Moma @ Monastiraki

About a week ago, GH and I visited a cafe-restaurant called Moma in Adrianou Street of Monastiraki.

Adrianou is a long street, which traverses the central Athens stretching from the edge of Plaka to Thissio. Moma is on the Monastiraki side of Adrianou, on the pedestrian walk along the archaeological site of Ancient Agora.

Adrianou is one of the most touristic places of Athens, but different from Plaka, here gathers also many Athenians. (To say the truth, this is not really true, because even in Plaka there are some streets where many Athenians go).

We went to this particular place because it had a high-score on Foursquare (I was curious) and GH did not in the mood of traditional Greek food.

The waiters were welcoming. After the usual discussion with them if GH and I speak and read Greek (because neither of us do not look like Greek), we were seated at one of the outdoor tables and given the menu.

As we told waiters that we were eating, they brought a bottled water. If you are here for drink, they shall bring tap water.

The menu is usual "international", with addition of "Greek dishes" printed on a different menu. As we expected, the prices were rather high; salads about 8 or 9 Euro, main dishes 10- 12.

Here is Greek salad from "Greek dishes" menu. While the salads on the main menu were 8 to 9 as I wrote above, this one (and dakos) were 6.50 Euro.

The plate was huge, but the portion wasn't large. It was passable as a starter while we waited for main courses.

I forgot to mention that the waitress asked if we wanted bread and dip to start with. This is positive, because I am not much of a bread eater. I think it cost 0.80 Euro or so per person, if you wanted it.

This is GH's Peperoni pizza, 11 Euro. On the menu, it was written that in contained "sweet chili". We thought it should be paprika, but turned out to be Chinese sweet chili sauce.

GH was eating it happily, but I found it rather amateurish, as it if it was cooked at home.

I ordered the Today dish, which was written on the black board, but not on the menu. It was pork fillet cooked with lavender and served with pasta (on the black board, it was written that it was served also with grilled manouri cheese, but I did not see any trace of it).

It came in a big quantity and pork fillets cooked with lavender were quite interesting. The pasta was also particular Greek variety. It was a shame that it was chewy; a little bit more of boiling would have helped it.

Anyway, this dish cost only 12 Euro together with a glass of wine. It is a good deal.

Together with a bottle of coke, the total bill came to 34.30 Euro.

All in all, it is a nice place to have a drink or light meal. Adrianou street is terrific for people watching with the background of Stoa of Herodes Attikos and the Thiseion Temple (which really is Hephaisteion). However, for a gastronomic experience, I would look for somewhere else.

Moma
Adrianou 29, Monastiraki, 105 55, Athens
Αδριανού 29, Μοναστηράκι, 105 55, Αθήνα
Tel. 210 3211233
http://momarestaurant.gr/

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/

Midnight Dinner @ Ouzou Melathron

[UPDATE 17 Nov. 2012] The place closed for the summer 2012 promising to come back in autumn, but has never reopened at least until now.

After a concert at Filologikos Syllogos Parnassos, we ended up in searching for a restaurant at 11 in the night at the central Athens last Saturday.

Many shops of central Athens are catered for office/after office population that they close early Saturday afternoon. We could not find anything attractive east side of Monastiraki and, after a half-an-hour search, we settled on Ouzou Melathron in Thissio side of Monastiraki.

We visited this mezedopoleio in March last year.

While many restaurants are empty, Ouzou Melathron was doing pretty well, 70-80% of the tables being occupied. (In this area, besides Ouzou Melathron, also Diodos, Dia Tafta, and Meandros were doing better than the rest and probably it was not casual).

It was too cold to eat outside, so only the indoor tables were available.

The interior was "retro" style.



The menu was printed on a very long and large piece of paper and the handling was awkward. Moreover, most of the dishes are the restaurant's original and the description is humoristic, which makes the consultation frustrating for a hungry customer. But, if you are not that hungry, it would be a fun to read it through.

We ordered 4 dishes.

A salad.



Rocket, manouri cheese, sun-dried tomato, balsamic vinegar dressing, and sliced kourouri (dry-ish bread that the Greeks eat for breakfast or morning snack)! The kourouri was used as a variation of courtons or paksimadia (Greek dried bread) and I found it a good idea.

Tzatziki.



Although most of the dishes here were with some twist, this was a classic tzatziki. Good.

Then main dishes.

Seeing this you would expect that there is meat sauce inside the aubergine, but no. There was stew of small cubed veal and baked with cheese on top. Very nice, though a bit expensive (10.89 Euro).



