The Greek Islands

We decided to check out The Greek Islands after driving by it for many months while peering into its strangely unethnic interior. Don’t get me wrong. A place called The Greek Islands isn’t supposed to be particularly ethnic… but when I look into this place from Bath Road, I am reminded strangely of a Red Robins.

We decided to get the Cyprus Meze for $54.99 for two people. It is essentially a platter of all the different types of foods that The Greek Islands have to offer. For an additional person, you must add $10. You get an additional salad with this but no additional other food. Yes. In essence you pay $10 for a salad. Yikes… Fortunately, our server didn’t realize this stipulation so we never got charged.

This is the Saganaki. Essentially fried cheese on a hot plate that is lit on fire then doused in lemon juice to put it out. First time I had it was at The Broken Plate in Calgary. Blew my mind. This one was a little underwhelming. The cheese felt like it had been really fried too long as it was essentially fondue. I would’ve liked it to be a bit firmer so I could eat it with bread without having to treat it like a spread. Also, the fire, while always fun, was doused in a most underwhelming: “opa….”

The collection of dips and breads. Includes hummus, slodaha, tzatziki, tarsinmalata, and pita bread. I think that I really brutalized the spelling there. I must say: the Greeks do love their starches. These were generally pretty tasty.

This is the keftedakia and dolmadakia. The grape vine leaf was pretty limp and fell apart a bit easily. The rice interior seemed a bit overcooked. The meatball was reasonable. My buddy who is Egyptian said his mom could make better. Of course she can. Of course she can.

Calamari and sizzling shrimp. Breaded. Doughy. Fried. Garlicky. Could very easily have been from a frozen package. The calamari was pretty breaded and greasy.

The mousaka. Again, could very easily have been purchased from Loblaws and heated up. I may be being a bit critical here but it just didn’t seem fresh. The potatoes were pretty doughy and gooey. The meat was a little underspiced. The whole dish just didn’t enrich my mouth as a mousaka usually does.

The final part of the meal: the grilled meats. You see chicken breast (heavily brined, the meat had a spongey texture to it) and pork souvlaki (well seasoned, tender, probably the best part of this meal), and lamb chops. The lamb chops may have gone bad. I didn’t have the heart to send it back to the kitchen but it really had a particularly foul taste to it. I eat a lot of lamb so I think I know when it may have turned. This was very questionable lamb.

Overall, the Cyprus Meze is a ridiculous amount of food. All of the above cost $54.99. But unfortunately, the food is a little subpar. If you want quantity check it out. Otherwise, please head to Greco’s.