Authentic Greek Restaurants with great food are not that easy to come by. Blu Kouzina not only ticks all boxes, it does that with accolades. Not only is the food fabulous, the décor and the overall vibe of the place is awesome as well. In fact, between the Greek food and the white & blue Greek décor that reminds you of Santorini, it is easy to forget that you’re in Singapore.
Blu Kouzina was born in 2010, nurtured by Effie and Dennis Tsakiris’ love of sharing a hearty meal with friends. I met Effie 4 years ago and Dennis last week, and I can tell that they share a common passion for the food of their native Greece. It is this passion that reflects in the food at Blu. Blu Kouzina Greek Restaurant is now Located at Dempsey Hill.
Before you ask what’s in it for us vegetarians; it turns out, plenty. The restaurant has an extensive range of plant-based dishes. I guarantee that vegetarians will be spoilt for choice, and vegans will be more than happy eating here – Blu Kouzina comes out tops on our list of Best Greek Restaurants for Vegetarians & Vegans, in Singapore.
*For this review, we requested Blu Kouzina for tasting/smaller portions of the dishes (to avoid food wastage), and the restaurant kindly obliged. Please keep in mind that many of the pictures here do not represent actual portion sizes which can be much bigger for most of the dishes.
Vegetarian & Vegan Salads at Blu Kouzina
Watermelon Salad, Cauliflower Salad and Greek Salad (smaller portions)I always start a Greek Meal with a Greek Salad, t’s almost a tradition now! The Horiatiki a.k.a. Greek Salad (S$13.80++ | 22.80++) at Blu Kouzina has been a favourite for years, the quality of ingredients is exemplary. Their Feta is sourced from Greece, free from animal rennet, and the quality speaks volumes for the restaurant. The Cauliflower Salad looks quite impressive on paper, but didn’t please as much as we’d hoped. The cauliflower is sautéed perfectly and dressed with spinach, pine nuts and a tahini dressing, but the dish falls short when it comes to flavour.
The Watermelon Salad (S$16.80++), on the other hand, was an accidental order that turned out to be a star dish. Cool and refreshing, perfect for a hot day! The sweetness of the watermelon complements the savoury feta, and the two combine brilliantly with hints of mint, to deliver what seems to be a match made in heaven. The Watermelon Salad would be a perfect way to start your meal or to end it – I plan to have it for dessert next time.
Pita with Plant-Based Dips at Blu Kouzina
Grilled Pita with (tasting portions of) Tria Fasolia, Melitzanosalata and HummusAny Greek Meal would be incomplete without Pita and dips and we tried our fair share at Blu Kouzina. The Pita here is flown in from Greece and is quite good. So are the dips. And, you’re going to love this — there are 6 vegetarian dips on the menu, 4 of those are vegan. While the standard dips like Hummus and Melitzanosalata (smoked eggplant, feta and EVOO) are top-notch, the star dip is Tria Fasolia, simply exceptional. This three-bean dip is made of white beans, chickpeas and black-eyed beans. Spring onions and dill lend it a ‘green’ twist – an appetising green look and a whole bunch of flavour. Highly recommended! (Note: The Tzatziki at Blu Kouzina is made with Yogurt that contains animal rennet so it isn’t vegetarian in the strict sense).
Vegetarian & Vegan Meze at Blu Kouzina
Sweet Red Peppers stuffed with a spiced cream cheese (tasting portion); Mixed OlivesOnce again, the menu has several vegetarian and vegan appetizers on offer. While you’re trying to decide what to order, order some olives to munch on. The Olives come in a generous portion of Kalamata, green and stuffed green (interestingly stuffed with orange rind). On the side, have some Red Peppers (S$8.80++) – sweet bell peppers stuffed with spiced cream cheese, then baked and cooled. While I found them to be excellent and left it at that, my lunch partner could not stop raving about them through the meal. For her, this was the favourite dish of the day.
Artichokes, beautiful and delightfulBeing a vegetarian and still spoilt for choice almost felt like a license to indulge, and we did. The Artichokes that came next (S$12.80++) are beautifully presented and taste good. These are fried and topped with balsamic cream and sea salt.
