There is definitely something comforting about Greek food. Like most cultures, food plays an important role in everyday life, with a style of dining that easily evokes convivial memories from places like Santorini, through to places far closer to home.

The script at Brika casts the Greek style beautifully as a first impression. Open air, making use of the famous Perth weather, with lots of dishes on each table, being shared by large groups of families and friends. Tonight we have a table of eight celebrating a friends’ birthday.

Leaving ourselves in the hands of our host, we were happy with the variety and amount of everything being ordered. If you have an idea of what the table loves, likes and dislikes, it appears to be a much better idea to order from the menu, rather than taking the banquet option.

We tried a lot of dishes during the evening, starting with some pita and hummus, zucchini fritters, wood fired sausage and the village salad. From the more substantial dishes we tried the chargrilled octopus, swordfish skewers, pork belly and lamb; and to finish we had the Greek donuts, and baklava with halva ice cream.

Everything we ate was good, or much better. The pork belly was a highlight as it was perfectly cooked, and the honey glaze added to the flavour without overwhelming. The lamb was equally impressive. My dish of the night was the halva ice cream and baklava combination, showing the kitchen has some innovative flair.

While the more substantial dishes and dessert were the highlights, the starters were not merely dishes to whet the appetite, though they were not noticeable different to what other Greek restaurants offer.

Looking around at a full restaurant both inside and out, there is huge enthusiasm for what Brika is providing. More than that, the leg work to get the space looking attractive, using the outdoors to full effect, is something that oozes confidence in the eventual end product. Perhaps that is why we finished with a bottle of ouzo to cheers the birthday girl!