Jimmy Grants Greek Playful With Soul
Jimmy Grants is another Calombaris fun convivial dining destination with style, delivering on souvas but also on salads and drinks. The World Loves Melbourne visited Jimmy Grants for complimentary lunch and we were enthusiastic about the experience. Check out our Best Cheap Eats in Melbourne.
Check out the modern kitchen where you can order take away (often long queues at night) as well as dining in. Perch yourself along the bench on a stool or enjoy nearby tables. Bright coloured stools and tiles and chic timber provide a welcoming feature.
Jimmy Grants delivers on their souvas and we loved the Bonegilla combo of chicken and lamb with mustard, fries, onions and parsley . How Jimmy Grants gets the meat to be so tender is still a mystery. And a good portion and value for money. A key for me is the softness of the flat bread - many other souva joints in Melbourne have stale or crusty souva bread that breaks apart too easily. Here we have delectable bread that is fresh fresh fresh. The chips inside the souva is a playful touch - not soggy but adding to the experience. The mustard sauce is also a killer - a perfect accompaniment bringing some "kick". The parsley enhances the refreshment.
Jimmy Grants is bringing accessibility of gourmet cusine to Melbourne. Most can afford a souva at Jimmy Grants.
The story behind Jimmy Grants is displayed on the packaging - "When I moved from Cyprus to Melbourne in 1949, I got a job at the Docks. Everyone who came by boat was looking for work like me, but no true blue Aussie could pronounce my name. To them I was just another immigrant. Whether you were from Greece, Italy or the Middle East, we were all called "Jimmy Grant".
George always seems to have well trained and friendly staff and the ability of this staff member (above) to be pleasant and cheery under pressure has to be commended.
The Bonegilla went down well with some Greek Fix Hellas beer.
On another occasion we checked out the Mr Papadopoulos with lamb, mustard aoli, chips, onions and parsley. The lamb was slow cooked to perfection, just like the lamb souva at Gazi. But the aoli seemed different from Gazi and was absolutely delicious. Also compelling was the flatbread. We also sampled the Nonna Maria as the chicken option. Possibly the best souvas in Melbourne!
We also understood its not just about souvas here. This Grain Salad is amazing value for pulses, nuts, grains, herbs and greek yoghurt. Salad of the summer? I could live off this salad. So much going on here - the balance is wonderful and it pleases not just health conscious punters but people like me that usually just tolerate a salad. This is spectacular! Or try the other salads such as Hellenic Slaw and Iceberg salads...
I also notice you can get 200g of succulent meat from the spit to order, as well as Greek dips and desserts.
The story of Jimmy Grant...
Jimmy Grants is taking us further into the casual dining trend. Growing up as a kid we used to always default to pies and pasies and sausage rolls. We've come along way in this country in terms of a multicultural society, as well as in terms of variety and sophistication of cuisine. My kids are now more likely to grab a souva than a pie or pasty. Which is awesome.