An exotic little corner in Zografou

A great cafe to head for in Zografou is unarguably Philleas Fogg. As a place it seems to cater for all interests and weathers: it's great in the summer, absolutely awesome in the winter & I guess I'm not the only one who recognises that fact, since it's almost always full.

What makes this one of my favourite spots is it's unique atmosphere. Outside is a mixture of cushioned sofas, glass doors, bamboo chairs, intricate black metal tables and lush-leaved trees. The surrounding tall bushes give it a secluded feel, ideal for when you just need a nice cool getaway from the Athens summer heat. (Admittedly, it'd be even nicer if they had fans, but hey). The inside, in my opinion, however is even better, though designed more for winter use, since it gets rather stuffy in summer. The walls and floors are absolutely covered in all these weird and wonderful little exotic finds, from plush Indian cushions & red wooden rocking-horses, to wok-shaped bar lights, glittering chandeliers and portraits of dogs in tuxedoes(!). Even some of the furniture is antique in a way that makes you want to smack someone just for trying to sit there. As decor goes, it really does seem to take you round the world, as the name would imply.

Now, if you do decide to visit Phileas, definitely try some of their loose tea. Even if the choice is a little limited compared to other places I have in mind ("A Happy Playce") what flavours they do have are truly amazing. My personal favourites are -"Vissinokipos" (vee-ssee-NO-kee-poss), meaning "Cherry garden", ie green tea with black cherry and red cherry, and -"Rococo Tea", a mixture of green and black tea with rich undertones of caramel and pineapple. Also give the "Mayan Treasure" a try, it's a black tea with whole pieces of dark, unmelting chocolate. It might not be as awe-inspiring for tea-lovers as the former two, but it still has quite a stand-out-ish aroma.

As a place, they do offer other treats too, such as apple pie, icecream, a selection of sandwiches, but in truth, it's their tea, and sometimes coffee, that draws me there apart from the atmosphere.

Now, another very odd and interesting thing about this cafe (and I'm sorry to bring it up, but it definitely deserved to be mentioned) is... their bathrooms! For lack of a better word they are totally kaleidoscopic! The walls, floor and ceiling are covered in tiny square white, black, copper- and gold-coloured tiles, in overlapping patterns, so that just walking in makes you dizzy! I would have loooved to take some pics, but simply imagine someone walking in on me: "Oh...I was just...um...photographing...the loo?" Decidedly too weird to contemplate. What peeves me off though is that their gold-plated mirrors presume one is at least 5 foot 7 (1,70m) or something, as opposed to my 5 foot..um..close to nothing.

Anyway, if you're in the area, whatever age you are, you should definitely give this place a try. There aren't that many exotic spots in Zografou, but this is one of them.

In a nutshell:

• Do you get your money's worth?: Yep. Average prices for a coffee shop in Athens.
• Is it worth it?: As I said, it's definitely worth trying for anyone in the area. Especially at night. (They have twinkly lights too, yeay!)
• Will I go again?: Given I've just sung it's praise and it's relatively near me, yes, I in all probability will.

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Posted in: bar,Cafe,Phileas Fogg,Zografou

A sweet surprise in Zografou

                           


                                 A few days ago a friend and I wanted some icecream. That is to say I wanted ice cream. And not just any ice cream, but yoghurt with nuts & berries, my all-time favourite. So off we head to Δωδώνη (do-DO-nee), the well-known chain of ice cream parlours (there happened to be one near us, in Zografou). Unfortunately, they were all out of yoghurt flavour, and anyone who knows me also knows that "compromise" is not a word in my vocabulary. So I dragged my protesting (and already having ordered) friend next door, to a little (and I mean tiny) Italian Gelateria, in an ongoing search for yoghurt ice cream.

                              I had been walking past this place for over a year now, without actually ever intending to sit down, let alone write an article about. I know, never judge a book by it's cover (see taf), but even so, it just seemed lacking in the "WOW! You have to sit here NOW!"-factor. That having been said, it turned out to be quite a fantastic little find.

                              What made this place ("Da Giorgio ") so noteworthy, in my opinion anyway, were two very specific things:

                              1) They had amazing flavours. And I'm not talking about your everyday, boring strawberry, chocolate and vanilla (which, sure, they had too), I'm talking about Ferrero Rocher flavour, Cookies, Profiterol, even Millefeuille, all with pieces of the corresponding desserts mixed in with them. But that's not all. The most otherworldly, gobsmacking, historic-find flavour was Rosewater. Gorgeous. Absolutely monumental. Maybe it's just me, or the fact that I'm going through a bit of a rose phase at the moment, but it tasted just like loukoumi (aka turkish delight), which made me so over-the-moon happy. Needless to say, it trumped even my yoghurt with N&B flavour.

