I know, I know. I can hear you thinking it already – who would order a salad from a takeaway? Well, me, that’s who. And hopefully you too after realising what you’re missing out on.
While I’m not opposed to a greasy, cheese loaded pizza, it’s sometimes nicer to order something and not feel guilty afterwards. With it being summer, I find myself craving lighter foods too.
That’s how I discovered a wonderful east Hull takeaway on Holderness Road – Mama’s Greek Kitchen. Situated just outside of the main gates of East Park, this delightful takeaway offers brilliant food and fast takeaway options.
You can opt for something larger such as a gyro, which is what I chose the first few times I ordered. But one day I noticed their salads and decided to give it a try – and I’m so glad I did.
My go-to order is a halloumi loaded salad, which comes with every vegetable you could want, including tomato, cucumber red onion and pepper. It also comes with crumbled feta cheese, and a dip which you can choose from.
(Image: Laura Cross)
I always opt for a honey mustard sauce, but there are plenty of options including hummus, sweet chilli and chicken sauce to name just a few. I also opted for a portion of chips because while a salad is healthy, I am only human.
My partner ordered a loaded chicken and pork salad with chicken sauce. He also treated himself to a chicken souvlaki which is described as being cooked on an open grill.
To share, we decided on an ‘orange pie’ which is a Greek orange style sponge cake. By share, I mean my partner originally ordered it for himself, but after I tried I bite, I ended up stealing half of it (sorry!).
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First up, the salads.
Mine was a huge portion and tasted extremely fresh, which is just what you want from a salad. There was a perfect ratio of soft, delicious feta combined with the crunch of peppers.
The sauce only made it better. I’ll admit, it’s probably a unique taste, but it’s certainly one I seem to love. The sweetness of the honey perfectly compliments the sharp power of the mustard, and drizzled over the vegetables provides the perfect balance of flavours that leaves you wanting more.
The halloumi was perfectly cooked. Slightly brown on the outside and squeaky soft on the inside – I ate each piece whole and dunked into a generous serving of the honey mustard sauce (I told you I loved it).
The fries had the perfect combination of crunchy outside and soft, fluffy inside, and I’m ashamed to admit it, but I also dunked these into the sauce too.
(Image: Laura Cross)
The chicken and pork loaded salad was an incredibly generous helping of well-seasoned, succulent meat, accompanied with a sprinkling of feta and fresh, chunky cut veg that served to balance out the meal. Drizzled on this was the chicken sauce, that while I haven’t been able to quite pin down, has a unique flavour profile that’s both creamy and rich, with some sharper elements to it.
As a side, my partner ordered a chicken souvlaki. Much like the salad itself, the serving of meat was generous, juicy and – while not as seasoned – had a nice, chargrilled flavour to it. The smaller portions of flatbread that came with this, were warm, soft and had soaked up the flavour of the chicken. This made them either a great way to serve the chicken on with some salad and sauce, or to eat on their own.
(Image: Laura Cross)
While we were both full after the generous servings, I thought I’d give the cake (also known as portokalopita) a try. Just one bite, right? Wrong. I think if they allowed you to buy a full cake rather than by the slice, that would be my next purchase.
It was sweet, it was spongy and it was absolutely perfect. The bouncy texture of the sponge cake had absorbed the treacly and sweet orange sauce so with every bite your mouth was greeted with an explosion of beautiful flavours. I’m not a person that has a huge sweet tooth, but I think I could eat this cake every day for the rest of my life.
(Image: Laura Cross)
We didn’t order them this time, but we also regularly get the zucchini croquettes. These are balls of zucchini with feta cheese, herbs and a dip of your choice (honey mustard, anyone?).
Mama’s Greek Kitchen offers such a great variety of food depending on what you’re in the mood for. You can go for something light if you’re craving a healthy lunch or gyros pita wrap if you want something larger.
In the last year, I’ve ordered a handful of times and each time, the food has always been nothing short of excellent. If you’re in the area and are in the mood to treat yourself with a different kind of takeaway, add Mama’s Greek to your must-try list.