Alati Wentworthville: A Greek Table Worth Gathering Around

A Greek lunch begins to take shape before the mains arrive. Bread is torn, a plate makes its way from one end of the table to the other, and the conversation carries on around it. That is the invitation at Alati: gather a few people, order across the menu and give lunch a little room.

Inside Wenty Leagues in Wentworthville, this Dedes Waterfront Group restaurant brings a contemporary Greek table to Western Sydney. The address is local; the pleasures are familiar. Something warm from the oven, something sharp with lemon, a few dishes that arrive with every intention of being shared.

Pita, salt and a promising beginning

Pita with Cypriot salt and oregano sets the direction. Add tirokafteri for a little heat, taramosalata for its savoury depth, or fava finished with capers. A small spread, with plenty of reasons to reach back across the table.

There is a particular generosity to eating this way. Your order becomes everyone’s order; the dish you were curious about becomes a conversation. Leave space between the plates, and in the afternoon.

From the oven, for the middle

The menu has a pleasing pull towards the oven: stuffed tomato with yoghurt, lamb shoulder with tzatziki. Alongside them, halloumi brings honey and lemon to the table. Browse the seasonal menu and build a lunch around what takes your fancy.

The tomato is a welcome reminder that a Greek table need not revolve entirely around meat. Give the vegetables a place of their own, rather than letting them become something ordered at the last minute.

When the occasion calls for a feast

For a birthday, a family gathering or a lunch that has taken months to arrange, the feasting menus give the meal its own progression. The Village Feast moves from pita and taramosalata to calamari, lamb and the familiar company of salad and potatoes, finishing with rizogalo and sour cherries.

The Hellenic Feast makes a longer occasion of it, with halloumi, prawns and chicken souvlaki along the way, then galaktoboureko: custard pie with orange-blossom syrup. There is something appealing about settling the order early and letting the people around you have the rest of your attention.

A reason to stay at the table

A restaurant does not need a harbour view to make an afternoon feel well spent. In Wentworthville, Alati offers a reason to bring everyone together closer to home: a Greek menu with room for different appetites, and a meal you can make an occasion of without first making a trip into the city.