Chez Michel @ Kolonaki

One Sunday in February, we visited the Museum of Cycladic Art. Although small by European standard, it is a fantastic museum and you should visit you have never been to. Besides the Cycladic sculptures, it has a floor dedicated to Cypriot Antiquities, which is quite interesting. It hosts also temporary exhibitions, too. When we visited, an exhibition about the Ancient medicine and health was on.

After a couple of hours in the museum, we felt tired and decided to have a late lunch at a nearby cafe called Chez Michel (after, of course, checking Foursquare).

It is a relatively small place, with some tables outside and more inside. It is in a French cafe style, in a sense that tables are small and chairs are close to each other.

It looks like a cafe-bar and indeed serves cafe food like sandwiches and salads, but it has also dishes of normal restaurants, like risotto, pasta, and steaks. We ordered one sandwich and one pasta to see what they could do.

Although we ordered a sandwich, our waitress brought us a basket of bread and dip without asking us. It cost only 1 Euro, but they could have asked us, as not everyone eat bread together with sandwich or pasta.

I wanted to order a sandwich with bagel, but to my disappointment, the waitress told me that they didn't serve bagels on Sundays. I ordered a baguette sandwich with turkey ham instead (4.50 Euro).

It was beautifully served and tasted all right, although I would have preferred the bread to be reheated.

GH ordered a plate of penne with prosciutto (10.50 Euro).

The penne were egg pasta (similar to the ones that we recently ate at Pizzeria dei Fratelli in Nea Smyrni) and nicely boiled. GH first complained that it wasn't enough salted, but then understood that it was meant to be eaten with ham which was quite salty. Expensive, but it was a good dish.

Together with 2 bottled of coca cola (3 Euro x 2), the total bill came to 22 Euro. Not cheap as a light lunch at a cafe, but taking into consideration the quality, location, and environment, we did not feel over-charged after all.

They had some cakes that looked good and we would return to try them.

CHEZ MICHEL
Irodotou 15, Kolonaki, 10674 Athens
Ηροδότου 15, Κολωνάκι, 10674 Αθήνα
Tel. 215 551 0090
http://chezmichel.gr/

Thissio View @ Thissio

I do not remember exactly when, but GH and I went to Thissio View for a coffee.

Thissio View (or Θέα Θησείο) is a cafe restaurant on Apostolou Street, just next to Chocolat and Athenaion Politeia.

It wasn't the first time to be there, but it was the first time on the roof top.

It has a really good view to Acropolis, Agora, and Lycabettus Hill.

I do not remember exactly how much we paid for coffee. It was expensive, but not more expensive than at other nice cafes in the area, so it should have been around 4 Euro.

I ordered waffle. I should have told them I wanted vanilla ice cream, though. Again, I do not remember how much it was, but should be 6 or 6.50 Euro.

The best section on the terrace is reserved for restaurant. I checked the menu and it was expensive. But, again, it is not as expensive as, say at Dionysos.

If you order 1 salad, 2 burgers and 2 beers, you can get away with 50 Euro, I guess. They have the menu on their website, so if you are interested, check it out.

The service wasn't professional and the waiters were oblivious and inattentive. But, here you come for the view and not for service or even for gourmet experience, so it is fine, as well. However, if you are coming here for food, it is strongly recommended to reserve a good table with the best view.

Thissio View
Apostolou Pavlou 25 & Agias Marinas, Thisio, Athens
Αποστόλου Παύλου 25 & Αγίας Μαρίνης, Θησείο
Tel. +30-210 3476754
http://www.thissioview.gr/

Falafellas & Harvest @ Aiolou Street, Central Athens

This happened in July when we had just started our 2 week vacation. Just to understand that we did not have to go to work, we went to Athens instead around noon. There were not much people in Thiseio. It is refreshing to see something different from our usual.

We looked around shops if there was anything worth buying, as the sale period had just started, but we did not find any.

Then went to Falafellas in Aeolou Street for snacking. Actually it was my main objective to this trip to Athens. It is a small shop which sells falafel wraps and is so popular that there is always a queue. However, when we visited, it was a bit before 1 o'clock and the waiting time was really minimum. I ordered a big wrap for 3.50 Euro with extra fresh chili (without extra charge). There is also a smaller version for 2.50 Euro.

My falafel wrap in making. They put 3 or 4 falafels together with fried aubergines, tomato, lettuce, tahini and yogurt. Because falafels and aurbergines are deepfried, it is quite filling, even though it is vegetarian.

