High Class Meat in a not so High Class Area

                   

        

                                This last Sunday, a group of us fancied some meat, and since we were in the area for a friend's dance performance, decided to visit a specific souvlaki-place (or "souvlatzidiko" as they're called in Greek) nearby, in Aegaleo.

 


                                               

       MAM-MAM is a grill, first opened in 1970. After a slightly downhill period in the 90's and about a year and a half of restoration, the "pride and joy of Aegaleo", as they called it, is now up and running again and I was keen to test if it would live up to all the hype.

                                        

   As we arrived, what struck us was the actual look of the place. It seemed very different to your average souvlatzidiko. Right smack-on Iera Odos, a modern little spot, but with nice warm colours and lighting and a cosy atmosphere. The waiters were ever so sweet and friendly too (weird for Greeks, lol). After managing to sit down (there were 15 of us after all and it wasn't exactly empty on a Sunday night), we noticed each place mat (taken from a cute little pull-out drawer on each table, along with the cutlery) had it's own particular photo, from artistically taken snapshots of beer mugs, to selections of meat and cheese.

    

                                       

Rocket Salad

To start off our Symposium (for that is what it eventually turned into!), we ordered a bunch of salads and appetizers (or "orektika"). To say I was thouroughly impressed would be an understatement of grave proportions I think. The Cretan Salad, to begin with, along with the Greek ("Choriatiki") Salad were both very tasty, with good quality crumbled feta cheese (always a key point with me), olives and vegetables. The best one though, and this in a souvlatzidiko (!), was the Rocket Salad, with parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes and a tangy, honey-laced dressing. Gorgeous!

 

Bourekakia pastourma

After the salads came the appetizers. In a word: phenomenal. We had mini fried cheese balls, along with the green chilli-packed variety (SPICY BABY!), "flogeres" (="flutes") of crispy pastry with a carbonara-like filling of cheese & smoked pork, and last, but not least, bourekakia with pastrami. The spicy pastrami was nestled in soft layerings of pastry and covered in a crispy fyllo. Suffice it to say I hogged as many as I could from the hord around me (and then felt sick).

Mini fried cheese balls (Beautiful, melt-in-the-mouth center, with a hard, crispy outer shell)

                                        

Flogeres or Flutes

Classic Pork Souvlaki

Chicken wrapped in bacon

Alright, enough already with the side-dishes! Where's the meat you promised? Yes, well we tried a bit of everything really. Lamb kebab, pork and chicken souvlaki, juicy chicken wrapped in crispy bacon and grilled on skewers ("koto-bacon"), schnitzel, bifteki (hamburger) and my personal favourite: kleftiko (pork or chicken fillet pounded flat and then rolled up with layers of bacon, cheese, peppers and tomatoes, in that order, and held together by lamb intestine fat (don't squeam please! It's considered a delicacy) to keep it moist. The result? Divine!) All were particularly tasty and tender, as they should be. What's more, we found out all the souvlakia, biftekia, kebab and especially the gyros were hand-made on the premises, something I haven't found before in Athens. That would explain all the lean meat. You see, your average gyros is pretty poor quality pork or chicken, bashed about in a huge barrel for ages, while being shaken up with water, resulting in a plump, but fatty, mixture, which most people mistake for quality taste. No, this stuff was top-notch.

 

Pork Kleftiko

                                          So, what's the verdict? (Oh, come on, I think you know). I'd say with an almost gourmet selection of appetizers and salads, yet also good quality meats, which (let's face it) is really what you want from a grill-place, MAM-MAM goes much further than expected of any souvlatzidiko and ceratinly does not fail to impress. Bravo!

In a nutshell:

• Do you get your money's worth?: Yep. Average souvlaki-place prices. (ie around about 2euros for                                                          a gyros-,souvlaki-,kebab-,etc,-wrap, 7euros for a portion, blah                                                          blah blah.)
• Is it worth it?: Well, I'd say so. What's more, it's right next to the Aegaleo (Αιγάλεω) metro station                          which makes access super easy. 
• Will I go again?: Definitely! Duh! I still have half a menu to try! :) 

The menu (for your drooling pleasure)

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Posted in: Aigaleo,MAM MAM,Restaurant,Souvlaki,Street Food

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

Pasta H(e)aven / Ο Παράδεισος των Μακαρονάδων!

