We had lunch recently at Vori, a Greek restaurant in Holland Park that focuses on simple, seasonal dishes made with exceptional ingredients. The grilled calamari came sliced and lightly charred, with shaved fennel and toasted hazelnuts. There was a bubbling dish of prawns baked with tomato, ouzo, chilli, and feta. We shared pan-fried Martello cheese with walnuts and honey. Every plate was solid. But what we couldn’t stop eating—or talking about—were the dips.
There were two: tirokafteri, a spicy whipped feta dip, and melitzanosalata, a smoky aubergine dip. They were served with warm grilled pita, and both were gone before anything else. The tirokafteri was creamy and just hot enough, with a spoonful of sweet onion jam on top that balanced the heat in the best way. The melitzanosalata had real depth—a smoky, silky eggplant spread with just the right amount of olive oil and acidity.
We asked the kitchen if they’d share the recipes, and they generously said yes. These are the kinds of things that belong in your summer rotation. They’re fast to make, easy to prep ahead, and they go with almost everything: grilled vegetables, seafood, roast chicken, flatbread, or just a spoon and a quiet moment before dinner.
Melitzanosalata
Ingredients
Instructions
- If you have a gas hob, place the aubergines directly over a flame, turning them until all sides have blackened and the aubergines have shrunk.
- Alternatively, heat an oven to 200C. Use a fork to make holes across each aubergine and place in the oven on a grill rack. Remove once they have shrunk and have started to break down.
- Allow the aubergines to rest and then cool down in a sieve.
- Peel the aubergine skins and place the flesh in the sieve.
- Chop the aubergine flesh by hand to the desired consistency.
- Add the aubergines, garlic, marjoram, olive oil and vinegar to a bowl and blend well by hand. Season with sea salt and/or red wine vinegar to the required taste.
- Allow to cool and then serve.
Tirokafteri
Ingredients
- 500 gr Feta Cheese
- 40 gr Red Chillies
- 100 ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
- 20 ml Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 round Greek Pita bread
Instructions
- Gradually heat the olive oil in a pan, taking care not to burn it.
- Add the chillies until they are blistered and soft.
- Remove from the chillies and oil from the heat and allow to cool.
- Crumble the feta. Put half into a blender along with the red wine vinegar and the cooled-down red chillies. Mix well.
- Combine the mixture with the other half of the feta and mix by hand to the desired consistency.
- Bring a frying pan to high heat and using a brush, spread two drops of rapeseed oil around the pan. (Note that the oil can be omitted if preferred.) Place the pita bread into the pan and heat each side for 15-20 seconds.
- Remove the pita from the pan and cut into quarters.
- Spread a spoonful of the tirokafteri onto a small plate, add sweet paprika and dip with the warm pita bread.
If you’re looking for the best Greek dip recipes to make at home, start here. These are the exact versions served at Vori in Notting Hill. Both are simple to prepare, full of flavor, and perfect for summer entertaining.
Note: Vori provided support for the reporting of this story.