Nice mirror reflecting the open kitchen

Meetpoint has an open concept kitchen where you can see the chef making dough and frying meat. I like that very much, nothing smells as good as the fragrance of your almost-ready-food.  There is a huge flat screen TV in the restaurant, usually showing the Food Network. Seats are cozy but perhaps arranged a little too close for comfort. On the other hand, this place is rarely packed so typically, the table beside will be unoccupied.

Definitely try out the Meetpoint Pizza ($10.95). The veal is roasted over a vertical rotisserie and the dough is freshly made when you order. They also offer a smaller size, which is very convenient for a smaller company or those who would like to try out other dishes.

Thin crust pizza!

I am always too easily filled by carbs so I tend go for The Meetpoint ($10.99) instead. It is basically the same as the pizza, just without the dough. The main difference will probably be its ketchup base rather than their special spiess sauce.

Recently, they have also started a breakfast menu with interesting items such as Kuku $4.99 (eggs, scallion, parsley, chives), Menemen $6.99 (3 eggs with peppers, onions, tomatoes) and Scrambled Tofu $6.99. Generous portions with fresh bread. Their small selection of dessert crepes are also pretty good – soft and fluffy!

However, as a frequent customer, I was sorely disappointed on my last visit. The owner was not around so a server doubled up as the chef. I was keen to try the scrambled tofu but was informed that they do not have tofu when I made the order. Hence, I changed my order to the spinach crepe but again, was told that they do not have spinach in the restaurant. After several attempts at ordering, the server finally decided to tell me what they have in the kitchen and told me to order from that limited list.

By then, I was a little annoyed while he explained that they are extremely unprepared that day with a serious lack of ingredients. WHY open for business when the restaurant does not have the ability to satisfy the customers’ orders?! Luckily, the meetpoint pizza was still available so I ordered that.

Due to the lack of help in the restaurant, I waited more than 30 minutes for the order and it came tasting totally different from what I had before. The meat was dry and the pizza was drenched in sauce. The server/cook also took a wrong order for one table and decided to offer the wrong order to another because the customer was getting impatient with all that waiting. I sincerely wish it was just a really bad day for them.

I am willing to give Meetpoint another chance but I really hope by then, they will have fresh ingredient ready in the kitchen and be ready to actually offer every item they have listed on the menu. It might also help if they actually have the real chef preparing the food. I look forward to my next visit and the scrambled tofu.

We got in the cars, called ahead to make 10-minute-ahead reservations (none needed), and found the place which arguably has one of the worst street-fronts I’ve ever seen for casual dining, but some of the best Greek food in Kitchener.

Location Location Location?

Not to be a jerk, but this place has a hilarious location. It’s in the basement of an mid-century office “tower”, sharing its space with the YWCA Resource Centre. Inspiring.

Once we took the elevator to the back door (there’s a much more inviting front door actually, as we found out later) and got into the place, my mood and approach to the place changed entirely. It’s great. It’s big, loud, tall, friendly, and accommodates a group of ten or more comfortably. The menu is serious but  not overwhelming, the wine selection is reasonable, and there were many  lunch-sized things that came out in good time. It’s not cheap nor expensive, with many meals available for under $10.

Oh There It Is, Hurray! White Sign, Left.

Greek Coffee and Salad. Oh something else.

With no offense to the kitchen, I regret getting the vegetable moussaka. Everyone else’s meals looked more interesting and from the sound of it, were delicious.  The moussaka was … bland and tasted like they used powder potatoes. The Greek salad was very nice, simple, tasty, and fresh. Easily the toast of the whole meal was the drink. The Greek-style coffee, with very fine grounds still at the bottom and lightly chalky texture, was delicious and got me in the mood for more Greece.

Moussaka, meh, salad, nice, coffee, amazing.

Despite the outer shell, Three Kretans is very much worth a visit, especially with a large lunch group.  On a related note: next time you’re at a Greek place, ask for a glass of retsina to start your meal. It’s wine that tastes like tree sap. Seriously, don’t judge until you try it ;-)