Souvlakis are usually associated with crazy nights out and satisfying 2am hunger cravings, but George Colombaris has managed to put a very different spin on things. With branches in Fitzroy and at the Emporium, Jimmy Grants now also has a branch in the usually quiet suburb of Ormond.
Set up like an American diner complete with 80's music playing in the background, Jimmy is quite the anomaly on an otherwise standard strip of shops along North Rd just before the Ormond station railway crossing. From the outside, you can see the neon lit Jimmy Grants sign and as you enter the large automatic sliding doors, you know you are in for a pretty cool experience. There are a series of booths down the left hand wall and because we had organised to have an early dinner, we were lucky enough to get one of these. There were quite a few diners who arrived later who were disappointed that they had to sit on the regular tables and chairs!
Normally you would assume that a souvlaki bar would have quite limited options for vegetarians, but Colombaris does a good job of making sure we are satisfied. There is a falafel souvlaki, a section on the menu dedicated to salads, lots of dips and pita bread, and what I must say are some of the greatest chips I have tasted.
What I have now learnt is a pretty common way for Greeks to serve chips, Jimmy Grants' chips come with garlic oil, oregano and the magic ingredient of crumbled feta. Full of flavour and the right amount of saltiness, these chips were definitely the highlight of our meal!
Obviously my souvlaki was the falafel one, called Homer. It involved a thick homestyle pita wrap which was filled with falafels, a fancy coleslaw and yogurt sauce. Whilst the souvlaki was definitely on the small side compared to many other souvlakis I've had, it was delicious, and most importantly had good structural integrity meaning that I didn't make a mess all over myself!
We decide to treat ourselves and have dessert. I had received a recommendation from a colleague to try the Greek doughnuts so we agreed to give them a go. Unfortunately these were the downfall of the night. The doughnuts were very dense and chewy and they definitely didn't have enough sweetness. They were drizzled in honey, but there was hardly enough. They were also topped with walnuts which had an odd smokey flavour that didn't work with the rest of the dish. Perhaps it would have benefited from some ice cream, because after all, ice cream makes everything taste better. The serving of the doughnuts was however generous, six big balls in the bowl, it was just a shame that it didn't taste better.
Overall it was a great night. It's nice to see that there are some cool eateries opening up in suburbs that aren't traditionally known for being foodie spots. It means that us suburbians can get good food without having to travel to far! Thanks Jimmy!
Set up like an American diner complete with 80's music playing in the background, Jimmy is quite the anomaly on an otherwise standard strip of shops along North Rd just before the Ormond station railway crossing. From the outside, you can see the neon lit Jimmy Grants sign and as you enter the large automatic sliding doors, you know you are in for a pretty cool experience. There are a series of booths down the left hand wall and because we had organised to have an early dinner, we were lucky enough to get one of these. There were quite a few diners who arrived later who were disappointed that they had to sit on the regular tables and chairs!
Normally you would assume that a souvlaki bar would have quite limited options for vegetarians, but Colombaris does a good job of making sure we are satisfied. There is a falafel souvlaki, a section on the menu dedicated to salads, lots of dips and pita bread, and what I must say are some of the greatest chips I have tasted.
What I have now learnt is a pretty common way for Greeks to serve chips, Jimmy Grants' chips come with garlic oil, oregano and the magic ingredient of crumbled feta. Full of flavour and the right amount of saltiness, these chips were definitely the highlight of our meal!
Obviously my souvlaki was the falafel one, called Homer. It involved a thick homestyle pita wrap which was filled with falafels, a fancy coleslaw and yogurt sauce. Whilst the souvlaki was definitely on the small side compared to many other souvlakis I've had, it was delicious, and most importantly had good structural integrity meaning that I didn't make a mess all over myself!
We decide to treat ourselves and have dessert. I had received a recommendation from a colleague to try the Greek doughnuts so we agreed to give them a go. Unfortunately these were the downfall of the night. The doughnuts were very dense and chewy and they definitely didn't have enough sweetness. They were drizzled in honey, but there was hardly enough. They were also topped with walnuts which had an odd smokey flavour that didn't work with the rest of the dish. Perhaps it would have benefited from some ice cream, because after all, ice cream makes everything taste better. The serving of the doughnuts was however generous, six big balls in the bowl, it was just a shame that it didn't taste better.
Overall it was a great night. It's nice to see that there are some cool eateries opening up in suburbs that aren't traditionally known for being foodie spots. It means that us suburbians can get good food without having to travel to far! Thanks Jimmy!
Ormond, wow! I have got to try those chips.
ReplyDeleteYep they are delicious! I need to try and replicate them at home!
Delete