                              
(Για Ελληνικά, κυλήστε απαλά και όμορφα το ποντίκι κάτω! Κι άλλο! Πιο κάτω απ'το χάρτη!)
 
                                       One of my favourite places to head for for a good meal is La Pasteria. Although it is quite well-known to the pasta-loving Athenian, I still wanted to write my own piece on it, given I am not just a pasta-lover but a fanatic (and visit La Pasteria at least once every 2 weeks).

Located in Kolonaki, Glyfada, Kifisia, Ambelokipi, The Mall in Marousi, Athens Metro Mall and other places, La Pasteria is, as you might have guessed, a chain of restaurants. Although, that by no means makes all of them the same. For the best quality and service I

would definitely recommend Kifisia and Kolonaki. Kifisia has that Italian, comforting, rustic, home-y feel to it: red and white check tablecloths, flowers, comfortable wooden chairs and also offers out-door seating (with Kifisia's well-known canine companions underfoot), whereas the Kolonaki restaurant has all the cachet the area commands, and is thus much more "snooty" and formal (btw, all the photos here are from Kolonaki). That having been said, I pesonally prefer the one in Kolonaki since it has 3 storeys and a glass separator allowing you to see the chefs as they set the place on fire. You should at all costs, though, avoid the one in The Mall. Appalling service and the food upset our stomachs.

 On to the Food (yeay!)

 

Lasagne

           As a restaurant, of course, La Pasteria is famous for it's pasta dishes. My personal favourites are the Lasagne (the addition of fresh mushrooms makes it oh-so-mouthwateringly-perfect, see right), Penne Basilico e Mozzarella (a fresh tomato sauce with basil and melting cubes of mozzarella, see below), Pesto, Primavera (fresh vegetables and mushrooms doused in white wine, so amazing) and Testarossa (fresh tomato, prosciutto, parmesan and rocket). They do seem to have a lot of cream-based dishes (which I hate), but even I couldn't resist their Carbonara. The smokiness of the bacon infuses the light cream sauce in such a delicate way that you just can't say no.

Carbonara

Penne Con Pollo

Penne Basilico e Mozzarella

          

Ceasar Salad

Their greatness though extends far beyond pasta: great antipasti (try the aubergines filled with mozzarella and parmesan, grilled and gone to heaven on a bed of tomato sauce), their salads are amazing (definitely try the Cesar Salad Con Pollo, the best I've had so far) and so are their seafood and meat selections (Scaloppine Piccata, trust me).

Scaloppine Piccata

                                                                            
                                                                                And of course, where would a good Italian restaurant be without it's desserts? Favourites: Warm Brownies with Ice Cream (not very Italian admittedly) and Gelato. What makes the Gelato so special is the hot milk chocolate poured from a traditional little tin coffee pot, so that it freezes immediately on contact with the icecream making a delicious, thin chocolate coating. Like biting into an icecream filled chocolate. Amazing!

Gelato

                           
                   
                             So to sum up, even though La Pasteria isn't the only Italian place available in Athens and it is a little bit pricey, if you play it smart with their offers (see below) it is definitely worth the experience. P.S. If you take your girlfriend/fiancée, I can guarrantee she'll love it. Very romantic! After all, it's Italian. ;)



Special Offers

• Week Days: Student menu (you have to ask for it, they're quite sneaky about the whole thing): a pasta dish from a selection of 5 of their most famous ones + a salad or dessert + a beverage = 12euros

• All Days: Special 15 or 17euro menus (you'll find them stuck on the front of the normal menu) offering: salad + pasta dish (from a selection of 3, different to the student menu selection) + dessert (gelato or pannacotta, I think) + an espresso for after dinner.

 
In a nutshell

• Do you get your money's worth?: Yes, I'd say so. Expect a bill of 15-20euros per person. Though if you take advantage of the special offers you can get away with a lot less.

• Is it worth it?: Definitely. If you like Italian cuisine, go for it.

