Blu Kouzina @ Dempsey

It’s been 10 years since I went to Blu Kouzina. They were my go-to Greek restaurant when they used to be at Bukit Timah. Since they moved, I have not been had Greek food in Singapore.

Blu Kouzina features traditional Greek fare. From pita with different dips like hummus and tzatziki, to mixed grills of seafood and meat, to sweets that make the diabetics squirm, this place has it all.

The restaurant is housed in an old English barrack with high ceilings. But that did not make the rowdy group of kids at the next table from spoiling the dining experience.

I always enjoyed coming back to the old CMPB as this reminded of my army days. Even the toilets are rustic (wth modern comforts) which I think were the stores in the past.

Three Dips Platter

Hummus, Skordalia, Taramasalata

Mediterranean cuisine always starts with a variety of dip with pita bread, just like Western cusine would start with bread and butter. The three dip platter allows you to pick three dips from a variety. Today I chose the classic hummus, which is made from chickpea; the skordalia, which is a greek style potato salad; and taramasalata, cod fish roe and yoghurt dip which is my favourite Greek dip.

And it came with a side of pita bread, which is essential to dig into the dips. The pita breads were freshly made in house and were fluffy inside, crispy outside and not too thick and dense.

Xtapodi

Grilled octopus with vinegar & EVOO

Greeks are famous for their grilled meats and seafood, and they are very apt at it. Like this grilled octopus, the octopus was so tender my sister mistaken it for chicken. But it had that distinct umami that you can only get from seafood. The outside was grilled to a crisp while the flesh was tender and juicy. Loved this.

Meat Platter Medium

2 medium bifteki, 2 beef kalamaki, 2 organic chicken skewer & 4 lamb chops, served with side of french fries and tzatziki

Every time I go to a Greek restaurant, I cannot help but order the meat platter. The Kreatika Anamikta (mixed meat platter) for two featured 4 pieces of lamb chops, 2 skewers of chicken, 2 Kalamaki Souvlaki and 2 Bifteki with a side of fries and tzatziki.

Bifteki is a lamb patty (can be replaced with beef) that is similar to a hamburger patty, except the Greek really know their stuff. The minced lamb is seasoned with herbs and spices, and grilled to perfection. Souvlaki is like a kebab on metal skewers and grilled on open fire – a chunkier version of our satay with slightly marinated meat. The platter is quite large and enough to share among 4 if you are ordering other stuff.

Lamb Mousaka

Oven-baked eggplant, potatoes, in-house minced lamb, bechamel & homemade Greek tomato sauce

Moussaka is an eggplant-potato casserole dish that is similar to lasagna. Instead of pasta, the eggplant and potato provided the starch that bonded the whole dish together. Baked with a minced lamb tomato paste, it would be mistaken easily with lasagna, although the two are of totally different origins.

This moussaka was actually quite light and fluffy, and the white sauce was a great compliment. Unlike its Italian cousin, moussaka was much lighter and we finished every last bit of it.

Greek Kanafeh

Kataifi & kesari cheese, served hot with homemade syrup

I originally thought it was vermicelli when I had this dessert for the very first time in Tel Aviv long time ago, but when I researched the recipe I realised it was finely shredded filo pastry.

While they nailed the crispiness of the kanefe, it was not as sweet as the ones I had elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, it was quite good, but it could be sweeter, or a separate jug of syrup should be given for us to control the sweetness.

Although it was promoted as pet friend, the area for the flurry ones are restricted to the outdoor seating. Therefore it is subject to the tropical weather of Singapore. Remember that Dempsey cluster is pretty forested, so there are bugs during the wet seasons. Food wise, I think it is still one of the best Greek restaurant in Singapore. As the operations have expanded, it was as not friendly and homely as the old Blu Kouzina.

Blu Kouzina Dempsey
10 Dempsey Road #01-20 Singapore 247700
Tel : +65 97108303 (Reservations)

Visited Dec 2024