Greek restaurant review: Fotia at 28 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089610

*EDIT Dec 2020* They have moved to 28 Duxton Hill! 

It's not every day that I eat Greek food in Singapore. In fact before I went to Greece this October, I don't even think I had Greek food properly ever. So it was quite funny that the second meal I had after coming back from my big fat Greek holiday was dinner at the newish Fotia at 1 Club St 28 Duxton Hill for a colleague's farewell. Might as well I guess, for the memory of what's authentic will still be fresh on my tastebuds! Fotia took over the defunct Chinese restaurant Si Wei Yan on the buzzing Club St.

When we went on a week day the crowd was already starting to fill up but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. The business was doing well though since they just expanded to Gemmill Lane 2-4 as well with FUEGO by Fotia since 9 October (with the same chef).

Anyway, here's the menu for Fotia (click on pics to view full size) - prices are definitely on the high side when you compare it to Athens, but perhaps its on par with Santorini's. Here it all goes to rent and alcohol tax, as the owner animatedly told us (regarding the free alcohol custom back home, its simply untenable here).

It looked really authentic enough, with my favourite cod fish paste/dip (tarama salata which is like Greek mentaiko, as my friend Fabian rightly describes it) on the menu and several authentic ingredients like olives, feta cheese, fava beans, and yogurt of course. 

We started off with an appetiser of Bougiourdi (S$15.80) which is baked feta cheese in tomato sauce. I've actually not tried it in Greece, but here it was quite yummy if not having a watery texture, though we did order quite a lot of pita bread that came in handy for soaking it up. The feta is a bit goaty for my preference but that's a personal taste thing. If you are a feta fan, this is for you! 3/5

We then hit on a seafood Thalassa platter (S$88.80) that came with the tarama (cod roe spread) and tzatziki (strained yogurt with cucumber and dill), on top of two jumbo prawns, grilled octopus, sardines, smoked mackerel, Santorinia fava and pita bread. I thought it was quite a good platter for sharing between 3-4 pax, though individually the ingredients felt rather lacklustre for the way they are done. 3/5

Speaking of goaty, we had the Arnaki Sta Karvouna (S$38.80) which is charcoal-grilled baby lamb with fries. This was great, by the way. The lamb was so juicy and tender and not lamby - and the fries were a special shape and very fluffy to match the tzatziki dip. This would be a star recommendation, I think, especially if you feel like a Mary and want to have a little lamb! 4/5

We also had their Mix Combo Kebab Platter (S$55.80) which had beef skewer, chicken skewer, lamb sekwer and beef kebab (minced meat) with fries and dips. Again I don't think this is something you might order on a date but in a group / especially office company setting. It's a great way to have something for everyone. The meat was tender and the charcoal flavour really made its way to the plate, but I am quite ambivalent about meat done this way (this was a recent realisation). 3/5

And that was it for the mains to share! We moved on to dessert in a big way by ordering every item they had on the menu except the homemade ice cream (which came with it anyway). By the way, everything in the dessert section is SUPER SWEET and if you are able to get past that, there are some good hits. But if sweet stuff (and like Gulab type of sweet) is not your area, skip it and have some yogurt instead. 

Not pictured was the homemade Greek yogurt with honey and fruits (S$9.80) which was great by the way. The Greek yogurt in restaurants is really nothing like the Farmer Union stuff we buy in supermarkets. 

First we tried the Bougatsa (S$14.80), which is a creamy semolina custard with filo pastry wrapped around it. It's alright - tastes very homestyle, like the Greek version of an American apple pie. 3/5

Then we tried the Kunefe (S$15.80). This was our table's favourite I think! It was very special the way the crispy kataifi pastry exterior was done, though the soft cheese soaked in syrup interior was just sweet. 4/5

The Chocolate Cheesecake (S$15.80) was more of a lava cake with a soft molten chocolate centre. Goes well with ice cream but its really normal for the taste and astronomical for the price! 2.5/5

A more interesting dessert to end the night - the rolled Baklava (S$15.80) which featured pistachio and fig and honey ice cream and pistachio biscuit straddling it. This was one of the lightest among the desserts but I think we were just too sweetened out. 3/5

Fotia gets my thumbs up of approval for the authenticity and relative goodness of the dishes in being tasty and great for sharing. The prices are a bit prohibitive for regular consumption but give them a chance if you are looking for a cuisine that is not your usual Italian or Japanese. I know I'll be back to taste their Greek lasagne! 

Fotia

1 Club Street, Singapore 069400 28 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089610

Noon to 10pm (weekdays), 11pm (Fri/Sat) and 9pm (Sun)

Closed on Mondays

Chope reservation or 9455 1004