In the photo, the aubergine looks small, but actually very large. It is this slice of big tomato which plays trick on our eyes.

As I wanted something starchy, I chose something called "Magiko (Magical)".



From the description in the menu, I was not totally sure what to expect but was very satisfied with what was offered. It is a sort of crepe-pie with cheese (feta, yellow cheese, blue cheese and maybe others) and mushroom filling. It was plated on a cash iron pan so that it did not get cold easily.

At the end, we were treated with yogurt with sour cherry compote (glyko tou koutaliou).



With a bottle of water and a bottle of coke, the bill came to 35 Euro circa. Not cheap, but for what we ate, we were happy to pay it.

Will go back with pleasure.

Ouzou Melathron
Agiou Filippou 10 & Astiggos
Monastiraki-Thissio
Athens
Tel. 210 3241 716

Boxing Day Athens

Random photos of Boxing Day Athens.

Down the Iraklidon Street.



Here was still quiet, but getting to the center (i.e. toward Apostolou Pavlou Street), we saw more & more people.

Sparrows.



For some reason, there were many sparrows sitting on the chairs of cafeteria Syn Athina. Can you see them?

And Acropolis.



I wondered why there was nobody in Acropolis (it was still around 2 in the afternoon) & the day after I learnt that it was closed due to the guards' strike. I have heard that the state won't be afford to open the museums and archaeological sites during the weekend, because it cannot pay the guards for weekend duties. Sad. Deeply.

Cats of Ancient Agora site. There are cats here always. There should be people who are feeding them.



Bailaktaris on Monastiraki Square.



Few tables were occupied, because it was very cold this day. There were people indoor eating.

Grafitti 1.



Grafitti 2.



Cat & Cafe-Bistro "Trantzistor".



Very friendly cat, but not so much the waitress. We tried to eat here, but the waitress did not bother to find us a table large enough to eat on (only coffee tables were readily available).

That was why we went to Odos Aischylou in the previous post. :)

Deserted Athens

This year, 15 August is Monday and and even those who do not have a long vacation are enjoying at least a "tri-imero (3-day)" leave.

And in any case, around 15 August, Athens is almost empty, as most of the Athenians leave for somewhere else for vacation.

So those who remain in town, like us, can enjoy empty Athens where without traffic jam and full of parking lots. We thought it was hard to miss the opportunity and went to Thissio for a coffee.

We stopped at our usual Syn Athina.



Not many people, but not empty either. There was quite a lot of Greek youth. Can you see the fans with water spray? These bring a nice chill.

A waitress spoke to us in English: How are you? To which we replied: "Fine eimaste". And we all laughed.



A view of Acropolis from my seat.



A frappe & a freddo espresso.



And a waffle with sour cherry preserve & sauce served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waffle was light & crunchy type. I prefer heavier waffle, but Hubby said he preferred this way.



Then we walked toward Monastiraki.

We found that Kuzina restaurant is offering 4 course menu for 20 Euro.



Personally, this restaurant is too expensive for what they are offering. However, 20 Euro for 4 courses is a good deal. Why don't you try, if you have not yet done? (I saw this on 14 August 2011 and don't know until when this offer continues).

And in Monastiraki Square we saw a new terrace cafe (do you see the roof top of the building at the centre of the photo?). We went closer to see what it was.



It turned out to be a new hotel called "A For Athens". The roof top might not be exclusive to the hotel guests. We will try at the next occasion.



We saw some new restaurants along Adrianou as well. It is nice to see that people keep on investing in Athens.

Ouzou Melathron @ Monastiraki

[UPDATE 17 Nov. 2012] The place closed for the summer 2012 promising to come back in autumn, but has never reopened at least until now.

Last Friday evening, after work, we stopped at Ouzou Melathron in Monastiraki for dinner.

We intended to visit it for quite a long time, having heard positive opinions from friends & relatives.

Probably many of you already know that Ouzou Melathron is a hugely successful restaurant in Thessaloniki and the Monastiraki branch is its first outlet in Athens.

For a Friday evening, it wasn't so busy, about 1/3 of the tables being occupied. What impressed us from the first moment was that there were many foreigners of European or American origins. I am not sure if it is usual for a place in Monastiraki (but it is in a somehow hidden back street) or because it is recommended in foreign guidebooks.

The menu is very long, full of unheard-of dishes. Many seemed original creations of Ouzou Melathron. Considering that the Greek people are very conservative in food, it is very courageous of them and it is admireable to have succeeded.

As I was not very hungry (had a muffin and cappuccino just before), I picked only a salad and let Hubby choose whatever he liked.

