By Courtney Friday

courtney.friday@newsquest.co.uk

EVERYONE has been ranting and raving about the food on offer at The Real Greek, so I thought to myself, why not give it a try?

Out of the kindness of my heart, I even invited a couple of my co-workers to join me. So, on a rainy Thursday afternoon, we trudged along to The Oracle Riverside for a culinary treat.

Walking in on a miserable day, I was overwhelmed by how busy the restaurant floor was for early lunchtime, clearly, we had stumbled upon something quite special.

We sat down in a slightly compact booth, but that was to be expected given the amount of customers who walk in and out of the ever-so-popular restaurant on a daily basis.

The menu - all be it slightly overwhelming - is filled with more choices than I could ever pick from. The first problem I encountered was how many dishes to choose from.

Sure, they’re all very reasonably priced and look delicious, but I had been forewarned that the food can be deceptively filling, so I didn’t want to go overboard.

I went with three options, the salt cod, the bread and hummus and the halloumi and vegetable skewers.

The food came in good time and was prepared to a spectacular standard, the halloumi was as squeaky as it comes (just how I like it) and everything was made fresh to order.

I didn’t really get time to glance at what my colleagues had gone for, because I was too busy tucking into the mouth-watering salt cod and hand-baked pita bread.

Three was a good number, had I gone for four, I think my colleagues would have been carrying me out of the door.

But there are so many options I had to miss out on, I am almost certain to go back for a second visit soon.

As a pescetarian, there was plenty for me to choose from, which is sometimes a rarity nowadays.

What’s more, The Real Greek has just launched a fabulous new vegan-friendly menu, packed with thirsty flavoursome vegan dishes.

Options include Jackfruit Gryos Souvlaki Wraps, a vegan twist on a traditional gyro, packed with fresh tomatoes, red onion, tahini sauce, sweet paprika and jackfruit wrapped in flatbread.

Christos Karatzenis, operations director of The Real Greek, said: “While The Real Greek has always been proud to have a variety of vegan-friendly options on its menu, creating a special dedicated menu was a natural step for us – veganism is ingrained in Grecian history and culture, with the first vegan diet created by philosopher Pythagoras in 550 BCE – it was more than a theory.

“We’re excited to launch this menu that is a result of listening to our customers, and leaning on tradition, to craft what we believe is one of the most varied and flavoursome vegan menus you’ll find in the UK today.”