Ya'll know me, still the same ol' G
But I been low key.....
But I been low key.....
But nothing comes out when they move their lips
Just a bunch of gibberish
And muthafuckas act like they forgot about Dre... GEORGIOS!
HOLD ON (or should I say HOLD UP?)
Why am I using rap lyrics for a review for a Mediterranean restaurant in Margate?
It occurred to me that no one talks about Georgios anymore, and now I cant get the tune out of my head...
"And muthafuckas act like they forgot about Dre.. GEORGIOS!"
Arrgh.. Get out my head. What does this mean? Is Georgios still the greatest?
Georgios was the BOMB in its day... But I never really liked it. I had forgotten why.... Until....
So... Re Introducing...
CUE INTRO MUSIC.....
Allow me to re-introduce myselfMy name is GEORGIOS, oh, G to the E to the OSI used to move snowflakes by the O-ZI guess even back then you can call meC.E.O. of the MAR G, Hov'Fresh out the fryin' pan into the fireI be the, music biz number one supplierFlyer than a piece of paper bearin' my nameGot the hottest chick in the game wearin' my chain
The rap lovers among you will notice I changed a couple of words of Jay Z`s lyrics to make it flowwww, but no one sold snowflakes in the O-Z here..... Clever eh?
As soon as I stepped back inside Georgios it all came back, why this place was, just Georgios.
It started in 1990 and 30 years ago the world was a very different place.
People still listened to Rick Astley and Chesney Hawkes. It wasnt a great era for music.
Sadly food was as dull too. Prawn cocktails were a thing,
British food was dull, let's face it. Our cultural upbringing meant we didn't like change, and we couldn't eat that foreign muck!
This has nothing to do with Georgios by the way.... (But it hopefully raises a smile...)
Mediterranean food. That was the JAM!!!
The idea of Pasta was once sold to the british public as something that grew on trees. It was thought we could not understand what it is otherwise.
We progressed, olive oil was no longer a medicine for a blocked ear... Now we could eat the stuff!
Inevitably we realised a whole culinary offering beyond corned beef.
Food from the Med... primarily Italian...
Now that was the game changer, something all the family could enjoy, pasta - as long as it had a dollop of minced meat in the middle and pizza....cheese only... Just like cheese on toast.
This was what you had been missing all your life!
And so introducing....
Suddenly Margate had a restaurant which everyone wanted to go to be seen at to show off their experimental culinary sexual prowess.
No longer subjected to British interpretations of Mediterranean food, we were shown what we had been missing.
Amazing Mediterranean food in the coolest place to hit Thanet since Brandybucks!
Georgios went on to enjoy years of being one of the go to places to eat out.
It was huge, like humongous..
You wasn't anyone if you didnt go to Georgios.
It wasn't just stuffy couples dining though, Georgios became well known for being able to host large groups and parties....
Georgios embraced the audience and turned up the volume.
Happy birthday was boomed over the sound system, the waiting staff lit the sparklers, it became known for its incredible service, atmosphere, great food and memories.
But as the hangovers passed, so did Georgios.
GEORGIOS was forgotten.
The bar greets you as you
enter, a large island with glass bar top, neon and chrome.
Why was that?
Georgios didnt appeal to the typical pocket of Margate people, it appealed to people who liked to be fashionable.
Blinded by its success It maintained the status quo and raised prices as a kind of signiture of greatness...
But its end was inevitable.
Georgios became an after thought, people with money moved on.
It became a place to reluctantly go, rather than a must. Great for parties, or if you had a few bob you could feed all the family and be happy that you did so.
And this is how it has bobbed along.
The menu today vaguely resembles a Pizza Express or a ZiZi.. But they dont take tesco club card points here....
It was only because we had been out with friends and someone suggested we try Georgios.
Was it even open? Will they take a walk in or let people sit at the bar for drinks?
Only one way to find out!
It was about 8pm, Saturday night. We get a table without hesitation.
We walk in to find it has a large table of about 15 celebrating a birthday, and a few couples spread around... Its not really busy, but its still got a few people making merry.
The bar still looks current, I guess Georgios was ahead of its time when they designed the place, and as I look around it is still completely relevant.
We are greeted with the kind of reception you only really receive from hospitality professionals that have lived a life doing this, and still love it with a passion.
That's rare.