• Will I go again?: I think we've established I go there quite a lot. :)

 

(For more information, visit their website http://www.lapasteria.gr/)

Προβολή La Pasteria (Kolonaki) σε χάρτη μεγαλύτερου μεγέθους

                                         

                          Ένα από τα πραγματικά στέκια μου (με την έννοια ότι προσπαθώ να το επισκέπτομαι τουλάχιστον μία ή δύο φορές το μήνα) είναι το Λα Παστερία. Μπορεί να’ναι γνωστό στους Αθηναίους λάτρεις της μακαρονάδας, αλλά ήθελα να γράψω κι εγώ ένα άρθρο γι’αυτό δεδομένου ότι είμαι όχι απλά φαν, αλλά τρελή για δέσιμο αναφορικά με τα μακαρόνια!

  

Τα Λα Παστερία είναι αλυσίδα, για όσους δεν το ξέρουν, με μαγαζιά σε Κολωνάκι, Γλυφάδα, Κηφισιά, Αμπελοκήπους, «The Mall» στο Μαρούσι, «Athens Metro Mall» στον Άγιο Ιωάννη, αλλά και αλλού. Παρότι είναι αλυσίδα, ωστόσο, δε σημαίνει ότι όλα τα καταστήματα είναι το ίδιο. Για την καλύτερη εξυπηρέτηση και ποιότητα προτείνω της Κηφισιάς και του Κολωνακίου. Στην Κηφισιά έχει αυτή τη σπιτική Ιταλική αίσθηση, με τα καρό κόκκινα και λευκά τραπεζομάντηλα, πολύ ξύλο, και μπορείς να κάτσεις και έξω όταν έχει καλό καιρό (παρέα με τα γλυκούλικα σκυλάκια της περιοχής), ενώ στο Κολωνάκι, όπως θα περίμενε κανείς, είναι πολύ πιο «κυριλέ» η κατάσταση και πιο επίσημο το μέρος (οι φωτογραφίες εδώ, παρεμπιπτόντως, είναι όλες από Κολωνάκι). Παρ’όλ’αυτά, προσωπικά προτιμώ το μαγαζί στο Κολωνάκι, εξαιτίας του γυάλινου διαχωριστικού που επιτρέπει να βλέπεις τους σεφ καθώς κάνουν τα… «μαγικά» τους! Πάντως, δε θα πρότεινα αυτό στο Mall… Μας απογοήτευσε τόσο η ποιότητα όσο και το σέρβις πολλαπλές φορές.

Το Φαϊ!

Λαζάνια

Φυσικά, τα La Pasteria φημίζονται για τις μακαρονάδες τους. Τα αγαπημένα μου είναι πολλά, αλλά θα αρκεστώ εδώ στα Λαζάνια (βάζουν και φρέσκα μανιτάρια, το κάνει πρωτότυπο και απίστευτα γευστικό), Penne Basilico e Mozzarella (το παίρνω σχεδόν κάθε φορά, πένες με σάλτσα φρέσκιας ντομάτας, βασιλικό και κυβάκια φρέσκιας μοτσαρέλας που λιώνουν αργά μες στη σάλτσα καθώς

τρως.. Μούρλια!), Pesto (δες και αυτό), Primavera (φρέσκα λαχανικά και μανιτάρια με λευκό κρασί, πολύ καλό) και Testarossa (φρέσκια ντομάτα, προσούτο, παρμεζάνα και ρόκα). Έχουν, επίσης, πολλές σάλτσες με βάση την κρέμα, που εμένα δε μ’αρέσει, αλλά ακόμα κι εγώ δεν μπόρεσα να αντισταθώ στην Καρμπονάρα τους! Η ελαφριά σάλτσα αρωματίζεται από καπνιστό μπέικον με τόσο αισθησιακό τρόπο που είναι αδύνατο να πεις όχι.