                              2) As I ordered my ice cream (never in a bowl, always in a cone, remember: it tastes better that way) the assistant turned to this little sort of waffle-making contraption, and poured in a load of batter. 1 minute and 23 seconds later (no, there was a timer on it, I'm not weird that way) out comes a honey-coloured, aromatic ribbed pancake, which was then wrapped round a cone-shaped object. Now yours truly, who had been getting a little upset about not being served, only then realised: the assistant was actually making an ice cream cone! At that very minute (well minute and 23 seconds to be precise)! After it had cooled a little and solidified, in went the rose flavoured ball, accompanied by a yoghurt one, for good measure. So I ended up with a loukoumi-tasting, gorgeous, melting ice cream ball in a warm, thin and crispy, waffle-tasting cone.

Now if that isn't awesome, I don't know what is.

In a nutshell:

• Do you get your money's worth?: Most definitely. 1 euro per ice cream ball, and no charge for the home-made cone.
• Is it worth it? : I'd certainly say so. If you're in the area and in the mood for ice cream, don't  make my mistake and head for Δωδώνη. The truth is they have gone down the drain somewhat of late. But, point of order: if you leave it too late (i.e. 11 or 12 pm) they might be out of batter, so no warm home-made cone for you!
• Will I go again? : With those flavours I'd have to be silly not to! :)

P.S. I know the pic is slightly blurry, but I mean come on, it was warm, it was yummy, it was melting, what was I supposed to do?

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Posted in: Cafe,Da Giorgio Gelateria,Desserts,Ice Cream,Zografou

Secret Garden

                                          When some friends first took me to this place, I was slightly reluctant to turn off my much travelled and beloved Ifaistou street (the "Athens Flea Market"), a road full of tightly crammed tourist shops, hawkers, bead stores and of course the famous clothes basements for the gothic-ly inclined. We were on our way to the usual cafes down in Thiseio, but my friends insisted we turn off down a narrow, dark little alley, dotted with drunkards. Proudly they stopped in front of an old, decrepit building.

 "taf" read the little sign on the left. "This had better be good", I thought. It certainly didn't look promising.
                            

                                   


I am glad to say it was more than good. The door opened to reveal a wonderful little courtyard just around the corner. In the centre a mixture of high and low coffee-tables, surrounded by a bar, tall trees and what looked like the remains of small, old-fashioned houses, complete with red-tiled rooves. Above us a canopy. You felt like you had just discovered your own secret garden in the heart of bustling Athens, just below Monastiraki square, just above Thiseio, yet perfectly quiet. What's more, at night (as I had to go back again soon) it reverts to a bar and the view is even more breathtaking: twinkly lights decorate the branches and balconies, hidden lights give the place a low, romantic glow, yet the music is as loud and good as it gets.

 As we sat down, I ordered my signature cup of tea (Jasmine) and realised I could actually see old-fashioned movies being shown on the walls inside the houses. I looked around and saw paintings, carvings, parts of works of art showing through the windows. The name of the place, i later found out, is "The Art Foundation" or "taf". So at any point visitors (and there were quite a few I might add) can walk around the ground and second floor and pretend to be a bit more cultural, going "ahh" and "mmmh" at things. Although I must say, most of the things I saw were kind of... eccentric. Coupled with the falling-apart-buildings.. you get my drift.

Anyhow, the tea arrived in one of those modern teapots you squish down on top to release all the goodness from the tea leaves. I'm extremely pleased to say it was fantastic! It had a caramel-like aroma and was faintly sweet-tasting. Definitely nothing like my usual Jasmine Tea. It was served with a hard, sugared cinnamon biscuit. Very tasty!
                                                     Also, the waiters were polite, smiling and prompt (as well as very stylish), unlike most places I visit around here. Douze points for quality and service!

                       

                                                     All in all, after a couple of hours relaxing and myself touring the art exhibits, I left feeling refreshed (not as cultured as I'd have liked), but definitely willing to go back soon.

In a nutshell:

Do you get your money's worth? Normal for Athens Standards. 3 euros for tea, 3,50 for coffee.

Was it worth the while? Are you kidding me? How many places like this do you think there are in Athens?

Will I go again? Absolutely.

P.S. For maximum wowing effect take your friends/girlfriends/boyfriends etc. after sundown. You won't be disappointed!




                               

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Posted in: bar,Cafe,Centre of Athens,Garden,Monastiraki,taf