Christina Mouratoglou - Mazi

We opened MAZI in Londons Notting Hill in June 2012 with a mission to change peoples perception of Greek food. A culinary revolution had started in the capital and we felt that it was high time for Greek cuisine to shine and assume its rightful place in that transformative movement.

Up until that time, Greek restaurants in London had been stuck in the past with little creativity and innovation. As a Greek and a foodie, it always upset Christina that there was not one single place she could recommend to friends when they asked where they could find a good Greek restaurant. When we met for the first time, we quickly discovered we felt exactly the same way. Right then and there our idea was born we determined to ensure that Greek food in London was given the chance to move on.

Adrien, French but born and raised in London, came from a business background in the restaurant industry and had worked for many years in different roles, from restaurant manager to fine food supplier; from wine importer to restaurant developer. But he had yet to realize his long-held dream of opening his own restaurant. Christina was born and raised in Thessaloniki, the culinary capital of Greece, among a family of foodies, and came to the UK to study and never left. Although her degree was in communication arts, Christinas love of food won her over and she ended up opening a small deli in Chelsea.

In this way, we both brought different things to the table that complemented each other Adrien knew the London scene, while Christina knew Greek cuisine. What we both had a passion for was quality food and wine and a good party! And together we wanted to share this love and our vision of a unique contemporary Greek dining experience with Londons increasingly discerning restaurant-goers.

Finding the right venue is crucial when opening a new restaurant, so we were thrilled when we finally took possession of the former Costas Grill, a traditional-style Greek taverna from the 1950s, situated in the beautiful Hillgate Village. Adrien had been visiting this restaurant since he was a child and knew the owners. Even though it was five minutes away from Notting Hill Gate, it looked and felt Greek, with its own beautiful vine-covered garden a rare commodity in central London. We couldnt have found a more fitting home for MAZI, as it perfectly embodied the metamorphosis of the old Greek cuisine into the new.

MAZI, which means together in Greek, references and revives Greeces noble sharing tradition, which lies at the very core of our ethos. We want to bring people together around the table for them to sample different dishes and flavour experiences, rather than being served a starter and a main course in the conventional way. But while we draw inspiration from customary practices and childhood memories, we reinterpret them with a modern twist. Another underlying principle of our approach to food is seasonality and we change our menu according to what produce each season has to offer. We also relish experimenting with sounds, sights and scents, as well as tastes, in order to offer our diners an all-round interactive and memorable experience. In essence, we want them to have fun.

Our dishes showcase the gastronomic delights of not just a single region but the whole country, from the Aegean Islands to the Peloponnese and northern Greece, which brings a rich variety to our menu. As you will discover, reflected in the recipes are the different influences exerted on the various regions by their geographic neighbours or historic events, most notably the 400-year rule of the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian possession of the Ionian Islands. Moreover, Greek cuisine has been fundamentally shaped by religious observances and festivals and national holidays through the calendar year which, for example, means we go vegan for the 40-day period of Lent in the run-up to Easter and we eat fish and chips on 25 March, both a religious and historical holiday. And again, this has played a major role in shaping MAZIs menu. We strive to keep the taste of each dish as authentic as possible, but at the same time we play with its interpretation in terms of certain ingredients, its textures and its presentation see our with Chocolate Ganache. Above all, we want each mouthful to transport our guests to Greece.

We feel very fortunate that customers and critics alike have responded so well to our new take on Greek cuisine. To have enjoyed such recognition and success in London and worldwide has been beyond our wildest dreams, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our loyal customers and the dedicated team who have worked so hard and supported us unstintingly all these years.

In this book, we are delighted to present the recipes for some of the most popular dishes we have served at MAZI over the years since we first opened, together with many of the traditional dishes that inspired them always with a MAZI twist.

The majority of the dishes featured here are designed to be presented as part of a tapas-style feast. Serving quantities are therefore sometimes hard to predict and should be used as guidelines only as it really depends how many people you are feeding. We recommend always cooking a couple more dishes than you think youll need. Trust us this food is delicious and it will all go!

We insist on the freshest and in-season ingredients at MAZI and they can really make a difference to a dish. Where relevant, we have given notes on how to source any unusual ingredients and where these might be difficult to find, we have included suggestions for alternative ingredients.

We hope you enjoy taking this culinary journey around Greece as much as we did. Now go gather your loved ones together and start cooking!

An amuse-bouche is a single bite-sized hors doeuvre served at the very beginning of a formal meal, usually at Michelin-starred restaurants. While we cant boast a Michelin star at MAZI, we have enhanced this fine tradition in a unique way by giving it the Greek hospitality treatment and created the amuse shot. Our guests are offered this shot with the menus as soon as they have sat down, not with the intention of intoxicating them, as it contains only a hint of alcohol, but just as a little taster to open up the palate for whats to come.