Little Billy's

Despite being one of the closest restaurants located near me, the last time I've been to Little Billy's was in 2009.  Yes, that was only the second year of this blog and yep, that was really 15 years ago!  To be honest, nothing really stood out to make me want to come back.  However, things have changed as the son has taken over revamping a few things including the decor and some menu items.  We were invited to try out some of their wares and hey, it made for an easy commute for me!

We started off with some appies including the Calamari.  This was a medium-sized portion that featured large pieces of squid.  I found the batter to be light and crispy while not sliding off each piece.  The batter was properly seasoned, but the side of tzatziki as welcomed with its garlicky tanginess.  As for the squid itself, the texture was tender but still had an appealing chewy bounciness.

We also had the flaming Saganaki (which was hard to capture in the bright natural light).  This was a huge piece of cheese that was pan fried and doused with ouzo, then lit on fire.  Trust me, it was flaming and sizzling.  It was served with warm pita on the side.  Since it was such a big slice of cheese, it wasn't exactly melty, rather, it was firm and definitely cheesy and a bit boozy.  Not that I don't like generous portions, but maybe this could've been a smaller piece.

Continuing on the theme of huge, the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms was another large dish.  It consisted of button mushroom caps with a good amount of crab and plenty of melted cheese.  Due to the amount of mushrooms, the dish had a bit of moisture at the bottom though.  That made the dish a bit wet.  The amount of filling did offer up a robust bite that was quite good especially with a squeeze of lemon.

I personally love Moussaka, so it was one of my requests in addition to what we were already expecting.  This was served in a large bowl which meant that it was plenty moist and not dry like some other versions.  The moist layers of meat, eggplant, potato and zucchini combined well. with the creamy bechamel.  This was served with vibrant and crunchy veggies, rice, lemon potato, tzatziki and pita bread.

Yet another favourite of mine is the Roast Lamb, hence we had that as well.  This was a rather large piece of marinated lamb shoulder that was fork tender.  It fell apart very easily and was succulent.  Loved the braising juices as it was earthy and tangy.  Definitely a great version of Greek roast lamb.  It came with all the sides as the moussaka.  I liked how the lemon potato was firm, yet still tender with a good hit of tanginess.

Just because it looked good on the menu, we had the Lobster Linguine.  It featured a fairly large lobster tail as well as big prawns and scallops in a red lobster sauce.  For $38.00, I found this to be an excellent value.  The pasta was al dente while the sauce was mildly creamy.  I thought the lobster essence could've been stronger, but it was partially offset by the big lobster tail and the amount of seafood.

Saving the best for last as we shared the Flaming Greek Platter for 4.  We felt $136.00 is a reasonable price for the amount of food included: one skewer of each lamb, chicken, beef and calamari, signature calamari, lamb chops, paidakia ribs, garlic prawns, spanakopita, roasted potatoes, vegetables, rice, pita bread, hummus and tzatziki.  As you can see, this was a considerable amount of food.  The whole rack of ribs was super tender and well-spiced.  All of the souvlaki was nicely charred and tender.  I especially enjoyed the calamari skewer as the squid had a nice snap to it.  Those lamb chops were also delicious with meat cooked to medium being super tender and well-marinated.  Overall delicious platter of food and a good deal in my books.

For dessert, we had the Baklava and Portuguese Tarts.   Although I'm not a fan of very sweet desserts, the baklava was pretty good with the usual nutiness and texture of the phyllo.  As much as Portuguese tarts are not Greek, they were pretty good here.  The flaky and crispy shell held in the light and semi-sweet custard.  Nice char on the top and sides too.  Overall, the food at Little Billy's is a whole lot better than I had remembered.  Mind you, that was over a decade ago...  While dining there, I noticed quite a few regulars come in.  Little Billy's has always been a neighbourhood spot and I'm glad it is continuing on that tradition with some changes.  My next visit won't take as long as last time!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Cozy spot

- Solid eats

- Pricing is fair

The Bad:

- Some items could use a bit more refinement