OLOVE GREEK KITCHEN — Restaurant in Burnaby

We noticed another Greek restaurant in the neighbourhood. They've been around since the summer of 2018. We checked it out on Yelp and there were many good reviews. They also are apparently authentic. We'll have to pay them a visit. We're so used to the regular Greek fare, so how will it be different? I'm intrigued!

We decided to venture there finally. I love the decor, simple, clean lines and tastefully done. Quaint...not a big restaurant but nice.

Normally they would have more tables, but with Covid, they had to take out a few. We went in just when it opened and had our pick of seats.

We knew what to order right away as we reviewed their menu beforehand and decided to share the Kalamari $14 and Dio Souvlakia (selecting a prawn and lamb skewer) $23.50.

Hubby immensely enjoyed the side of spinach rissoto ("The best I've had!) and the prawns were very flavourful. Mmmm.... The lamb on the skewer was very tender also.

It's a nice change to not have the regular sides of the Greek salad, pita, rice and potato. That's a lot of carbs!

I asked about the fries which sat in oil, and the owner said that olive oil is something Greeks use when they can. They were nice fries but I wasn't used to the extra oil used. Olive oil is a healthy addition! Also they don't use frozen fries. It's a process for them to prepare these fries, as we found out!

We finished dinner off with Baklava and since hubby loves his custard, we ordered the Vanilla Custard Coconut Dessert (which has a lot of coconut) $7.00 each. Both desserts were nice to finish off the meal with.

The owner came over and we got a little history about authentic Greek cuisine and her many years and experience in the restaurant industry. A lovely person to chat with...very personable. A seasoned professional.

She explained that with Greek cuisine, when family and friends come together, they have tapas. A little bit of this and that...a variety. She mentioned that she would prepare something for us, with that in mind, on our next visit.

I'll be visiting again to celebrate a friend's birthday. Looking forward to it!

Note. More food pics...

I would give a 4 1/2 but could not.. Nice people, great service, food is very good. We will go back there. However, I downrated from 5 to 4.5 simply because of personal taste. We liked the place as it offers something different than the usual North American Greek restaurant. For appetizer we discovered Bourekakia, a philo stuffed pastry with cheese and other stuff with a honey sauce. Excellent and not too salty because they use a special Goat/sheep feta with less salt. We also had the standard Slouvaki (you could mix) and instead of the roast potatoes they had Greek fries which are baked potatoes with dill, oregano and other spices, feta cheese etc.. The rice was also a risotto (a nice touch). We also discovered the Souvas with roast lamb (i like my lamb medium rear, this was more like a shank). Interesting and nice sandwich. However, I am not too fond of dill (and yes there is dill in Greek food and maybe I should have told them but I wanted to try). The Baklava is big and good and not too sweet (which is great) not bathing in a sea of honey. My taste. Their version (like a parfait) of the Emek is unfortunately a little too sweet and the cinnamon is too strong (again a question of preference). Cafe is also good. Owner and staff are very friendly. An enjoyable experience and we...

Summary: Best Greek food I have had in a long time. One of the best dining experiences in general. Don't skip dessert or appetizer, go all out!

Service: Service is of the kind that seems to be disappearing these days. Being treated like a real live person rather than just a number. Whether manager or owner the person running the show seemed to really care what our entire dining experience was positive, memorable and enjoyable.

Food: Don't be fooled into thinking you recognize things on their menu. Don't dismiss trying a favourite if you you're looking for something new. Something as simple as pita bread...will taste different than other restaurants. Every dish was so flavourful with fresh, strong flavours in new combinations despite trying some familiar dishes.

Dessert: They don't have a desset menu, so you have to ask what's on for the night. I LOVE ekmek and fortunately it's one of their regular desserts. Their special was a walnut cake. I shared both with my partner and it was some of the best ekmek I have ever had and again...made with a twist compared to other...