Travelling food that will put you in the holiday mood
YOUR SPY TRIES FOOD FROM THE TRAVELLING TAVERNA
APOPULAR mobile taverna, which tours various East Midlands locations including Derbyshire pub car parks, is the latest eatery to go under the Secret Service microscope.
The Travelling Taverna offers a wide range of Greek and Cypriot food, including freshly-prepared flatbreads and marinated chicken skewers, as well as vegetarian options.
The travelling restaurant was founded during the Covid lockdown in 2020 by well-known chef Konstantinos ‘Connie’ Eleftheriou of the Bubble Inn gastro pub chain. Since then, the mobile taverna has popped up in Derby suburbs including Mackworth and Alvaston, as well as towns such as Belper, Swadlincote and Chesterfield.
With the vendor set to open its first permanent unit in Uttoxeter, from where it will run a franchise operation, we decided now would be an ideal time to try it out.
When the vendor pitched up at The Railway Inn in Norton Bridge, near Eccleshall, in Staffordshire recently, our secret diner went to see what they thought.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Travelling Taverna was set up in the car park to the right of the Railway Inn. People were parked up right along the road towards Izaak Walton’s Cottage. After parking, I noticed the car park was full. Obviously, it’s a popular choice.
Landlord Steve Bainbridge said it was the busiest he had seen it.
I decided to get a pint of the excellent Rainbow Trout Ale, which is brewed on site at the Izaak Walton Brewhouse. After this, I queued for the food in the car park.
Right from the queue, you could smell the amazing aromas coming off the open grills. We could see them piling up the marinated chicken and halloumi slices on to the grates over the coals.
When our time came we picked the Chicken souvlaki, The Mad Greek – described as a “Greek-style chicken, a skewer of lamb, grilled halloumi and pork gyros” – and grilled Cypriot halloumi kebab. We topped this with a combo of lettuce, onions, feta cheese and garlic mayo.
SO HOW DID THE FOOD TASTE?
Right from the first bite of salty halloumi with the creamy feta cheese, I knew that there was a reason why the car park was full. Each bite was absolutely delicious with the charred flatbread and the crisp lettuce and onion providing the perfect complement to the freshly cooked fillings.
For the meat-eaters, the Mad Greek was jam-packed with meat and salad and all kinds of toppings. It was perfect to satisfy even the most ravenous of carnivores.
The lamb kebab was nicely spiced with cumin and mint with the traditional minty cucumber dip of tzatziki providing the perfect pairing for authentic Greek food experience.
The chicken in both the Mad Greek and the marinated Chicken souvlaki was very juicy and seasoned well. You could taste the oregano, basil, parsley, and dill, plus the whole thing was dressed and grilled in olive oil. It was the perfect taste of the Mediterranean, as one of our party said standing on the sunny evening in the car park, ‘It’s just like being on holiday”.
■ We make undercover visits to restaurants, takeaways and cafés with a view to providing a fair, balanced and accurate report on customer service and the food on offer.
Our hope is that, for the sake of both the business owner and the customer, we can report positively about the places we visit. However, if our experience is not 100 per cent positive, then we are duty-bound to report on exactly what we find.