Is it really eight years since George Calombaris first gave us the why-hasn’t-anyone-done-this-before swoon-worthy saganaki with peppered figs at his Mykonos-via-Melbourne taverna, Hellenic Republic?

Time might fly, but the charms of this always busy and happily boisterous Brunswick take on the greatest hits of Greece remain timeless, as does the span-generational happiness they bring.

The whipped white tarama with pita hot from the grill remains the exemplar of type; the cooked-over-coals meats, likewise — especially the oregano-heavy golden, crisp-skinned chook. And there’s no wrong the moussaka cannot right; the cheesy layers of eggplant, lamb and veal as generous — and comforting — as a yiayia’s embrace.

Youthful service is well drilled — extending to talking through the all-Greece wine list — and exudes an effortless hospitality that keeps the crowds coming back.

And that saganaki? It’s every bit as good as it was back then — spicy, stringy, sweet cheesy goodness. Though Kew and, most recently, Williamstown have joined the Hellenic Republic fold, the original is still the best. This is what a legend looks like.

Must eat dish: Mary’s moussaka