I cast my eye across the menu. Ah Kleftiko is still on the menu... Argh its £22... Its been a while I guess.... I know its nice, but £22 kind of nice it isn't...
Ribeye steak, rosemary fries and rocket at £30, I'm doing my maths, a decent mark up on food is approximately 3 times the raw cost, so basically that is telling me that I should get £10 of raw food cost if I bought it myself... Im working it out in my head still... Thats £5-£7 at the most for the meat plus a few chips and garnish... So by my working out this should be £18 to £22ish.. I dont want to be disappointed, and £30 is too much to gamble...
Pasta... Well its pasta isnt it.. Carbonarra... £15.. Egg and a bit of hard cheese (parmesan hopefully) a bit of panchetta (dry cured bacon from italy hopefully, but who can tell? ) , black pepper, delicious..
But im struggling to justify it when the most expensive thing about it is the panchetta, and you get a mere couple of thin rashers.. Its down right arrogance.
Do they not know what their competitors are doing? Or do they still think they are ontop of the game?
Pizza, you cant go wrong with a decent wood fired pizza, vesuvius is shouting at me and at £14.50 its about the money, but there are other excellent Mediterranean restaurants nearby that are cheaper.
The Mrs orders the Gamboroni, a salad with prawns, pine nuts and avocardo £18.50.
Yes... Iceberg lettuce, prawns..... That better be a huge prawn....
No... Its not, just a prawn..
She also orders a cocktail at £9.95. Despite all the cocktail shaking, it is literally a flavored spirit and juice from a carton. Oh it comes with a slice of lemon...
My pizza was perfectly fine. The salad was just that. Green.
Before I go on with my verdict, I am reminded of a restaurant in Broadstairs, its fairly new, it serves Mediterranean food, its always packed, the food looks incredible, if I could eat their website I would! Ive reviewed them, they fared quite a bit better.
In everyway it looks superior, whilst at the same time appearing to be much cheaper.
Let that sink in. Better, cheaper, busier.
You will not be walking in on a Saturday night at 8pm without a booking. Or any time of day for that matter...
Meanwhile, back at Georgios there is a notice pinned to the toilet wall:
CHEF WANTED and £1000 paid for an introduction fee for someone they want to keep.
I would advise they take a good look at themselves before they look to hire someone else, the competition has left you back in the 90's.
So how does it score?
1) Is it to the expected standard? The food is a good standard. The menu reads well, but its a bit safe. There is nothing wrong with quality classic dishes, but if you want to be the best, you have to be better than the best. Im not sure they realise they have been left for dust.
I wanted to be more generous but I cant justify it... NO STAR
2) Does it do something that you have always wanted to try? The menu has something for everyone, and provides a great opportunity to try something different, but there are no real superstar must have dishes here....NO STAR
3) Is it fairly priced? A main meal is priced between £15 and £33. The menu is full of simple dishes which are priced strongly, and for that reason I have to say its a no for food.
Cocktails are charged at £9.95, and were underwhelming from what I witnessed. They need to up their game if they want to sell excitement in a glass and indeed on a plate. NO STAR
4) Cleanliness and appearance, including customer toilets.
These guys are well drilled in front of house standards of cleanliness and appearance. Tables are laid in a simple clean contemporary fashion. Drinks are served with napkins on the bar, a clear indication to their attention to detail.
However, despite the gents toilet being well presented and stocked, it is showing signs of grime in the corners, and the stainless steel splash backs are dull and stained from limescale. It just takes the shine off the front of house efforts. NO STAR
5) Service
I cannot admire their levels of service enough. Attentive, friendly, respectful and willing to go the extra mile.
This is old school hospitality at its best. ONE STAR and ONE BONUS STAR🌟
A) Does it have a clear and relevant identity? Yes, it is a modern style Mediterranean food restaurant which identifies itself by image, but it falls short of delivery on its menu to the plate.
B) Does it stand out for quality and standards? Its just average. The standards of food and service are good on balance, but it is actually quite forgettable. The website is also desperately amateur.
C) Is there areas of the business that someone else does better? Yes, for reasons already described.
D) Does it diversify? They do offer a separate vegan menu, however I would find very little on there to tell my vegan friends about. Vegan food is a huge opportunity, this is definitely an area to focus on.
E) Will customers return without hesitation? Im sure they will get repeat customers due to convenience and position, but their challenge is to remind people of what they did best which is great food, great drinks, great atmosphere.
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