Zylia is a new standalone Greek/Cypriot taverna at Arcade Covent Garden, from Singburi's Nick Molyviatis

We recently wrote about what's coming to the Arcade food hall in Covent Garden, but while most of those have already appeared elsewhere, there's one very interesting new addition that we can now exclusively reveal. Zylia is going to be a standalone taverna bringing together the best of Greek and Cypriot cuisine. 

It's headed up by two people, who each represent the two cuisines. On the Greek side, and Athens-born, is ex-Kiln Head Chef and the co-owner of Singburi Nick Molyviatis. He was also involved with the launch of the excellent Oma and Agora. He's joined up with Barry Karacostas who, with Cypriot heritage, represents that side and has two decades worth of hospitality experience behind him, most recently working with Arcade itself.

The menu will be taking its cues from family recipes and memories, with charcoal grilling at the heart of it. Dishes from that grill include their sheftalia (grilled pork parcels with oregano and lemon), traditional pork and chicken souvlaki and vazania grilled aubergine with spiced tomato sauce and anari cheese. They'll also be grilling whole fish, lamb chops with olive oil chips and lamb kleftiko (slow-roasted lamb with wine, garlic and bay). 

Elsewhere, the menu will feature hot and cold mezze like tyrokafteri (smashed feta with roasted green chilli and yoghurt) and melitzanosalata (roasted aubergine, with a mixture of herbs, roasted peppers and two types of vinegar) as well as grilled prawn saganaki with spiced tomato sauce.

And on the dessert side, they'll have karidopita, a traditional Greek walnut cake and Galaktompoureko, which is baked semolina custard in filo pastry.

As for the restaurant itself, it will have its own entrance separate from Arcade and will seat around 50 people, including around the kitchen counter. It all sounds fantastic, and while London has seen a big growth in Greek and Mediterranean restaurants of late, there's nothing like this in the Covent Garden area. Plus, when it's backed by such a respected chef, this is definitely one to keep an eye on and will certainly be one of the biggest draws at the new Arcade. 

About the launch, Nick himself says, "For me, it’s about capturing the energy of the tavernas I knew in Athens and working with Barry to reflect his Cypriot roots too. We want Zylia to feel warm, generous and full of life, a place where people feel looked after and can experience a genuine taste of both cultures."