Recently opened in Maastricht only a couple of months ago is Kreta (translating as Crete). It will be the third Greek restaurant in the city, and for now – the best in its class. After a full renovation of one of the many historic buildings off St Bernard, right in the centre of the city, the place is looking great. The décor inside is comfy and modern, but not particularly spectacular. We very warmly greeted when we arrived and in fact, service throughout our meal was perfect – even after I had too much red wine and was probably incoherent by the end of it all.
We decided to skip starters and head straight for the mains (as the special comes with them). Toiling over the menu I decided to share the Kreta special, which was really supposed to be eaten by at least four people – we gave it our best shot. A huge platter arrived filled with a selection of grilled meats and seafood. A half a litre of house red wine for a bargain price of only 9 euro went down very nicely indeed. In this mammoth of a platter was a scattering of lightly battered calamari rings which were very soft and had a lovely crunch. Smoky grilled king prawns, grilled salmon fillets, sirloin beef steaks, juicy pork steaks and what was essentially a bed of kebab meat. It was all absolutely excellent and cooked perfectly, though far too much for the both of us.The kebab meat was also nothing like what you get here in the UK.
A bowl of fries were fluffy with a nice crunch, but something you’re more likely to see in your local boozer. A fresh Greek salad with some excellent crumbly feta was simple, but delicious. The remoulade sauce, which was heavy on the mustard was by far the best example I have tried and the tzatziki, which is in theory a very simple dip was absolutely amazing – so fresh and so well flavoured, we were literally spooning it into our mouths.
Very full, dessert came in the form of yet another Kreta special – with sparklers as it arrived to the table. Everyone around was watching in disgust at the fatties we were. A huge pile of absolutely stunning home-made baklava was as flaky as yesterdays YSL touché éclat. It was pure heaven and drenched in sweet syrup. A selection of fresh fruits, fantastic ice creams and nuts filled the plate out. A great end to a meal.
There are a few Greek restaurants in Maastricht, with Kreta definitely leading the way in both quality and service. Everything does arrive looking a bit of a mess but don’t let that put you off because this place is definitely worth visiting. I managed to taste a few of their other delights such as the home-made meatballs and grilled red mullet which were fantastic. This is a great new addition to the city and one which I’m sure will do very well. Just be prepared, this is one hell of a feast.
7/10
