A restaurant devoted to the Art of Perfectly Cooked Fish
In September 2022, I was lucky enough to spend 4 days on the Greek Island of Milos, located in the southwest part of the Cyclades; this beautiful little-known island is relatively unspoilt, and although there are tourists (I was one) compared to the nearby popular islands of Santorini or Mykonos if you are looking for a slower pace of holiday with the same beautiful scenery Milos is the place. So going to lunch at estiatorio Milos in London’s St James took me back to memories of the peaceful island of Milos, that of course was until I joined the hoards of people on the Northern line.
Estiatorio means restaurant in Greek, so from now on, for the rest of this article, I will refer to the restaurant as simply Milos. As mentioned, Milos is located in St James, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus. Milos is more than a fish restaurant; its Greek heritage is evident, and at the heart of the restaurant is its very own fish market, showcasing a wide selection of fresh fish and shellfish.
On entering Milos, through one of the biggest arched wood doors I’ve seen in a restaurant entrance, you cannot help but be struck by the decor, sharp, precise and clean, glistening with glass and stainless steel; however, this is only half the story, as this listed building in a previous life as British Colombia House Milos has been sympathetically restored with the original marble stairs with marble that came from the same quarry as used in the Parthenon, during the restoration they even discovered an old lift shaft that now has been beautifully restored and now in in operation taking diners to the first floor. The balance of old and new works so well.
On to our lunch and the menu at Milos. As you would expect, seafood plays a central role on the menu. The restaurant also caters to vegetarians and carnivores. Once seated, any stress of the journey is soon washed away and replaced by the lively chatter of a busy restaurant; I love the atmosphere of a full restaurant at lunchtime.
At Milos, you order starters at your table, and then (if you are eating fish), you are invited to the fish market to choose your main course. The fish market is packed with fresh fish and seafood; you are spoilt for choice. But don’t worry; the waiter is with you to guide you through the day’s selection. Once chosen, you can select how you wish it to be cooked, sit back, and wait for your fish to be served.
For starters, I chose the grilled octopus served with Santorini fava. Santorini fava is made from yellow splits slow-cooked with lemon and olive oil and then pureed. It was a lovely contrast to the grilled Octopus to sit on. My guest decided on the courgette flower stuffed with a blend of four Greek cheeses.
Cooking octopus perfectly can be challenging; even a few extra seconds can make it chewy and tough. However, there’s no need for any such concern with this starter. The octopus has been tenderised and then grilled over charcoal, giving a texture to the outside while remaining soft on the inside. I don’t say this lightly but I can’t remember tasting better.
My guest went with stuffed courgette flowers stuffed with four Greek cheeses. Please save my embarrassment and do not ask what the four cheeses were. I did ask our waiter, but I could only manage to remember Feta. I must try harder. The cheese mix worked so well; the strong flavours of the cheese enhanced the courgette without taking over. The courgettes also looked a picture on a the plate.
Next, for mains, we shared a grilled fish and a Greek salad. Even on a dull lunchtime in St. James, memories of dining al fresco by the sea in Greece came rushing back. Our fish of choice was a deep-water sea bream called Balada. So, how can you tell if a fish is a deep-water fish? It typically has large eyes. I would love to claim this nugget of information as my own, but I must admit that our waiter shared this insight with us.
As you would expect at Milos, but sadly, it’s not always the case, our fish was perfectly cooked; just as important that the fish was seasoned so well, served with plump capers and olive oil. Time also to mention the accompanying Greek salad, the star of the salad was the tomatoes, just so good and nothing like the tomato imposters the British supermarkets sell, don’t get me started on that subject. Anyhow, it transpires Milos brings in the tomatoes from Greece and ripens them in the restaurant, which leads me to the ethos and food providence is taken very seriously at Milos; along with the fish and tomatoes, their Greek yoghurt can be seen in a glass cabinet being strained in cheesecloth.
Onto desserts, the Greeks are famous for their desserts, and the dessert menu reads like a who’s who of great Greek puds; there was a lot of indecision on our behalf, but finally, I sided with Karidopita (walnut cake with orange), and my guest chose the Ekemek Kataifi, shredded filo layered with custard and chantilly cream and topped with pistachios. What arrived was a dessert meze. The naughty waiter had obviously felt our pain about what we had to leave out and added the classic Baklava and Greek yoghurt with spoon sweets to a sharing platter, fresh fruit made its way onto our plate as well.
What a way to end the meal! I had not had Ekmek Kataifi before, and it was delicious, with a moment of joy with each spoonful. The Baklava was as good as I’ve tasted; it was so moist and sweet with honey, as was the walnut cake. Finally, there is Greek Yoghurt, and thus there is Milos Greek Yoghurt; if they sold it by the tub, I would have a regular order.
Restaurants are great places to people-watch, and the front-of-house team is clearly a tight-knit bunch who are happy to be there. I think that is partly why there is such a good vibe in the restaurant.
So, to finish, I have two recommendations for you: First, the island of Milos is well worth a visit, but please don’t tell anybody else, as we want to keep it unspoilt. Second, there is the restaurant by the same name. I think you can tell from my murmurings above that this is a seriously good restaurant featuring great produce cooked with love and passion.
estiatoro Milos 1 Regent Street Saint James’s, London SW1Y 4NW
Milos has sister restaurants in Greece,US, Canada and Singapore
If you liked this review, you might like to read about a restaurant virtually opposite Milos, Bistrot Wild Honey
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