Krasopoulio tou Kokkora @ Psyrri

Visited Psyrri after some time. In general trend, Psyrri is in decline and shops tend to close than to open. This time we made a stop at Krasopolio tou Kokorra, one of the older establishments in the area. Although it is in the centre of Psyrri, somehow hidden in a back street, so you need to know where you are heading.

I was interested to try their 10 Euro menu for bread, starter, salad, main and dessert and it was what we ordered. At the start, we were offered one menu with seafood and the other with meat, so we ordered one from each. This is the seafood menu (you can click to enlarge).

But after we placed the order, the waiter came back to tell us he made a mistake and there was not seafood menu on the day. So we ordered to meat courses. How the waiter of small taverna could made such a basic error? It is not clear.

For the 10 Euro menu, the salad is served in individual portions. It was lettuce, shredded cabbage and carrot with honey (and mustard, I guess) dressing.

The vegetables were crunchy, but the dressing was way too sweet and they put too much of it on GH's bowl. I would have preferred normal Greek vinaigrette, meaning olive oil, vinegar and salt directly on the bowl.

Starter was falafels, 3 small pieces per person.

They had some chili in it and were tasty. Regardless of the strangely artificial shape, they tasted like homemade.

One of the main was kotomakalonada. Chicken stewed with tomato and mushroom served on Greek style soft spaghetti. Those who used to Italian al dente spaghetti complain about how Greek ones are over-boiled, but I believe that to eat the spaghetti in Greek way, they need to be much softer than al dente.

They tasted good. But it is a dish difficult to go wrong.

Another main dish was pork steak with balsamico and honey sauce.

Two very thin pieces of pork (neck, I guess) were served with half Arabic pita and fried potatoes. Acceptable as a part of 10 Euro menu.

For this particular menu, you do not enjoy the abundance of food, but you get reasonably full combining bread and wine.

Dessert (included in the menu, but in many tavernas in Greeks, these stuff are served free) was semolina halvas with chocolate, which tasted like chocolate pudding.

And a small glass of sweet spicy wine on the house.

Together with half a kilo of wine (5 Euro), the bill was 25 Euro. The receipt was shown to us, but then taken back to inside, supposedly to use for other customers.

My personal conclusion was that I would prefer to pay 10 Euro more to eat better (even at the same place), but when the budget is limited, it is a good thing that you can control how much you are paying. (The truth is that I knew already my conclusion more or less from the start, but I did not feel hungry and did not want to spend much and then not to be able to eat).

As the food was not bad, we could have go back to try a la carte, but as they did not give us the receipt, now probably we won't go back. GH and I are both salaried employees of private sector and we do need to collect all the receipts to be able to get tax return. Not in a mood to help others to avoid tax.

To Krasopoulio to Kokkora
Karaiskaki and Aisopou 4, Psyrri, Athens
Tel. 210 3211051

ΤΟ ΚΡΑΣΟΠΟΥΛΙΟ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΚΟΡΑ
Καραϊσκάκη & Αισώπου 4, Ψυρρή



Before arriving at Krasopoulio for dinner at 8, GH wanted have a coffee and we looked for cafeteria.

Strangely he started to complain the coffees were too expensive (he usually do not mind pay quite a lot at cafeterias) and we left from the 2 first cafeterias we were seated.

So I took him to Via Calma in Kalamiotou Street 16, just in front of excellent Melilotos restaurant. I knew the place because the owner guy made "friends" with me on Foursquare.

Here frappe costs 2 Euro, Freddo Cappuccino 2.80 and Cold Chocolate (in the photo) is also 2.80. Might be the best deal you can get from a cafeteria at the heart of Athens. Recommended.