Overview: ATENO Prepare dinner & Deli, Athens, Greece

Within the ancient commerial district of Athens, ATENO Prepare dinner & Deli celebrates the best Greek produce. Housed in a nineteenth Century development on Aiolou Side road, a central artery in Athens for hundreds of years. this all-day restaurant-cum-deli embodies the revival of trade and social existence within the space. Devoted to Greek delicacies, ATENO showcases top rate produce sourced from everywhere Greece after a few years of meals scouting.

The menu is in accordance with this produce, which may be in the stores within the delicatessan. Whether or not you might be in search of a novel salumeria, or the best honey, otherwise you’re craving for normal Santorini fava, this deli provides a carefully-curated number of merchandise famend for his or her flavour and dietary price, every telling their very own distinctive starting place tale, and intently decided on for exactly that explanation why.

ATENO, symbolised through a symbol that creatively merges Doric columns right into a fork formation, is the brainchild of Spyros Liakos, one of the most founding Cooks at Cookoovaya and Proprietor of the acclaimed Travolta eating place. Having been warmly greeted like previous buddies, we’re proven to an outoor desk – a super spot for people-watching and soaking within the colourful boulevard lifetime of Athens, whilst expecting the meal that lies forward.

The meals

The primary dish to reach is a chilly meat platter that resembles extra of a tower. The entire meats at ATENO are sourced from historical Greek breeds just like the black pig, and coupled with the best Greek wines from their cellar.

A well-liked dish loved in lots of Greek houses is lentils with feta and tomato. At ATENO, the natural Beluga lentils with a tomato paste pesto and feta croquettes, flavoured with an orange French dressing, are an excellent take in this vintage. Legumes had been a cornerstone of the Greek Mediterranean vitamin since precedent days and, with dishes like this, it’s simple to know why.

The showstopper is ATENO’s novel take at the vintage Greek salad. This indispensable part of each and every standard lunch or dinner in Greece has a pleasing new twist – a crammed tomato, with a cucumber broth, Cretan barley rusks and an indulgent feta cream, accompanied with fermented bread toasted on coal.

Click on at the video to observe the magic spread…

To fulfill our pescatarian son, we additionally loved sharing a novel tackle moussaka – a shrimp crammed aubergine with onion and béchamel, crowned with Parmesan crisps.

We unanimously agreed that the chickpeas with Bacalhau fish served in a crust of lemon leaves, rosemary and a lemon cream used to be a triumph – a harmonious mix of earthy, salty, citrusy and natural flavors with a deliciously creamy and relatively tangy end.

The authentically-Greek lamb fricasse with soft lamb, seasonal vegetables and a celery root cream used to be a wealthy and similarly well-rounded dish, complemented through the sophisticated sweetness of the cream sauce.

At this level within the night time, the Chef (extra on him later) kindly got here out to fulfill us, and we mentioned how a lot we’d be taking part in the meal. We had been persuaded to check out a few the muffins between us. I’m now not in most cases a large one for puddings however the ekmek tsoureki – a well-liked Greek dessert – crowned with a Madagascan vanilla cream and black cherries served with kaimaki ice cream, used to be a pleasing mix of candy, creamy and relatively spiced flavours.

In a similar way, the butterscotch ‘halvas’ with cinnamon ice cream crowned with a tahini halva cream froth felt similarly decadent.

The chef

Chef Nikos Karathanos grew up in Athens and honed his craft on the Le Monde Institute. He received his first Michelin Celebrity on the age of simply 27, making him the youngest Greek ever to reach this honour. He has labored in many alternative eating places, along one of the vital global’s perfect cooks: Jérome Serres, Lefteris Lazarou, Apostolos Trastelis and Nickos Skrempos. At the first flooring of ATENO, you’ll be able to see into his kitchen and veryquickly getting a way of his pastime and boundless power for his culinary artistry.

The atmosphere

The power at ATENO Prepare dinner & Deli is palpable. From the nice and cozy welcome to the ingenious aptitude within the dishes, to the bustling boulevard and the thriving deli counters, each and every side exudes an infectious liveliness, making this new up-and-coming venue actually stand out. The at ease nature of the out of doors seating, along a full of life pedestrianised boulevard, extends inside of the place the deli counters, weighted down with an array of unpolluted, artisanal merchandise, act as a point of interest. ATENO captures the essence of recent Athens – dynamic, various, and energetic – but offering an inviting, leisurely area the place food-lovers can savour ingenious delicacies in a trendy and colourful setting. Further indoor seating at the first flooring, with regards to the kitchen, is to be had for the ones uncommon events when the elements is much less beneficial.

The fee

A lot of chilly meats is to be had, priced between €9 and €13; cheeses vary from €6 to €12 while dips are introduced at €6 to €8. For one thing extra considerable, vegetarian dishes vary from €11 to €24, whilst meat dishes are priced from €12 to €33, the latter being for the sirloin steak with a truffle mash and mushroom cream sauce, crowned with mushrooms marinated in elderly Corinth vinegar. Truffles are priced at €9 and €10.

Produce may be in fact in the stores within the deli.

The overall verdict

ATENO Prepare dinner & Deli is a distinct to find, and an excellent instance of ‘bistronomy’ – the at ease atmosphere of a bistro fused with the gastronomy of a novel Greek eating revel in, completely balancing an informal surroundings with culinary excellence.

Whether or not you’re there for dinner, swinging through for a espresso, grabbing a sandwich made with the most efficient Greek salami, or searching for high quality produce for a meal again house, ATENO can cater for your entire wishes. The seek for the best merchandise everywhere Greece has already been performed for you, and delivered to Aiolou Side road. All that is still is so that you can talk over with.

Disclosure: This submit is backed through Ateno Prepare dinner & Deli.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxurious Trip Weblog and has labored within the shuttle trade for greater than 30 years. He’s Winner of the Inventions in Trip ‘Best possible Trip Influencer’ Award from WIRED mag. Along with different awards, the weblog has additionally been voted “one of the most global’s perfect shuttle blogs” and “perfect for luxurious” through The Telegraph.