Ramies

Originally, we were planning to go out as a family for some schnitzel at Old Bavaria Haus tonight. However, the parents didn't feel like going out and the kiddies were a bit sick. Incidentally, Viv wasn't in the schnitzel mood either. What's wrong with everyone? Where's the love for some fried veal? Fine, so we had to pick another place to eat. You'd think this is an easy task don't you. Well, I really didn't want to do the Asian restaurant thing again and trust me, in the GVRD, it's hard to avoid Asian food (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Malay etc...). Okay, there is this one place that I used to frequent with my hockey team - Ramies. For those who are not familiar with Ramies, it's a small Greek restaurant on Kingsway across from Saffron and Curry King. One look at the place and you'd really wonder what was the big deal. It's not really all that noticeable, it's small, it's not really that cheap and the portions are not particularly large. Not a ringing endorsement eh?

The whole story is in the food, period. Whatever they lack in quantity or in price, the food makes up for it. If you want quantity on the cheap, then go to Stepho's. Tonight, HL joined us for dinner. And yes, we do refer to him as HL because his name is a bit difficult to pronounce (for some people). Believe it or not, he wanted to join us on a food adventure because he kept reading my updates on Facebook. We decided to split a Calamari to start. I thought the pieces of squid were the perfect size. When they are too small, the squid gets tough and hard. When they are too big, the squid doesn't become crispy enough. The batter was not over seasoned; yet there was a bit of a grease on the bottom of the plate. The tzatziki sauce was very good. It was full of garlic and lemon flavour while having the right consistency.

HL and I both had the roast lamb. I ended up taking a picture of my plate because it looked nicer. Although the piece of lamb was modest in size, the quality more than made up for it. It was tender throughout and perfectly seasoned (just the right amount of garlic and saltiness). The Greek salad was fresh, the lemon potato was soft in inside and nicely broiled on the outside and the rice was cooked perfectly. Only complaint were the veggies, some of the beans were a bit soft.

Viv had the Lemon Chicken. No, this is not some Greek version of the Chinese dish. Although it would certainly be a sight to behold a fusion Greek/Chinese Lemon Chicken! Rather, the chicken here is marinated in lemon and roasted. Viv really enjoyed this dish. The chicken was really tender and juicy despite it not looking as such. Curiously, the chicken did not have a strong lemon taste, almost barely detectable. Once again, we had a good dinner at Ramies. Food tasted great, textures were bang on and service was decent.

The Good:
- Food is made with care
- Food tastes as it should
- Textures are correct

The Bad:
- A tad pricey
- Not much in the way of ambiance

Business Hours:
11:00am - 10:00pm (Mon - Sat)
4:00pm - 10:00pm (Sun)