Ipswich has seen a mini food boom of late.

First came Pumpyard Bar & Brewery by the team behind Four Hearts Brewing, then the Fechner family launched their German beer hall Heisenberg Haus, with Dancing Bean coffee roastery and cafe moving in next door. The latest addition to the city is Arcadia — a small Greek taverna in the former digs of Wild Poppy Cafe on Warwick Rd.

Chef/owner Matt Tsalikis – who has worked in his parents’ Greek restaurant Amphora in St Lucia, in Brisbane’s west, since he was a child – ripped up the lino and polished the concrete beneath. He has given the place a classic industrial vibe with a dark ceiling, white solid brick walls, pressed metal detailing and bentwood chairs.

It’s neat and minimalist, but boy, is it loud. With a half-full restaurant and Greek music coming over the speakers, the sound bounces off all the hard surfaces like a kid on red cordial – making conversation difficult at times. Some drapes or carpets would definitely help.

The lengthy menu is broken into meze, grill, oven and sides, covering off on all the classics such as dolmades, calamari, gyros, souvlaki and moussaka.

The mezethes platter ($25) gives diners a taste of almost all the mezes on offer with the terracotta plate brimming with tender strips of lemon-spiked calamari, slices of charry pork and veal sausage, wedges of subtly flavoured dolmades, firm lamb meatballs, a mini golden cheese triangle, salty haloumi, olives, creamy feta chunks and a trio of dips. Minus the too-sweet side of pita bread and slightly grainy taramasalata, it was a satisfying starter.

Next came the swordfish skewers ($25). Marinated in yoghurt and herbs and dotted with parsley, the fish was nicely cooked and worked well with the more robust braised green beans flavoured with tomato, onions and garlic. A dollop of skordalia on top added acidity and kept things light.

This was in contrast to the earthy lamb stifado ($27.50) featuring tender bites of saucy braised lamb on mashed potato with a slice of rosemary-scented toasted bread for crunch, which would have been superb without the same strange sweetness that plagued the pita bread.

Alongside the traditional Greek pastries, desserts include bread-and-butter pudding, rice pudding, a passionfruit sponge with yoghurt, and a panna cotta with pistachio brittle. The Ekmek ($10) is a nest of crunchy, sugary kataifi pastry topped with silky semolina custard, roasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds that provide little bursts of sourness to cut through all that sweetness.

The classic baklava ($10) here arrives as two large slabs of walnut-filled pastry with a lemony twist – a refreshing variation to the usual sickly treat.

The drinks list offers an authentic mix of beer and wine from Greece, alongside bottles from Australia and New Zealand, with some traditional Greek spirits.

While it was a hot day in Ipswich on our visit, our glass of Tempus Two shiraz ($8) confusingly arrived almost as cold as our icy Greek Volkan Blonde beer ($8.50).

However, with competent service and simple but flavourful food leading the way, Arcadia is delivering a welcome taste of the Med to Ipswich.

Originally published on couriermail.com.au