I think the majority of Greek "restaurants" in Ottawa are gyro and souvlaki fast food take out. There is the occasional sit down restaurant that promises you the best in Greek dining but with mixed results. The boyfriend and I tried Mystiko hoping to learn more about Greek cuisine and try something new but with slow service and mediocre food we wished we were at our local gyro take out.
For our appetizer we chose a trio of dips: taramosalat, tzatziki and hummus. Out of the three I loved the tzatziki but the hummus was too garlicky and even had chunks of garlic that hadn't been blended down. The taramosalat, a traditional fish roe dip, tasted very salted and seemed to be missing lemon. The warm pita served with the dips was fresh and we enjoyed scooping up our favorite dip, fighting over who would get the last taste. For my main I ordered moussaka which is layers of eggplant and meat sauce topped with bechamel. I didn't enjoy it - it seemed like a square of mush and I couldn't get over the texture or lack of. Dima ordered kotopoullo riganat, a chicken breasts marinated in olive oil, lemon and oregano served with potatoes and vegetables. I thought the chicken may have been a bit bland but it was actually quite tasty despite the vegetables looking a bit sad.
If you say you're going to give the customer the best in Greek dining then you can't make mistakes like an overly garlicky hummus or mushy, no flavor moussaka or a chicken dish surrounded in baby carrots. I'm certain this isn't the best in Greek dining and I'm not sure if there are any really fantastic Greek restaurants in Ottawa but I'll keep trying.
