Rififi @ Exarchia

Visited Rififi during a weekday evening.

I have been wanted to visit this place for years now. I happened to pass in front of it and it looked that I would like the food their patrons were eating. I told GH that we should try it, but he has been telling me that Exarchia was an area of high risk.

I don't think I has changed the idea, but one night I managed to convince him, after a coffee at TAF.

It wasn't cold yet and the walk from Akademias was pleasant, though the streets were rather dark for such a central place in Athens.

Here is Rififi.

We arrived there at 19:30. There were two other tables occupied. One was by a young couple and the other was by 2 guys in suits and 1 woman who looked colleagues from a work place. They were at the end of meal and left while we were reading the menu. From that moment, we were the only patrons until 3 girls arrived at around 20:30.

Here is the interior (they have outdoor tables, but it wasn't enough warm, as it was November).

Bread and olives were obligatory order, but the water was from tap.

The menu is fairly long and in addition there are several dishes of the day. I would call the cooking "modern Greek". I liked the fact that they have both meat and fish. You can read it on their website, if you are interested.

Not hugely hungry, we ordered 4 dishes. The first came the salad. They offer salad in two sizes - small and normal - and this is a smaller version of winder salad. It is fine for 1 person, or as a side dish for 2 persons. Due to dry bread and cheese, it was pretty filling.

These are burgers from mushrooms and lentils.

Being a mushroom lover, I liked this dish quite a lot.

These are maroulokeftedes (minced meat and rice balls wrapped in lettuce leaves) with egg and lemon sauce, which was one of the dishes of the day.

This was the first time I ate maroulodormades of which I have heard several times. Lettuce leaves being much thinner than cabbage leaves, I did not understand much the taste of lettuce, but they were cooked quite well.

This is pork stewed with tomato jam, served with mashed potato, again from the "Dishes of the day".

To my taste, the pork was too dry, as it often happens with lean cut of pork, but otherwise the sweet sauce went well with the mash and I found it good enough.

At the end masticha liqueur shot on the house.

With a half litre of house red wine, the bill came to 29.10 Euro.

Not cheap, but about right on price-quality balance. Recommended for those who like new Greek cooking.

Rififi - Ριφιφί
Emmanouil Benaki 69 & Valtesiou
Exarchia, Athens, Greece

Εμμανουήλ Μπενάκη 69 & Βαλτετσίου
10681 Αθήνα

Phone: 210-3300237
Delivery: 210-3300238
E-mail: info@rififi-restaurant.gr
http://rififi-restaurant.gr/