Gelato and waffles in in Athens
We went out to look for somewhere with octopus and ended up in an ouzerie. I remember trying ouzo during year 11 cadet camp from one of the Greek guys there and thinking why does anyone drink this stuff? Years later and with a higher tolerance for aniseed, I still wonder the same, although I can tolerate it similar to sambuca.
The highlight of the meal was the grilled calamari stuffed with cheese and herbs. Lovely and oozy (or "ouzy").
- Green salad "Athinaikon" with manouri cheese (rocket, cherry tomatoes, French salad, sundried tomato, red pepper, walnuts) €7.5;
- Fresh stuffed squid on the grill (yellow salted cheese, feta, tomato, pepper, capers) €15;
- Seafood in the frying pan (shrimp, crawfish, mussels, mushrooms, feta, kefalotiri cheese) €12.5.
The more backstreety parts of Athens brought out a new feel to the city. Far from the ruins of buildings, these cobble-stoned streets with al fresco cafes and manicured greenery are really lovely to stroll along.
I was looking for To Kafeneio and I will always remember it for my first experience with kefalograviera, the incredible salty hard Greek sheep cheese that blew my mind in flavour and is now my preferred (when available) for saganaki. I think it was the Bekris Mezes (food for drunks) and the chef decided to throw a bit of cheese on top. Lucky he did!
Seafood mix platter (marinated Gavros, mackerel fillet, smoked mackerel, octopus).
After arriving in Greece all I wanted was grilled meat or a giro specifically. Unfortunately it was felt that shouldn't be the first meal of the trip and so we sat at a random place that served kebabs. They were tasty and flavoursome and my first encounter with real Greek pitas.
After first revelling in the juicy flavoursome lamb souvlaki of Stalactites in Melbourne, I've always enjoyed a good one although generally later in the evening and occasionally the early hours of the morning.
Once I reached Athens, the first course was to visit somewhere for food. Bairaktaris happened to be in the main plaza, the meat drew us in, and fortunately my reservations about eating somewhere in the main square were quickly allayed. As much as I wanted, I wasn't able to eat there for the first meal, but the daytime before taking the overnight ferry to Santorini there would be no stopping me. And I wished I'd gone there earlier.
The pork giro was remarkable. The flavour I still dream of now rich with the grilled Maillard riddled throughout. I even wanted to use the 2 hour break at the airport before leaving to sneak out for a final taste but common sense told me missing the flight to Istanbul wouldn't be worth it (obviously). The pitas were thick and had soaked some dripping from the meat and the fresh salad and tzatziki balanced everything perfectly.
I'll come back for you.