a gourmet restaurant missing from thiaki

η φτώχεια θέλει καλοπέραση

Souvenir menus in one’s language of choice are prepared in advance and await the guest at the table…

Focaccia with rosemary and thyme; baguette; dark rye; rye with sunflowerseed; sourdough; sesame roll; pumpkin roll; and poppy seed roll. First, a crusty, soft slice of warm focaccia with rosemary and thyme was served. Then, removing the napkin that lay atop a wooden tray in the table’s centre, a treasure chest of assorted breads was unveiled. Baguette was well-seasoned; pumpkin roll, fluffy; and rye, firm with nutty sunflower seeds. Sourdough lacked acidity, but was spongy; poppy roll was aromatic and earthy; and sesame, just decent. More ithakitian olive oil was offered alongside corfu butter.

Raviolo of smoked salmon with oyster jelly, cucumber and salmon; sea vegetables and char roe. oyster and cucumber, encased in the shellfish’s jelly, came sheathed in a skin of thin smoked salmon with a crest of char roe; pourpier, passe-pierre, green apple julienne, spots of samphire purée and segments of asparagus were precisely scattered in a diagonal across the plate with apple foam resting to one side of the raviolo. The briny-sweet caviar contrasted with the subtly woody salmon whilst the creamy gelée within held elemental oyster and succulent cucumber. The fresh greens added juicy crispness and fruity froth, a little tartness.

A tian of marinated crab tartare, overlaid with bright yet lucent dashi jelly, scattered with shiso and spiked with triangular seaweed tuile, sat within a vibrant mere of watermelon water and besides the fruit’s sorbet. Arranged about the tower, grilled melon diamonds, individual drops of Japanese mayo, pesto and kalamansi plus a rough ring of its powder, formed a colourful frame. The tender, lacy white meat of the crab was excellent; its slight sweetness emphasised by the watermelon. The light, but flavourful dashi was an effective counterpoint as was the barely bitter shiso. Mayonnaise, made with mirin (sweet rice wine) and a little sake, had moussy, spicy warmth whilst the kalamansi – a tangerine/kumquat cross much like a lime – had been allowed to age (and turn orange), becoming sweetly sour.

Separately, a second rendition of crab came mixed with shiso, wrapped in kadayif pastry before being deep-fried. Crusty and clean, the little vermicelli-like threads around the bundle had been impressively cooked; the shellfish inside melted in the mouth. More of the mayo supplied pleasant piquancy.

The principal plate proffered first-rate tuna, firm, sinew-less and robust in taste. The textural comparison of the cucumber brunoise beneath was very agreeable as was the strength of the soy-citrus froth.

The tenderness of the slowly-cooked abalone strips and perkiness of the kimizu – almost a Japanese hollandaise comprising rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy, dashi and karashi (mustard with horseradish) mixed with egg yolks – stood out amidst these crunchy, pickled greens that included carrot, daikon, negi and Japanese potato.

The notably greaseless and still moist greens – asparagus, broccoli, baby leek, crosnes, enoki – were all fried very ably, however for me, they really were rather extraneous: the solitary and simple plate of beef and aubergine by itself was sufficient to suffice as the climatic main course.