Socrates

A long time ago, in a neighbourhood not far away...  from me..  I had tried Socrates Greek Restaurant on Hastings in Burnaby.  To be frank, I don't really have lasting memories of that meal and I couldn't tell you if it was good or bad.  Then all of a sudden, the place closed up shop and popped up further West on Hastings in an ol' pizza joint.  If you can imagine, the storefront isn't big, so it is purely takeout (save for a few tables out front).  Perfect during Covid and actually still perfect now.  Why pay for all that dining space when you can do many more covers doing take out?  Besides, Greek food travels quite well.  So yes, I ordered it for takeout one night for dinner.

Seeing how I love variety, I had to get the Greek Appy Platter with Keftedes, Kalamari, Tiropita, Spanakopita, Tzatziki, Hummus and Pita (last 3 items are not pictured).  I thought this was a fantastic deal for $35.00.  Crispy and tender, the kalamari was good especially with the fluffy tzatziki.  Both the tiropita and spanakopita featured crispy phyllo with a cheesy filling (spinach in the case of the spanakopita).  The only thing that could've been better was the keftedes as they are a bit dry.  They did taste good though with onion and spices.

Whenever I go for Greek food, there is no question I'm ordering the Roast Lamb.  The large piece of shoulder was extremely tender and well-seasoned (could definitely taste the garlic and rosemary). The meat practically fell apart on contact but still had texture when eaten.  This came with rice, potatoes, pita, taztzki and Greek salad that came in separate containers. 

Originally, we had ordered one each of the chicken and beef souvlaki.  However, something got mixed up and we ended up with 2 Beef Souvlaki dinners.  Wasn't a huge deal though as the beef was pretty darn good.  As you can see, it was nicely charred with a caramelized smokiness.  The meat itself was cooked to medium where it was tender.  It was also seasoned enough to stand on its own.  The rice underneath was a touch greasy, yet chewy and flavourful.  Potatoes were tender yet not mushy with plenty of lemon.

One of my other favourite Greek dishes is Moussaka and the one here was pretty massive, nearly taking up the entire take out container.  It featured tender layers of eggplant, zucchini and potato that tender, not mushy.  The beef was also tender and well-spiced.  We got plenty of nutmeg in every bite.  The béchamel on top was creamy without being too heavy.  This was delicious and a good value.

We know that Lasagna isn't exactly the thing to order at a Greek restaurant, but we don't mind these take out versions as we have reasonable expectations.  Besides, we could get 2 of them for $20.00.  This was a cut above the ones you find at pizza take out joints as it had some more cheese and meat in addition to sauce and noodles.  It was good for what it was with a tangy tomato sauce and plenty of cheese.  In fact, the Greek food was pretty darn solid, in large portions and well-priced.  No wonder they are so busy.  I'd order from here again.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Solid eats
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Only take out, so don't travel too far or it will get cold
- Wish they had an online ordering system (for more accuracy)