Internationally renowned chef and Brisbane export Alex Xinis has teamed up with iconic Greek restaurant Nostimo to put Brisbane on the map for their Greek cuisine.

After years spent living and working abroad, Xinis has come literally and figuratively full circle – returning as Head Chef in Residence at the award-winning Greek restaurant Nostimo within The Greek Club – the same community he grew up surrounded by. While Xinis brings his years of experience working as Head Chef for Michelin Star restaurants globally, he’s stripping back more to his humble roots. He’s leading the Nostimo team in serving a new meaningful menu, paying homage to the simple and refined Greek cuisine he’s grown up surrounded by including during his stays with his extended family in Athens and Ithaki, Greece.

Responding to our collective hunger for international travel, Xinis and the team are giving us the closest thing to what feels and tastes like a slice of Greece in the heart of Brisbane. Some of the carefully curated dishes on the new menu include Feta Bouyiourdi, spicy baked feta, peppers, onion, tomato; Arni, half or whole shoulder lamb; Htapodi, octopus cooked in wine; Xifias, grilled swordfish, ladolemono; Traditional Spanakopita – baked fresh by Greek Yiayia’s with greens, cheese, house-made pastry; and Loukoumades (honey puffs) traditional and snickers. Xinis has also made decision making far easier, introducing the three new Greek banquets, the first for lunch, the second with a traditional style, or the third for a celebration featuring all the leading dishes, shared just as you would in Greece.

“We have access to some of the highest quality produce here in South East Queensland – and a community and culture that’s warm, vibrant and inclusive and what we want to celebrate and share with the whole of Australia – especially when global travel is harder than ever,” Xinis said. “We may not be able to travel abroad, so we’re all craving tastes of overseas in our lives – and that’s what we’re passionate about creating here.”

“Great service shouldn’t mean a heftily priced menu. Yes, there are great Greek restaurants in Brisbane. But our new menu will bring Greek food back to its humble roots, giving our diners an experience, they just can’t get anywhere else in Brisbane,” Xinis said.

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