didn’t meet a yaya, we did eat, eat and eat more, sharing small and large plates.

Honey, chilli, oregano and lemon enhanced the saganaki with just the right balance of sweet ($18). The filo pastry used for the Spanakopita was paper-thin and delightfully crispy. Packed inside was spinach and salty feta ($19).

Octopus lovers will find the Xtapodi with oregano and lemon – such a great combo of Greek flavours – divine ($28). It was super soft and wonderfully charred and we loved the half-lemon charred too, adding depth to the juice.

The pan-roasted half chicken was a “good-for-the-soul” dish and yummy with creamy spinach kritharaki (the Greek version of Italian Orzo pasta). And what would a roast be without potatoes? Alia’s lemon potatoes are true comfort food and prepared with just the right amount of garlic, oregano and citrus salt ($16).

Flathead was grilled and served whole (if you’re not a fan of carving a whole, cooked fish, ask the kitchen for help). Perfectly cooked, it married well with a punchy preserved lemon gremolata ($55).

Skillfully created was the oxtail, a must-try dish ($36). It was succulent with a lovely texture and the red wine sauce a masterpiece. The kitchen team nailed the accompanying tomato-olive orzo.

One side that celebrated colour as much as flavour was the Village salad. While loaded with goodness, we felt the red onion slices were too thick. The feta was salty and the olives were simply fabulous.

A stunning dessert, and our fave by far, was the baklava cheesecake encased in more of that paper-thin filo. This dish is created with cream cheese, walnuts and a divine syrup drizzled on top ($19). Close your eyes and, bingo, you’re in Greece. 

We weren’t as passionate about the tiramisu ($24), agreeing we’d had better. It was a generous serve, but the flavour profile could have been more pronounced in some way. And we felt the texture could have been slightly firmer.