Restaurant review: Hydra Estiatorio steps up Greek food in the city
Credit to Author: Mia Stainsby| Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2019 19:38:51 +0000
Where: 825 West Pender Street, 604-416-0880
Open: Lunch, Monday to Friday11 am to 3 pm; dinner Tuesday to Sunday 5 o.m. to 10 pm, hydravancouver.com
Leonard Cohen wasn’t alone being enchanted by Hydra, the Greek island where he met and loved the lovely Marianne, enshrined in song. She, too, called it the prettiest island in the Aegean in a 2005 interview.
Salim Sayani is another Hydra fan. He owns the Vancouver-based Executive hotels through North America, including the swish new boutique EXchange Hotel and the nearby Hotel Le Soleil downtown. (In fall, he opens another at Lonsdale Quay in North Van.)
Hydra is the namesake for Sayani’s restaurant at EXchange after he discovered it on a sailing trip with his family. He wanted it to “impart the magic of Hydra,” he told his opening staff.
“I was struck by the gorgeous scenery and simplicity. There were no cars, transport is by horse or donkey there … The culinary scene on Hydra is, as well, simple, rustic, authentic and excellent.”
Hydra Estiatorio is the most sophisticated Greek restaurant to hit Vancouver since Nu restaurant foundered on the False Creek shore several years ago. While Harry Kambolis’s Nu was about inventive, finely plated Greek-inspired fare, Hydra captures more of the Greek soul with elevated rustic food. (The food is described as Mediterranean but as the name Hydra implies, it’s Greek.)
At street level, there’s a café by day and mezze bar by night. Note the photos of Cohen on Hydra in this room. Ascend the dramatic curvaceous stairs to the airy dining room with eye-catching bling like the school-of-fish chandeliers and fish scale tiles behind the bar. In one corner, a more intimate and casual room is washed in light during daylight.
The restaurant seems to have taken cues from Estiatorio Milos, the high-end success story that started in Montreal and spread to New York, Las Vegas, Miami, London and Athens. Even the menu is similar, with a fresh seafood display, raw bar, whole fish baked in salt and certain dishes like the tempura-like thin-cut zucchini and eggplant.
At Hydra, they’re keen on family style dining and offer platters like whole fish (in sea salt or grilled), whole roasted chicken, whole leg of lamb, or whole lobster with pasta. These run from $48 for the chicken to $89 for the leg of lamb. Platters come with Greek potatoes and sautéed greens. There are à la carte dishes for the single diner too ($36 to $42).
Six Greek dips.
I think chef Ioannis Gerolymatos’ grandmother deserves a shout out. The Greek dips ($10 each) are family recipes and they’re standouts — melitzana, xtipiti (Greek feta spread with chili, extra virgin olive oil, lemon), taramasalata (the silkiest and tastiest I’ve had), fava and yellow split peas with charred onions, tzatziki, and menta (chef’s own creation with feta, mint and lemon). They come with house-made pita.
Appetizers sound pricey but portions are generous and made to share. The zucchini and eggplant appetizer earlier mentioned ($18) comes with tzatziki and although it’s deep-fried, it’s light with a crisp but not too oily batter. Loved it.
Crisply battered, the saganaki ($17) was another lovely dish. Spanakopita ($10) is formed into a round spiral (enough for four, I’d say) but I prefer the crispier phyllo on smaller, single portions.
Whole grilled fish.
The best selling main dishes are the grilled or salt-baked whole fish, often sea bass or sea bream for two ($60 to $65), with potatoes and veg. It’s not the tidiest way to eat but it’s a little dinner theatre with table side service.
The leg of lamb ($89), almost 3lb, is cooked in the forno and even family-style, there’ll be leftovers. It’s served with drippings and lamb jus. A lot of the dishes get a hit in the orno oven for a final charring. The pita and salt-baked fish are done in there.
A lobster and fresh pasta platter ($59) featured beautiful lobster but the pasta (with ouzo, tomato and lobster sauce) overdosed on sauce. A lighter touch was needed.
À la carte dishes had higher-end prices and are standard bistro style dishes. Salmon with lemon sauce and dill ($34) was nicely cooked. Lamb chops ($38) was a generously endowed dish with four pieces of lamb.
Lemon custard-filled meringue dessert.
For dessert, the top seller is the bougatsa ($15, and shareable). The server shatters through the phyllo with a mezzaluna to portion and pours a caramel and chocolate ganache for a decadent finish. I’d recommend the lemon custard filled meringue ($12) with praline sponge, pistachio ice cream and cinnamon syrup.
Dining at Hydra is an opportunity to sample some Greek wines; there’s more to it than the cliché cheap retsina. Try the highly recommended Metohi Chromitsa, a Cabernet blend from the northern Mount Athos region. Otherwise, the wine list is mostly dominated by Italian and French bottles, with an intriguing selection of light and crisp whites and robust reds that nicely match the seafood and lamb focused menu.
There’s also a solid selection of rosés and sparkling wines, and a bespoke cocktail list. Beers include choices from Gibsons’ Persephone brewery. Beachcomber Nick Adonidas would approve.
Hydra doesn’t have the finesse of an Estiatorio Milos, but it sure steps up Greek food in the city in a dramatic setting.
Proud Grill Skewers for the barbecue.
Grilling season’s still in high gear. Check out these cool Slide & Serve BBQ Skewers from Proud Grill Company (proudgrill.com). The cool design (with fish and cow heads) keeps food from falling off and helps in turning the food.
Not only that, the food can easily be removed as they’re attached in singles. Made of stainless steel, they clean up easily and are dishwasher safe. They’re available at some Home Depot and Home Hardware stores as well as online at Amazon.ca.
Tea in The Window at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is offering a unique afternoon tea. They’ve set up a tea table in a display window on Georgia Street with faux cobblestone streetscape backdrop. The art, by Mandy Lau, a Vancouver fashion illustrator who’s worked for brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, creates an arresting scene that stops passersby in their tracks.
Tea in The Window is available until Sept. 2 at $59 per person ($29.50 for children under 12), with one sitting at noon each day. The tea includes a variety of tea sandwiches, chicken salad with mango chutney and pastries presented on a mini suitcase. Reservations can be made at 604-662-1900.
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