This is my big falafel wrap.

Inside.

I shared this with GH and we both agreed it was quite good. The falafels happened not to be hot and it was a shame. But still, it was an interesting snack which is a bit different.

FALAFELLAS
Aiolou 51, 10551, Athens, Greece
Αιόλου 51, 10551, Αθήνα
Tel. 210 323 9809
http://falafellas.gr/


After that, we went to Harvest for a coffee. It is another shop which is so popular that we do not find space usually. But because it was still 1 o'clock, there were empty tables.

They serve food as well, but this time we settled only for coffee and ryzogalo (rice pudding). This is my cold flat white, i.e. cold milk and espresso. The taste of coffee was really good, similar to the one I had at TAF in Exarchia.

Ryzogalo was also good, but some of the grains were not enough cooked.

Flat white and Cappuccino freddo were both 3.20 Euro and Ryzogalo was 2.50 Euro, cheaper than at high-end cafe in central Athens.

HARVEST COFFEE & WINE
Aiolou 64 (at the corner of Evripidou), 10559, Athens, Greece
Αιόλου 64 & Ευριπίδου, 10559, Αθήνα
Tel. 213 025 2284

Both of the shops were worth the renown and I am glad to have visited them. I would go again if they are not so crowded.

Momo @ Kallithea

I am officially on summer vacation and don't have to go to work for 2 weeks. How nice. I feel thankful to the company I work for, even though its their legal obligation to give employees days-off.

By the way, yesterday, the 20th July Sunday, was the first Sunday from the start of the summer sales season. On such Sundays, the shops are allowed to open for trade (and you might also know that there is a controversial pilote plan that might allows the shops to open as many Sundays as they want). GH and I went to Kallithea for window shopping.

Not all the shops were open, though. Probably some chose to be remain closed because many Athenians were out for beaches.

After window & non window shopping, we went to a cafeteria near Kyprou Square called Momo. I had found the place on Foursquare; it is highly rated and the food in the photos looked good.

As all the other cafeterias in Kyprou Square, Momo has tables there (in the square I mean), but it also has a yard just behind. It is like a small garden or park. It was surprisingly peaceful in the heart of busy Kallithea. GH complained about a strange smell, but I am pretty sure it was from plant food. The interior space is also attractive, but the Greeks tend to want to be seated outside.

Momo is a cafeteria which offers various handmade food like warm sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, burgers, and cakes. And a good variety of them. Here is a sample of sandwich section.

GH ordered Pasta salad (4.80 Euro). It was cold ring shaped pasta (like very small ditali) mixed with chopped vegetables and bacon and combined with mayonnaise. To be honest, I did not like it. It was too oily for me and the pasta was slightly stale, but GH seemed to like it enough.

I ordered grilled sandwich with roast beef and mushroom (4.80 Euro).

This was much better. When I read roast beef, I expected cold cuts, and then it turned out to be braised veal. It was a disappointment, but not a bad filling as it was. The bread was country style sour bread. Although I would have preferred non-sour bread, it was better than anemic white bread. The portion was huge. We could well have shared one plate between us.

The food might have not been a top notch, but it was a big step forward from usual cafeteria food. And I welcome the fact that Athens in crisis has more eating option than, say, 5 years ago.

We will be back to try other dishes.

MOMO
Sapfous 96, Kallithea, Athens
Σαπφούς 96, Καλλιθέα, Αθήνα
210 9562300

The Albion & Gaspar @ Neo Psychiko

Last Sunday, I was a bit sick because of the unseasonable cold that I had caught while I was sleeping. Not wanting to move much, we took a car and went to Neo Psychiko to try a place popular on Foursquare: The Albion.

It is a restaurant, but serves also coffee and on Sundays also brunch (from 11 to 16 o'clock).

This is how it looks like from outside.

It has an indoor space, but it looks that it works exclusively in the yard during the summer. The indoor space was totally empty; there were not even tables and chairs.

The yard is very pleasant and peaceful. There were lots of people with babies. If you come in a group on Sundays, I guess it is better to book a table.

We saw both the brunch menu (below) and the regular menu. The regular menu is mainly Italian (pasta, pizza, main course etc.) and very expensive. Any pasta or pizza costs 10 Euro and up. One beer costs 6 or 7 Euro. On the other hand, the brunch menu is reasonable. A sandwich costs 6 to 8 Euro, pancakes from 5 to 6 Euro. More or less the same price at any high-end cafe in Athens.

