Blu Kouzina: My Big Fat Greek Dinner

I have not been to Greece nor tried any Greek cuisine in Singapore before. But I do watch My Big Fat Greek wedding and My Greek Kitchen on Travel and Living Channel (TLC). It has been said that the Greek cuisine involves lots of olive oil, cheese and fresh ingredients like eggplants, zucchini. The cooking technique is usually just grilling and this sounds simple but healthy.
 

 As the only Greek restaurant in Singapore (please kindly correct me if I am wrong), Blu Kouzina is started by 2 Greek friends who want to offer a homely dining experience that literally "transports you to Greece".

The light blue interior, blue utensils and menu  reminds us of the Mediterranean blue sea. This is the first time stepping into a place with a blue theme but the atmosphere was cosy and many families were dining there.

 

 

Of course, the main focus is still on the food. Not sure if this is the traditional Greek bread but it certainly tasted different. It did not come with any butter but the soft fluffy bread itself was salty and thus good on its own.

From the recommendation of the waiter, the Greek meal started off with this

Greek Salad--Xoriatiki 

This salad is huge and good for sharing. The base was a mixture of plump tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumber, olives with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. The huge white rectangular feta cheese was extremely salty on its own but went well with the sour and fresh salad (except for the olives which were extremely salty as well) .We tried to finish up the generous portion of cheese with the bread but to no avail. But in order not to let such good cheese go to waste, we arranged the cheese for takeaway:)

Bourgiourdi

Red peppers stuffed with spicy feta cheese.

As you can see, these red peppers are not the ones usually seen in local market as they are the red pimiento peppers (also known as Florina peppers) from Greece.

 

Wanted to look for something really spicy on the menu and this was the only one. Even though they were not spicy at all, the red peppers were roasted till they were so soft and the meat of the peppers released natural sweetness that took me by surprise.

 

Paidakia stin sxara
3 grilled lamb chops with patates tiganites and roasted peppers, eggplant

 

Now I understand why this has been recommended by many. Although the meat was well done, the lamb chops were not tough but retain chewiness. Perhaps due to the simple grilling, the skin of the lamb forms a crust while the insides remain pink and tender.

the side dishes of marinated red peppers, zucchini and eggplant

No sauces or gravy and just the squeeze of lemon and herbs are sufficient to bring out the flavour. It was a delight that the fries are just in the right portion and crunchiness.

 

Bifteki stin sxara
2 beef patties on roasted tomato, potatoes and onions.

 

This was another recommended dish and most of us agreed that this was in fact tastier than the lamb chops. The beef patties were thicker than the usual hamburger patties but they are succulent and juicy. Once again, do not be surprise when there is no other sauces but only lemon and olive oil. It may seems simple but sometimes the simplest ingredients would blow your mind away. Nonetheless, I could not forget that the chunky roasted potatoes, onions and tomatoes were as tasty as the beef.

 

 

Having the plasma TV showing beautiful Scenery of Greece makes you forget that the country is  actually facing deep economic woes and want to be in that faraway place bathing in the sunshine right away.

 

Moussaka
Oven baked eggplant with roasted potatoes, minced meat and béchamel sauce.

This classic Greek dish is not to be confused with the Italian lasagna. This packs a whole bunch of meat and eggplant and there were no pasta at all. The potatoes were both sliced and mashed and mixed into the béchamel sauce located mostly in  the upper portion of the dish.

 

Forget about the calories and just sink your spoon into this comfort food.

Nevertheless, this dish was rich but not too creamy as the proportion of the béchamel mash was just right. Eggplant lovers would be thrilled to dig into the endless amount of eggplant mixed with tender minced meat.

 

Baklava
Filo pastry that is loaded with plenty of crunchy walnuts, soaked in homemade syrup.

How could the Greek romance end without the traditional Greek desserts?

Though this is not my first time having this middle eastern dessert, I was glad that it was not filled with pistachio but walnuts since walnuts are good for the brain. Some might find this extremely sweet but the taste was just right for me as long as you steer away from the syrup by clearing some off the skin before consuming it.

 

Galaktobureto
Filo pastry with semolina cream filling topped with homemade syrup

The cream filling was actually a sweet baked custard. It was interesting to try it for the first time and those who prefer softer desserts might want to have this instead of the solid hard baklava.

 

However, I would personally recommend the baklava instead of this dish as the nutty cinnamon aroma and crunchiness of the baklava filling makes it difficult for us to stop at just one bite.

 

 

Another plasma screen along the stairways (this place occupies three levels)

 

I am not in a position to judge the authenticity of the food here since this is my first time at Greek Cuisine. However, one can appreciate the simplicity of the ingredients and the robustness of the flavors from the food at Blu Kouzina. They have other specials that are not listed on the menu. But do not worry as the waiters are friendly and would explain the dishes to you.

 

This was a great cultural exposure for learning not only the cuisine but also the Greek language.The meal shared here sets to about $30 per pax, which is roughly the same as a meal at a Japanese restaurant. However, the portion food here will leave you more than fully satisfied so sharing of the main courses is highly recommended even if you do not order the meat platter. Nonetheless, it would be good if the saltiness of the salad can be reduced and if they can offer the starters bread for free.

 

Blu Kouzina

893 Bukit Timah Road

Singapore 589615

http://www.blukouzina.com/

also rated one of the top 5 authentic restaurants in singapore: http://travel.cnn.com/singapore/eat/5-small-authentic-restaurants-singapore-619086