I’ve only been to one Greek island, Mykonos, but I’ve been to many good Greek restaurants in Sydney, London and Melbourne, which has the third-largest Greek population outside Greece. But the best Greek experience I’ve ever had was when I was in Wellington, New Zealand. We went to the house of a Greek Cypriot family who put on a barbecue like nothing you have ever seen. Their son was a cheese-maker whose speciality was an authentic Cypriot haloumi cheese flecked with fresh mint, a traditional addition.
There is only one way to eat haloumi, and that is simply grilled on a hotplate and served with fresh lemon and mint. It’s a great way to get the hordes’ appetites started and kept at bay while you get on with the main show.