Last week I went to check out the latest addition to Wuhan’s growing mix of foreign restaurants, Aegean Blue. The owner of the restaurant comes from Thessaloniki in Greece, so the food is authentic and traditional, and prepared with passion. Upon entering the first thing that struck me was the bright and fresh décor, the blues and whites perfectly reminiscent of the Greek island holidays I remember as a kid. It’s a spacious place, with many large tables for groups of friends and a good bar to sit along for cocktails.
The menu has a good selection of Greek dishes, including kebabs, lamb meatballs, pita breads, calamari, Greek salad, pastas, seafood dishes, and classic Greek appetisers and dips. This menu is unique in Wuhan as it is the first place to feature classic Greek cuisine, such as Lahmajun (flatbreads with minced lamb and tomato), Tetragona (Cheesy rice squares stuffed with chicken, paprika and parsley, Keftedakia (beef and lamb meatballs with Greek dip and pita bread), and Tyropitikia (filo pastry triangles filled with creamy Greek feta cheese).
I opted to try the Tyropitakia to start, which were delicious – the pastry was perfectly crisp and the cheese lovely and melty in the middle.
I also tried two of the main course dishes, the chicken fillet kebab (Souvlaki), and the Seafood Salad. The chicken was really tender and well marinated, with tasty herbs and a smoky barbeque flavour, and was served with pita bread, fries, and a nice tangy and sweet home-made tomato sauce. The salad was served on a flatbread and had a wide variety of seafood, with baby octopus, squid rings, shrimp, and cuttlefish, and was piled high! I’m not usually a fan of octopus, but the baby octopus was cooked so well that they were soft and creamy and I really enjoyed them.
If I were to make one criticism it’s that the squid rings were very chewy, but with the rest of the tasty fresh seafood, this is easily ignored. It also came with a lemon garnish and a traditional Tzatziki (Greek Yoghurt) dip. At the end of the meal, the chef also brought some lamb tenderloin for me try, which was cooked perfect pink and juicy.
The restaurant also has a great selection of drinks, with wine, whisky, rum, cocktails and beers – I tried a bottle of lovely French Merlot, but the special highlight for me was that they sell real Ouzo (Greek liquor) that I hadn’t had the chance to taste in years! As well as this they also have a dessert counter with a choice of chocolate mousses and fruit mixes. The food is reasonably priced, at around 50 yuan for the main courses, 30 for large appetisers, and 15 for small appetisers like fried potatoes. The desserts and beers are only around 15 yuan each, and the cocktails are 30 yuan.
The service was very quick – I was seated right away and the food came in no time at all. The staff are also very polite, and their attention to small details (such as always making sure my wine and water glasses were refilled) made it a very pleasant experience, and the restaurant and kitchen are also the cleanest I’ve seen so far in Wuhan. The owner is really friendly and was happy to talk through the menu and offer his recommendations for the best things to try, and it was wonderful to chat with him over a glass of wine about his passion for Greek food and the best ways to prepare different dishes.
The relaxed atmosphere and bright ambience make this the perfect place to go for a meal with friends, so if you like Mediterranean food, or want to try something new, head down to Aegean Blue. It’s a great place to spend a long relaxed evening, sipping on wine and cocktails and sharing platters of traditional Greek food.
Address: Shipailing Road 石牌岭路