Καρμπονάρα

Πένες με κοτόπουλο

 

Penne Basilico e Mozzarella

Ceasar Salad

Δεν έχουν, όμως, μόνο καλές μακαρονάδες. Έχουν πολλά περισσότερα: φοβερά ορεκτικά ή αλλιώς antipasti (το πιο απίθανο ήταν οι μελιτζάνες γεμιστές με μοτσαρέλα και παρμεζάνα ψημένες στο γκριλ

με κόκκινη σάλτσα, δοκιμάστε το αν το βρείτε, δεν ξέρω κατά πόσο το προσφέρουν αυτές τις μέρες. Αλλιώς, μανιτάρια με σκόρδο και λάδι, μμμμμ…), σαλάτες, απ’τις καλύτερες που έχω φάει ποτέ (πάρτε οπωσδήποτε τη Cesar Salad Con Pollo), αλλά και πιάτα κρεατικών και θαλασσινών (προτείνω ανεπιφύλαχτα το Scaloppine Piccata). Και φυσικά, ποιο καλό ιταλικό εστιατόριο δεν προσφέρει πίτσα; Μάλιστα η συγκεκριμένη με την παραδοσιακή λεπτή ιταλική ζύμη.

 

Scaloppine Piccata

Τέλος, έχουν και καλά γλυκά! Ώ ναι! Αγαπημένα; Ζεστά Brownies με παγωτό (εντάξει, ίσως όχι και τόσο αυθεντικά ιταλικό) και Gelato. Όταν παραγγέλνεις gelato σου φέρνουν και ένα μικρό τενεκεδάκι με καυτή σάλτσα σοκολάτας, την οποία χύνεις πάνω στο παγωτό και παγώνει άμεσα, κάνοντας μία λαχταριστή σοκολατένια κρούστα στο παγωτό σου. Σαν μία τέλεια σοκολάτα με γέμιση παγωτό βανίλια!

Gelato

 

Συνοψίζοντας, παρ’όλο που το Λα Παστερία δεν είναι το μόνο ιταλικό στην Αθήνα και είναι και λίγο τσιμπημένο, αν φερθείς έξυπνα και εκμεταλλευτείς τις προσφορές (δες παρακάτω) αξίζει σίγουρα. Υ.Γ. Σαν ιταλικό, είναι και πολύ ρομαντικό, αν πάτε την κοπέλα/αρραβωνιαστικιά σας σίγουρα θα το λατρέψει! ;)

Ειδικές Προσφορές

• Καθημερινές: Φοιτητικά μενού (πρέπει να το ζητήσετε όμως, είναι αρκετά πανούργοι και δεν το προσφέρουν από μόνοι τους ποτέ!): μία μακαρονάδα της επιλογής σας από 5 από τις πιο διάσημές τους + μία σαλάτα ή γλυκό + ένα αναψυκτικό = 12 ευρώ (θα πάει όμως και λίγο παραπάνω με το κουβέρ)

•   Όλη τη βδομάδα: Ειδικά μενού των 12, 15 ή 17 ευρώ (είναι συνήθως κολλημένο σε ξεχωριστό μενού πάνω στο κανονικό): σαλάτα + μακαρονάδα (επιλογή από 3, διαφορετικές όμως από του φοιτητικού μενού) + επιδόρπιο (επιλογή από 2) + ένα εσπρέσο (αλά ιταλικά!) για μετά το φαγητό.

Συνοπτικά

• Τα αξίζει τα Λεφτά του; Προσωπικά, έτσι πιστεύω. Να περιμένετε λογαριασμό στα 15-20 ευρώ το άτομο. Αν εκμεταλλευτείτε, ωστόσο, τις προσφορές θα σας έρθει πολύ φτηνότερα.

• Αξίζει να πάει κανείς; Σίγουρα. Αν σ’αρέσει το ιταλικό φαγητό, όρμα!

• Θα ξαναπήγαινα; Πιστεύω ξεκαθάρισα ήδη ότι πάω αρκετά συχνά..! :)

 (Για ακριβή τοποθεσία στο χάρτη για Κολωνάκι δείτε πιο πάνω! Για παραπάνω πληροφορίες δείτε και την ιστοσελίδα τους: http://www.lapasteria.gr/)

                              

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Posted in: Italian,Kolonaki,La Pasteria,Restaurant

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!




                               

Προβολή Taf σε χάρτη μεγαλύτερου μεγέθους

                                      

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