Brothers Peter and Lawrence Mammas, along with Jacques Gaspo, have to be considered among Montreal’s visionaries in the restaurant business. Their Foodtastic (www.foodtastic.ca) banner includes La Belle et Le Boeuf, Nickels, Vinnie Gambini’s, Sandouchon, Bacaro, Carlos and Pepe’s and Souvlaki Bar.
While I look forward to dining at each of these brands, I recently experienced the Laval Centropolis location of Souvlaki Bar (http://souvlakibar.ca) upon the suggestion of friends who joined us for dinner on a beautiful Saturday evening. There were six of us. The place, which debuted in September 2014, can accommodate 150 people over two floors (plus a terrace). It was filled to capacity. Manager Matthew Perez had us seated and assigned wonderful server Maro to our table, an artist who specializes in sculptures.
The menu is so simple to follow as it appears on your placemat. There are a wide variety of choices in terms of appetizers, salads, potatoes, gyros, souvlaki, Greek styled chicken, mini pitas, Chef’s plates and much more. Kids aged 10 and under get a special meal for $7.95. There is a nice selection of drinks and some yummy desserts.
As we admired the lovely décor, featuring photos on the walls of famous Greek film stars, Matthew and Maro brought two starters for us to share: two baskets of small pita bread pieces; deliciously crispy calamari, a fried squid with mustard mayo and wedge of lemon; their own Dip Platter, featuring taramousalata, kopanisti and tzatziki; and something totally new for us, a Sesame Feta, which includes oven baked feta baked in phyllo and covered with sesame seeds and honey. It was quite superb.
Our friend’s daughter actually suggested Souvlaki Bar (SVK Bar for short) because she likes the variety of choices, especially when watching one’s calories. She ordered a Prasini (Vert) Salad, which featured chopped romaine lettuce, shallots, dill and Greek dressing. For $3 you can add crumbled feta and for $5.95 roasted gyro pork or chicken can complement this selection. She opted for the latter.
Now let me emphasize that the portions for main courses here are quite generous so be prepared to take leftovers home nicely packed, probably saving you some cooking for the next night. Three people from our table ordered the grilled lamb chops. Seasoned with lemon, olive oil and oregano, the four perfectly prepared chops come with SVK Bar salad, rice and your choice of potatoes. The trio were exceedingly pleased with their choice.
My friend went for the Greek Styled half grilled chicken, with French Fries. Give yourself 20 minutes for the necessary cooking time and when it arrives at your table you will see why. It is grilled to perfection and basted in lemon, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper.
I had my eyes on the grilled octopus, smothered in red onions, marinated roasted red peppers, capers, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and oregano. This not something you can find on most menus and they cooked it just right.
How could we leave without dessert? We shared among the six of us two pieces of baklava, layers of phyllo pastry and crushed almonds soaked in honey syrup with a touch of lemon; two pieces of cheesecake baklava, ultra-creamy cheesecake covered in layers of phyllo pastry and crushed almonds soaked in honey syrup; and finally some SVK Bar ice cream, vanilla ice cream with kataifi phyllo.
I enjoyed a nice decaf cappuccino to cap the night off.
Souvlaki Bar is definitely a chain on the move. Centropolis is the original location. They also have a prominent spot open since February 2017 on Cote Vertu, near Cinemas Guzzo, in St. Laurent, with 180 dining spots and terrace. There are express counters at Central Station, Carrefour Laval and Vaudreuil, where people can appreciate good souvlaki, pitas and salads on the go, all while having un-matched quality and freshness. New SVK Bar locations will open in Boucherville, LaSalle and St. Leonard in 2019 with an express counter coming to the new Rockland Food Court when it is ready later this year.
At Souvlaki Bar you can also discover products from Greece, which makes the restaurant unique on its own. Souvlaki Bar allows one to discover mixology with its Greek products, Greek wines, and famous Greek coffees.
The two sit-down Souvlaki Bar dining rooms can be found at 190 Promenade de Centroplis and 3310 Boulevard Côte Vertu. For more information log on to: http://souvlakibar.ca.
By Mike Cohen
Mike Cohen, born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, has long been active in the community as a volunteer, journalist, and consultant. He profiles restaurants in Montreal and beyond.
mikecohen.ca