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Riyadh: Alkhobar-based Greek restaurant Hellenika has set up a pop-up at the Riyadh Water Tower during the Riyadh season. Hellenika’s contemporary Greek dishes are designed for sharing and are ideal for group dining.

Chef Evangelos Liakouris runs the kitchen at the Riyadh Season pop-up and explains the thinking behind the dish-sharing concept. “Basically, for us Greeks, food is not just about feeding ourselves, because we have to eat and get energy; it’s part of the culture – sitting around the table together to discuss the topic of the day, bringing people together , gatherings of family and friends,” he told Arab News. “Together can awaken emotions and enhance memory, and the bond of connection is food.”

For Hellenika’s local clientele, the restaurant has adapted some traditional Greek dishes with an Arabic twist, Liakouris explained.

“We had a dish called talagani which was similar to halloumi. A Greek Cypriot gentleman fell in love with a lady and moved to the Kalamata region of Greece (to be with her). He knew how to make halloumi cheese, so he created something similar, but with different properties—that’s talagani,” he said. “One of my favorite Middle Eastern desserts is knafeh. So what I did was I took (Greek pastry) kadaifi and (made it into a warm, delicious dish). The idea came from knafeh, so we took the Greek products and use them in a way that people in the local market can understand.”

Here, Liakouris discusses the value of mistakes, the best seafood and the importance of being yourself.

What was the most common mistake you made when you first started working professionally?

(It took me a while to realize) It’s all about food pairing and seasonality – knowing what the ingredients do. Then it becomes so much easier to make a dish. But sometimes it’s important to let mistakes happen; we forget that many recipes are made by mistake. But in order to understand and use these mistakes in a good way, we have to understand pairings and how food works not only as ingredients but also as chemistry.

What is the one ingredient that you think can instantly improve a dish?

I cannot live without extra virgin olive oil. Our olive oil is a blend of two different olives, making it very special. It has an acidity of 0.28. Olive oil must be below 0.8 to be considered extra virgin. So ours is well below that.

Another ingredient I like is mastika (a sweet wine flavored with mastic). It comes only from an island called Chios. It doesn’t grow anywhere else. It costs about 3,000 euros per liter.

What is your favorite dish?

My mom is from an island called Icaria, so I love cooking seafood. People always ask what is the best seafood and my answer is that the best seafood is fresh seafood. But you have to be very careful. Technically, it is very complicated to cook a very tasty, succulent fish.

If you had to make something quick, what would be your favorite dish?

This is a Greek dish, trahana. It’s a small bulgur pasta (fermented in kefir or yoghurt) and then we sometimes use some flour or other ingredients. When you want to eat something quick, you can grab some stock, tomatoes or yogurt and put the pasta in it. Throw in some herbs and feta and it’s a super quick, tasty and nutritious dish.

what do you like to do in the kitchen Are you laid-back, or disciplined?

I never push people into a corner and make them uncomfortable; I try to enhance their talents. That way you can be (productive). I always say when you join my team you are under my umbrella and you should feel safe. When people trust you, they can work in a better way. But of course there are rules that everyone must abide by. For example, anyone can be late, but if you don’t let me know, you’re automatically out for the day. It is important that everyone treat each other with respect.

There is an assumption that chefs have big egos. is this fair

Honestly, yes. If you want to be good at something, you have to be competitive, and you can’t be competitive if you don’t have an ego. It’s all about creating a culture and trust between people so we all share the same vision.