I ordered one chicken burrito. The tortilla was toasted and nicely crispy.

GH ordered beef and cheese sandwich. It was also good, but GH regretted his choice because it had too much horse radish, which he does not like. It was, however, his fault, as he had read on the menu that it contained with horse radish. I guess you can ask the waiter to skip it, if you do not like it.

The difference from the normal cafes was that we were charged for bottled water, 3 Euro. I am not sure if one bottle cost 3 Euro, or they just charge 1.50 Euro flat per person. So we paid 20 Euro including tip. We thought we paid a fair price, because the environment was very pleasant and the service was good, too.

The Albion
Omirou 6, Neo Psychiko, Athens
Tel. 210 674 0710

We could have taken coffee at the Albion, but once we were in Neo Psychiko, we decided to explore another venue, too: Gaspar.

It is less than 10 minutes walk from The Albion. When I saw the building, I remembered to have been in the area before.

The environment is totally different from The Albion. It is more like Gazi College. It serves both food and drink.

As we have already eaten, we ordered only drink. We could have ordered desserts, but the price was so high that I was not sure if it was worth it.

I tried to order a homemade soft drink with stevia, but the waitress told me that there wasn't. She recommended to order flavoured cold tea instead because it was more or less the same thing. I did not believe her and ordered an espresso. GH ordered a freddo cappuccino, cost 4.50 Euro.

There was really nothing special about this place, at least as a cafe. Maybe it is different in the night, as a club. It was a total disappointment.

Gaspar
Leoforos Dimitriou Vasiliou & Lykourgou, Neo Psychiko
Tel. 210 677 5011

Kokkini Svoura @ Halandri

Went to a cafeteria called Kokkini Svoura in Halandri. Evidently it is a very popular cafeteria in Athens and Foursquare keeps on suggesting it to me. :)

It faces on a rather quiet street and does not have a large glass wall. It looks like a house converted into a cafeteria. You might miss it, if you are not looking for it.

The indoor space is cozy and relatively small. We could not find a table except for one which was for 8 pax which we should have had to share with others, so we seated outside. The outdoor space is also limited. I think there are only 10 tables or so. We got a table next to a stove and did not feel cold.

It offers coffee, tea, smoothies, juice, drinks with alcohol as well as snacks (sandwiches and tapas). GH was undecided between handmade lemonade or sour cherry drink and coffee, but in the end he chose a single cappuccino. I got a filtered coffee. The menu says that they use a single estate, organic coffee beans from Peru.

We ordered also ciabatta club sandwich (6.80 Euro). We shared a plate between 2 of us, but it is supposed to be one portion.

It was neither ciabatta nor club sandwich by definition, but was filling and tasty. There were chicken, bacon, tomato, lettuce and mustard sauce. According to the menu, the bread was handmade and it looked to be so. The potatoes were a bit undercooked inside and burnt outside (probably the temperature of the oil was too high.

The toilet was well-cared and, in addition to usual hand paper towels and soap, there were also hand cream and wet napkin for babies.

It is not often that I find so much care and attention to details in cafeterias in Athens. No doubt, it is the secret of success of this small and cozy cafeteria.

Kokkini Svoura - Κόκκινη Σβούρα
17 Ag. Georgiou St., 152 34 Halandri, Greece
Tel. (+30) 211 012 5454

Taf coffee @ Omonia-Exarchia

Visited yesterday Taf coffee in Omonia area. It is really a small outlet in comparison to the fame it has.

Taf is reputed to serve the best coffee in town and a cup of cappuccino costs only 2.20 Euro (and a bit more for special varieties). You might say that what is the best depends on everyone's taste and I do agree with you, but in this case there is some foundation to the claim; that Taf is not just a cafeteria, but also a coffee producer and whole-seller. If you are interested, go and dig in their website for more info.

You might have seen the logo elsewhere in Athens. It is because their coffees are being sold at other cafeterias.

We had cappuccino and it was indeed good.

Another of the coffee lovers' cult-centers is Tailor Made in Platia Agias Irinis, but it is often so full that you cannot find anywhere to sit down (it is because Tailor Made attracts even those who not interested in coffee). Taf instead is much more low-key and better for those who want to enjoy one's coffee more quietly. Note, however, that the indoor space is very limited.

