Greek

Jimmy Grants

The Med Diet

(150g chicken, beet salad, tzatziki)

A healthier menu option that was filling and tasty.

★★★☆☆

Chips with garlic oil, feta and oregano

Crunchy and well seasoned.

★★★☆☆

Nonna Maria Souva

(chicken, mustard aioli, chips, onions, parsley)

The juicy chicken, the soft pillowy pita bread, and the delicious mustard aioli made this a fantastic souvlaki that I would gladly order again.

★★★★☆

Overall:

It has taken me this long to eat at a Jimmy Grants for fear of disappointment. Gazi and Hellenic Republic have been fantastic experiences on numerous occasions, and I didn’t want Jimmy Grants to be anything less than that. I can’t say that I enjoyed Jimmy Grants as much as the aforementioned places, however I can say that I still enjoyed the food, the fast service, the bright space and the casual vibe that this eatery has to offer.

Jimmy Grants

570 North Road, Ormond, VIC

(03) 8419 8811

Jimmy Grants

Mesa Greek Cuisine

Fresh Bread with Home-made Dips (tsatziki, melizanosalata, tarama)

The bread was surprisingly outstanding! Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Perfect with the tasty dips.

★★★★☆

Smyrneika Soutzoukakia

(baked beef rissoles in a fresh tomato saltsa)

★★★☆☆

Gigandes

(lima beans baked with tomatoes, onion herbs)

Hearty and full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

Chicken Wings with Olives and Tomatoes

Delicious fall-off-the-bone chicken.

★★★☆☆

Saganaki

(grilled Dodoni kefalograviera cheese)

★★★★☆

Fried Calamari

★★☆☆☆

Chargrilled Prawns

These were fabulously smoky.

★★★★☆

Fish Of The Day

Soggy and extremely salty.

★☆☆☆☆

Horiatiki Salad

(tomato, cucumber, peppers, feta, olives, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic)

★★☆☆☆

Lamb Cutlets, Gyros, Chicken Skewers

Although the presentation could have been better, the meats were tender and quite tasty.

★★★☆☆

Galaktobouriko (custard in filo pastry), Baklava (filo pastry layered with nuts syrup) and Seasonal Fruit

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Talk about being well fed! As delicious as everything was, we struggled getting through this seven-course banquet and ended up having to take some of it home. We dined with a Groupon voucher so the total was only $55 for 2 people, making this a bargain. The service was prompt and friendly, and the atmosphere warm and inviting.

Mesa Greek Cuisine

265 Johnston St, Abbotsford, VIC

(03) 9419 3388

http://www.mesagreekcuisine.com.au/

Mykonos Cafe And Crepes

Little Venice Crepe

(banana, strawberries, oreo, nutella, coconut)

Thin crepe with crispy edges and a generous amount of filling!

★★★★☆

Bougasta Crepe

(semolina custard filling, icing sugar, cinnamon)

A satisfying crepe, but after the first bite all I wanted was a real bougasta instead.

★★★☆☆

Platter with dips and bread

★★★☆☆

I can’t remember what these were called but the lovely owner gave these to us on the house after telling us how he made them by hand earlier that day.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Stepping into this place is like stepping into a holiday. The beautiful decor and ambience takes you straight to Mykonos. The staff were very welcoming and the crepes very tasty. A great addition to Oakleigh (aka ‘little Greece’).

Mykonos Cafe And Crepes

58 Portman St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9569 6767

http://www.mykonoscafe.com.au/

Demitri’s Feast

European style thick hot chocolate

Thick and decadent without being overly sweet.

★★★★☆

Latte

Strong and aromatic.

★★★☆☆

Ouzo Cured Salmon with dill, crème fraiche, spinach & poached free range eggs

Well poached eggs, tasty salmon, however the bread was extremely hard and difficult to cut through.

★★☆☆☆

Maria’s Eggs Saganaki with confit cherry tomato sauce, basil, feta & chilli

Slightly sharp sauce but otherwise a nice dish.

★★☆☆☆

Baklava French Toast with walnut praline, sweet yoghurt & orange blossom syrup

Fantastic! I would have rated this as 5 stars however towards the end, the taste of egg took over this dish.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Relaxed atmosphere, good service, and an exciting Greek inspired menu. Note that this place does not take bookings.

Demitri’s Feast

141 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9428 8659

http://www.demitrisfeast.com.au/

Gazi

2 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9207 7444

Tzatziki dip and Sweet Potato Skordalia dip with pita bread

Ouzo cured salmon with Karpouzi salad, goats curd and grain crumb

Saganaki with honey, lemon and sesame

Prawn and Duck Souvlakakia

Chips with feta, garlic oil and oregano

Red cabbage salad

Wood fire spit chicken with white beans and Tyrokafteri

Barramundi with walnut dressing

Acropolis Now

(strawberry mousse, coffee and mastic)

Loukoumades

(Greek donuts with honey and nutella)

Overall:

If you decide to have their 10 dish sharing banquet (like we did), be sure to come in HUNGRY and ready to eat. Everything we tried was enjoyable, but it would be the delicious dips and the extraordinary souvlakakias (small souvlakis) that I would be returning for. The staff were friendly and efficient, the atmosphere loud and buzzing, and the decor fascinating with a sculptural canopy of bright orange terracotta pots hanging from the ceiling.

Vanilla Cakes and Lounge

17-21 Eaton Mall, Oakleigh 9568 3358

Thick Chips

Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie with feta)

Brioche french toast with maple syrup and stewed pears

Moussaka

Pastitsio

Bougatsa (custard)

Portokalopita (Orange phyllo cake)

Desserts

Thoughts:

Thick chips – When they say ‘thick’, they really mean THICK! = Not bad

Spanakopita – Ideal for a light meal = Good

Brioche french toast – It’s hard to go wrong with brioche. What did surprise me though was how fantastic the stewed pears were; not overly sweet with a bit of a crunch = Good

Moussaka – Generous serving that has a thick béchamel sauce layer along with layers of eggplant, potato and beef mince = Excellent

Pastitsio – Found the beef and pasta a bit dry = Not bad

Bougatsa – Oh so scrumptious! Crispy phyllo pastry wrapped around warm tantalising custard, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon = Excellent

Portokalopita – Firm yet quite moist, syrupy sweet with a distinct citrus taste = Not bad

Overall:

There is a huge food menu on offer (including a breakfast menu), but I recommend that you try the Greek dishes as a lot of their other dishes are rather average. As for the abundant desserts, I love how there is a mixture of standard ones along with traditional Greek ones. The atmosphere is considerably noisy, and the service at times can be slow if you go during peak periods. Nevertheless this is a terrific place to go for grabbing coffee and/or dessert. Especially late at night on a weekday as they open until 1am 7 days a week!