Last Saturday, myself and 7 of the girls ventured for some good food and cocktails at Aqua and it did not disappoint. The Mediterranean Bar & Grill, in Croydon is a traditional chain offering crazy good Italian and Meze at pretty decent price for its quality. It was comfortable, buzzing, cosy and traditional and staff were on point every time we needed them.
As a group of twenty something girls out celebrating our best friend’s birthday, it was no surprise that we had all chosen our cocktails before we had arrived. It’s often difficult to find an Italian/ Greek restaurant that offer cocktails so it was a definite winner for those looking for something a little more fancy than a glass of red. They boast a slightly hefty price but nothing out of the ordinary. I went for an Amaretto Sours (or two) which by the way, is my faav. No complaint there.
Free olives and bread baskets were placed at the table pretty much immediately once sat at our table which led the the classic ‘Who likes olives?’ discussion which occurs pretty much every time I go for Meze. Staff were helpful and were more than happy to provide us with second rounds once we had all tucked in.
For our starter, most of the girls went for the Deep Fried Calamari but as a massive carb lover I obviously went for the Trio of Dips which came with a crazy portion of warm pita bread, Taramosalata, Houmus & Tzatziki – a good option for large groups as a sharing platter. Of course, I tackled most of it myself before declaring defeat and handing bread out.
The main menu caters for everyone and isn’t restricted to classic Mediterranean food which as a big group of friends or family of fussy eaters, is always a winner. From a Mixed Grill to Butternut Squash Risotto, you are left questioning what you fancy as everything sounds so good. I went for the Pork Belly, served with balsamic roasted peppers, roasted new potato and port jus. The pork, cooked to perfection was well worth the difficult choice and my only complaint was that my appetite was too small! Other meals around the table were the Souvlaki, nicknamed the ‘posh chicken kebab’, Pan Fried Fillet of Seabass, Veal Rump and the 250g Sirloin Steak which came with abnormally giant chips.
Pork Belly
Souvlaki
Pan Fried Fillet of Seabass
Veal Rump
We had the cutest evening stuffing our faces but in the art of ‘eating is cheating’ (although it was probably too late for that) we opted against desert but that didn’t stop me drooling over the Bailey’s Creme Brûlée.
Aqua, was an affordable, quality dining experience with a good range of food and drink. Offering deals across the whole week, there is no excuse not to give it a go, particularly if you are a lover of traditional Meze food. I will 100% be forcing Charlie to take me but us girls did good, we ate a lot of food, cackled over cocktails and in true fashion, went silent the moment food arrived – which is always a good sign.
Until the next time I decide to be greedy,
lovelove,
R.
thehouseonthegreen 