Greek Sarikopita Pie with Feta Cheese Filling by Alani at Kada, Singapore

There's not a lot of Greek food in Singapore, so when I saw this interesting pastry, I had to try it. But first, I need to emphasise that I really did not like the overall experience at the eatery, so I would not recommend it for any other dish or reason except this particular pastry (see section below on the eatery experience). It is called Sarikopita Pie, which is Cretan Greek cuisine whereby simple thin dough made with olive oil is rolled into a cylinder shape and twisted into a turban-like shape before being deep fried in olive oil again. It is often filled with creamy cheeses such as feta, so this version is quite typical. And like in other places, it is also typically served warm, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. In this case, there was also fresh oregano leaves sprinkled with it. Other versions might serve it with cinnamon instead.
Greek Sarikopita Pie with Feta Cheese Filling by Alani at Kada, Singapore
The first thing that struck me when I bit into it, is that it is a cross between a savoury churro and a deep fried tortilla. Overall, it was very similar in experience to a crunchy and slightly crispy deep fried dough fritter or donut. The crunch on the outside was perfect for a hearty mouthful, yet not too hard as it still retained a certain crisp. On the inside, it was dense like a torilla, yet not hard or rubbery as it was almost bready in some parts. You can see from the second picture below (click to enlarge) that there are some spots with a more airy bread-like appearance, while other parts look more dense, like a shortcrust pie pastry. Overall, I loved the complexity and variety of textures in each mouthful. 
Greek Sarikopita Pie with Feta Cheese Filling - texture closeup
Greek Sarikopita Pie with Feta Cheese Filling - pastry texture
The olive oil flavour did not seem prominent, being less noticeable than traditional Italian pizzas which use olive oil for the dough, so perhaps they did not use 100% olive oil for this, although I didn't ask.

You can't really see the honey in the pictures above, but there was quite a bit drizzled, and you can see the drizzled honey on the baking paper below in this photo below.
Greek Sarikopita Pie with Feta Cheese Filling - honey drizzle
I loved the combination of sweet and savoury, as the sweet honey contrasted with the warm and soft feta cheese, sporting the typical punchy vinegary saltiness, that was both inside as a filling and also lightly sprinkled on top, as you can see in the picture.

I especially liked that they used enough feta for its flavour to be prominent, but that somehow it was not too salty overall. Perhaps they distributed it quite evenly all around in smaller lumps, so as not to overwhelm any single mouthful with too much salt.

Between the strong flavour of the feta cheese and the honey, I did not quite notice the oregano or sesame seeds contributing to the overall taste. They did also tend to fall off the pastry before they reached my mouth. Perhaps some oregano and sesame seeds could also be baked into the filling or the dough to enhance their contribution, and the sesame seeds could be toasted until fragrant before adding them.

The serving size was quite substantial. I'm not a big eater, so this was perhaps meal-sized for me. It is pretty much like an entire burger in size, just with different protein and shape.

Overall, I'm a fan of simple pastries with intriguing textures and paired with feta or other cheeses, so I absolutely enjoyed this. I did also order other items from Alani's menu, but this was by far the most unique and complex experience (both in terms of flavours and textures) that is not commonly found in Asia.

Poor experience at the venue

As mentioned, I had a very poor experience at the venue, so I wouldn't recommend it. They only open until 3pm, and sat us down at a sunny and hot spot despite us complaining, even though there were other shaded spots and there was virtually no one around. When we asked if the table could be moved to a less sunny spot, they just said the sun moves, then strangely moved the table further out towards the area where there was no shelter. 

And the sunny spot was also right next to a bunch of ovens that they use, and there was no fan blowing directly at us despite us voicing the problem. We were beginning to perspire and it started to feel sweltering, so we just gave up asking them for help, quickly finished our meal and left without taking anything away (even though we initially wanted to try some other pastries).

It is also on the 4th floor, and the lift to get there probably should not be used due to safety issues as it is a metal cage lift that requires you to manually open the door, and it is not clear when the lift will move or stall, making it very possible that you might misjudge when to open the door. Furthermore, some tourists who did not understand the English signs kept standing at the spot where the warnings said not to stand, so the lift jammed, we got yelled at because of those tourists, we had to explain to the tourists, and even after that, the lift refused to move even after the tourists moved within the approved area. The buttons kept turning off even though we kept pushing them again, but ultimately the lift refused to work, so we got out (with some trepidation because we didn't know if the lift would suddenly move again) and took the stairs. Without the lift, it is a 4-storey climb, so it is quite wheelchair inaccessible.

So if at all possible, use the stairs, and avoid going as a group for dine-in, unless they guarantee you a cooler spot upon reservation. Otherwise, just aim for takeaway but see if they can heat up your Sarikopita Pie for you nonetheless. 

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