Taf Coffee
Emmanouil Benaki 7-9, Omonia, Athens
Εμμανουήλ Μπενάκη 7-9, Αθήνα
Tel. 210 3800014
http://www.cafetaf.gr/
Closed on Sundays and Saturdays until afternoon. 

Zafiro @ Attiko Alsos, Athens

To avoid the heat of the empty Athens, we went to Attiko Alsos, also known as Alsos Galatziou. We have never been here before.

Just before arriving at the park, we saw many Ethiopians evidently coming out from the church. I knew that there is an Ethiopian community in Patission area, but not this one. Impressed. I hope they too open a restaurant; I love Ethiopian food.

Anyway, Attiko Alsos is a park that occupies a hill in Galatzi area and there are lots of trees.

Inside the park, there is small football court and some playing tools for children. It seems to be an ideal place for a family picnic.

What do you think this box is?

This is supposed to contain bags for dog-droppings. There are many of these in the park. Ok. All are empty and, considering the current economic climate, there is very little chance for these to be refilled, but I have never seen such an attempt in Athens and surprised.

There are some points in the park where you can command panorama of Athens. In the photo below, you can see Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis.

Just in front of the cinema "Theo Aggelopoulos", there is a cafeteria called Zafiro.

There is a good view of Athens. The prices are rather expensive, if not exorbitant. It serves mezedes after 7 o'clock in the evening. The prices of mezedes looks all right, maybe to balance that of the drinks.

I asked a diet coke. To our surprise, the waiter told us they don't serve either Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola. What they have is Epsa Cola (3.60 Euro).

We ordered also a club sandwich.

It contained poor quality ham, cheese, boiled chicken breast, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. Very average, if not under average. The fried potatoes were fresh, but undercooked. Price 8.60 Euro.

The place is supposed to have WiFi, but when we asked the waiter the password, he told us that he did not know and he did not want to ask the other staff because nobody knew it. How strange.

We want to go back for a light meal in the evening without expecting great food or great service. Just for the view.

Cappuccino @ Tailor Made

Today is Saint Eirene's day. Probably you don't know but my Christian name is Eirene Aimilia.

That is why we came to Saint Eirene's Church to light a candle.

And we are at Taylor Made in Saint Eirene's Square for a cappuccino (3 Euro only) and a juice. Nice.

http://www.tailormade.gr/en/

New @ Sytagma-Plaka

About two weeks ago, Hubby & I visited a new place on Filellinon Street called New.



I had an impression it was a cafeteria, but I was wrong. It was actually a restaurant/bar attached to a new hotel called, again, New. If you are an Athenian, you might understand if I say that it used to be Olympic Palace Hotel.

However, being a hotel lounge, there are also a few tables for coffee only customers. So, we were asked if we had an appointment with somebody.



We were given 3 or 4 menus. 1 is for food (and maybe there is another one for lunch), bar menu, and coffee/tea menu. Of course I checked the food menu, although we have just eaten lunch elsewhere and there was no way we could eat. The prices are of "restaurant" class. I would first try more accessible lunch menu, and only if I like it, I would try also the restaurant menu.

We ordered 1 filtered coffee and 1 cappuccino. Water was from a bottle.



For cappuccino, I could choose organic or Neapolitan (it had another name, but do not remember now). As the waitress said that the latter is stronger, I took this one. It had a surprisingly strong flavour. Definitely one of the best cappuccino I had I had in Greece.

Hubby had filtered coffee which came in a generous pot.

And together with coffee, we were offered migniardises, as if we were in a top-end restaurant (maybe we were).



Lavender Macaron. Smelled of lavender which reminded me of ... toilet deodorant. Sorry.



These metallic chocolates were really great. As I do not like chocolates in general, but eat only top quality ones, I can discern high quality chocolate pretty easily and I can tell you these were.



Decoration was a bit strange. These "woods" were made from parts from old furniture. I rather liked it.



Toilet was also elegant.



The cappuccino was 5 Euro and the filtered coffee was 4 Euro, and we were charge only 9 Euro. Nothing else.

This is the website of the hotel.
http://newhotel.athenshotels.it/

I would definitely come back to try the food at some point.

And now that I hear that some shops in Filellinon street were damaged by mobs during the recent violent episode on 19-20 October, I am somehow worried if anything happened to this nice place.

*****

A black dog relaxing flatly.