Sokrates Greek Taverna - Horwich

Sokrates at Horwich is one of those Greek restaurants where emphasis focuses on quality dining in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere, with an absence of formality in favour of a laid back approach.

They are open every night offering the sort of Greek dishes that are famed throughout the world. Where do you start with Greek cuisine, it's so all-embracing, making wonderful use of a wide variety of ingredients and robust velvety wines to back it up? And as for the prices, how do they do it?

The special menu for Sunday lunch and midweek which includes all evening Monday to Thursday, offers 2 courses or 3 appetizers, excellent value for a meal that could include taramosalata, fried haloumi with pesto, or kofta which are spicy lamb mince kebabs served with grilled tomato with a tzatziki pot amongst the appetizers and a meat or vegetarian mousaká, or Greek style meatballs cooked in tomato sauce and topped with grated cheese, served with rice. Talking of that fine rich dish, mousaká, every Tuesday night is Dip n'Mousaká night, and for those who just want something to take home, every night is Takeaway night, with a 10% reduction on in-house prices.

Greeks in general are not known for their reluctance to enjoy a good banquet - please meet the Meze, a veritable feast of flavours that is best enjoyed with some good friends and some equally good wine, the highpoint of many a good night at Sokrates.

For the Full Meze Banquet you will be served more than twenty dishes, as much wine as you wish to buy - you provide the friends. Dishes are served from the middle of the table for every one to share, taking diners on a culinary safari to Greece, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean. Start with dips of houmous and tzatziki and follow with aubergines Imam style, gigantes (butter beans) and spanakopites (spinach pies). Move on to fried haloumi cheese, delicious pastourmas chilli sausages, pork kebab (souvlaki) and lamb koftas. A whirl of expectation for the speciality dishes to conclude, with mousaka, stifado, (beef casserole), juicy Greek style meatballs and chicken with ouzo well to the fore.

For those looking for something a trifle less challenging the Light Meze Banquet, some of the tasty nibbles and dips selected from the full Meze, is just the thing with a vegetarian or mixed content.

The emphasis with Greek cuisine is on meat and vegetables, but seafood gets a good look in, and king prawns Saganaki is a luscious dish of pan-fried prawns with ouzo, cooked with tomatoes and white wine, before being topped with feta cheese, garlic and chilli. At Sokrates they have carefully developed speciality dishes, amongst which is their signature dish, creamy sofrito with Metaxa brandy. Fillet steak medallions are pan-fried with red onions and garlic, then flambéed with the brandy and cooked down with stock, white wine and parsley. Just before the moment of presentation the dish is slightly thickened with cream. Seasoned fries complete a wonderful gastronomic experience.

On the last Thursday of every month Sokrates has a musical evening, a real fun occasion, no plate breaking, but some belly dancing and, as ever, beautiful food and wine.

A selection of wines, all Greek or Cypriot with one exception, the champagne, produces a selection of fruity reds from the Peloponnese, velvety reds from Northern Greece, with crisp white wine from Santorini, citrus flavours from Corinth and flowery aromas from Arcadia. The famed retsina is also there, and a dessert wine, St John Commandaria from Cyprus, which subtly speaks of all the flavours you associate with good eating in this wonderful part of the Mediterranean.

A click on their Website will keep you abreast of special offers and menus changes which are frequent at this haven of good cooking and jollity.