Saganaki with a Fig Sauce that is to die forIf you love cheese, the Saganiki & Figs (S$19.80++) is definitely worth a try. The slab of cheese is pan fried to a beautiful golden and topped with a to-die-for fig sauce. The presentation is head turning as the cheese comes sizzling to your table. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, the savoury taste of the cheese perfectly complements the sweetness of figs. If you force me to find fault with this dish, I’d say that I could do with more of that delicious fig sauce, perhaps a bucket-full next time!
Grilled Eggplant filled with a tomato-onion sauce; Phylo Pastry stuffed with spinach and feta; Red Peppers stuffed with spiced feta (Tasting Portions)Rounding off the meze was a trio of appetisers. Imam Baildi (1pc at S$10.80++) is an oven grilled eggplant filled with a tomato and onion sauce. The sauce is delicious, the caramelised onions bringing in a hint of sweetness. It comes with a side of feta and hits the right notes. The Spanakopita aka Phylo Pastry is faultless and light as air. Spinach and cheese are undoubtedly a delicious pair. Have them tango inside light and crispy layers of phyllo and you’ve got a winner. The pastry is quite well-balanced, there isn’t any ingredient that overpowers even as each one shines through.
In the hot version of Red Peppers that is Bougiourdi, you get to dig into juicy red peppers oozing gooey, melted marinated spicy feta cheese. Had this dish been a tad less salty there would be nothing standing between us and raving reviews for the dish. But, as it stands, the excess saltiness does tip the scales in favour of the cold Red Peppers instead.
The Vegetarian & Vegan Mains at Blu Kouzina
Gemista – roasted vegetables stuffed with marinated herbed rice (Image credit: Blu Kouzina’s FB page)There are quite a few vegetarian and vegan mains too on the menu. Since we were nearly stuffed after all the appetizers, we decided to share just the one main dish and what a dish it turned out to be. Gemista (S$25.80++) is a dish of roasted vegetables stuffed with marinated herbed rice and oven baked to perfection. Yet another amazing dish to compete for the top slot, the dish is perfect for vegetarians, vegans* and the Gluten free. It’s hard to play favourites here, but probably my top pick of the meal! *Vegans, ask for Gemista without the side of feta.
Drinks
We started our meal with the EPSA Greek Carbonated Drinks (S$4.80++). They have quite a range of flavours – Pink Lemonade and Organic Lemonade, which are both fruity and refreshing, and Blood Orange which was voted favourite flavour of the day.
To round off our meal we opted for Cappuccino and Herbal Tea (S$6.80++) that came highly recommended, and rightly so. The Herbal Tea is served in style, brought to your table in traditional Greek utensils and poured at the table – entertainment you can sip on.
Verdict & Top Vegetarian Dishes
If you’ve ever wondered why Blu Kouzina at Dempsey has a huge fan following, try their food and you’ll have no problem understanding why. From the food to the décor to the ambience, everything about Blu Kouzina simply delights. I’ve been frequenting this place for the last few years, since they have an extensive vegetarian selection, which is now even bigger as they have recently added several new vegetarian and vegan dishes.
If you find the sheer number of dishes in the above review a bit overwhelming, here are the top 6 I would recommend — Greek Salad, Watermelon Salad, Tria Fasolia (vegan), Spanakopita, Red Peppers, Gemista*. *Gemista would be vegan without the feta on the side.
Know Before You Go
- All cheese served at Blu Kouzina is free from Animal Rennet.
- The yogurt they use contains animal rennet, so if you’re a strict vegetarian, steer clear of dishes containing yogurt e.g. Tzatziki dip.
- The restaurant uses only the best ingredients, and that reflects in the food. The Pita is shipped in all the way from Greece, the French Fries are from Belgium, the Olive Oil is from their own estate in Mesinea, Greece. Most other ingredients are locally sourced.
Blu Kouzina: Dempsey Hill, 10 Dempsey road (Blk 10), #01-21, 247700 Singapore. P: +65 68750872 | Website
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EatRoamLive, Pooja’s enthusiasm for food and travelling is palpable from the variety and intensity with which she writes. A traveller at heart and a big-time foodie who is vegan, EatRoamLive was incepted with her desire to create a resource aimed at making dining out fun, and not restrictive, for veg(etari)ans. Not just (solely) veg(etari)an restaurants, she marks out places that serve sumptuous food with enough meat-free options. A hands-on mum to 3 young kids, the former architect and interior designer has her hands full juggling her love for writing, travelling and home.