From the left, half a kilo of half-sweet wine (it was the only red house wine), four colour salad, bread basket and tzatziki.



Four colour salad was, as you can imagine, made of shredded cabbage, red cabbage, carrot and lettuce. It was fine. Bread basket contained white bread and whole wheat bread. Tzatziki was thick and plenty: good.

This is grilled potatoes.



I thought that the potatoes were first boiled and then grilled. They were served with fatty pancetta. Anyhow, it was less oily than fried potatoes.

The main dish, Pilino Melathron, was served considerabily after all the other dishes.



It was a pork kokkinisto oven-baked in earthen ware with cheese. To me it was too heavy and salty, but objectively speaking, it was a strong dish with strong flavour.

After the meal, they offered a chocolate crepe on the house.



The people around our table seemed hugely enjoying this dessert, but we found it too heavy after a hearty meal. Probably it was a problem of our stomach.

The total bill came to just a bit under 30 Euros, which we thought good value for money, if not particularly cheap.

It is a fun place where you would like to visit especially when you want something new and different.

OUZOU MELATHRON
Ag. Filippou 10, Astingos
Monastiraki, Athens
Tel. 210-324 1716

Dia Tafta @ Monastiraki

Yesterday, after the work, I felt too lazy to cook, so went with Hubby to eat out in Monastiraki.

In this situation, we usually go to Psirri, but I guessed that many shops in Psyrri are closed in August.

We stopped at Dia Tafta, one of the eateries lining the Adrianou Street between Monastiraki and Thissio.

The tap water was provided without request. The bread was round and soft. Not particularly tasty, but it is nice to have change sometimes.



Olives were free bee.

Hubby had a big FIX beer.



It was 4 euros. The smaller jug was 3 euros.

Dia Tafta serves anything Greek, from souvlaki and keftedes to moussaka. Not being so hungry (because I had eaten an entire snicker's ice cream) we chose some mezedes. Prasino salata me ksino mizithra.

Green leaves, strips of dried tomato, dried mizithra cheese, mustardy dressing and pine nuts. 5 euros. Bouyourdi.

We see sometimes dish of this name, but it is different from a shop to another. It is basically feta cheese and veggies cooked in oven. The difference is the vegetables used and the ratio between veggie and feta. This one had nice kick of fresh chili.

5.80 euros.

And deep-fried thrapsala.

There was a choice between karamalakia and thrapsala and we chose the latter. 6.80 euro.

It had a nice bite and we were happy.

The total bill was 23.60euros. Not particularly cheap (don't forget we ate only three small dishes), but for Adrianou in Monastiraki, it wasn't expensive either.

It would be nice place to go with friends.

http://www.diatauta.com/

Piraeus Port Yesterday

Yesterday, the Greek port/ship workers' union went on 24hour strike from 6 in the morning and for this reason many ships remained in the port.





I went to the Port this morning as well and found it filled with ships.

Besides, there is a protest in the port staged by Greek fishermen. At this moment they are not obstructing other ships, but declared that they might do it.

At the last port strike, there was a physical confrontation between striking workers and the tourists trying to get off from their cruise ship "Zenith". Yesterday morning, to counteract this negative publicity, merchants from Athens and Piraeus went to the cruise port to welcome the tourists handing them flowers and showing Greek traditional dance and music. I saw it on tv and it was hilarious. According to the report, however, at one point it got ugly as the merchants and port/ship workers started to argue.

OK. Workers have right to strike, but at the same time, they don't have right to damage other worker's business. The state sometimes have to intervene to ensure least possible damage is done to its people, but in Greece, it is not effectively done.

The Zenith, the ship that suffered last time, changed its course and avoided Piraeus at all, stopped at Malta.

Greece cannot bear any more loss of business, can it?

*******************************

This Saturday evening I went with 8 other people to the cafeteria/mezedopoleio Dioskouroi on Adrianou Street in Monastiraki. We had beer and mezedes - not too copiously, but quite sufficiently - paying 12 euros a head (including reasonable tip).

If you have a big group, there always is someone who is not eager to pay much. Not necessarily he/she earns little, but just find it useless to spend in eating out (just as I find smoking total waste of money).

I thought a place like Dioskouroi is perfect for such an occasion, offering not-offensive food and cosy environment. It is so central that no one can complain for inconvenience.


(Dioskouroi on Adrianou in the morning; it is usually very busy from the early afternoon on).

Creperie Parisienne @ Monastiraki, Athens

We felt famish walking down Athenas Street on Sunday.

The most obvious choice was a quick souvlaki from Bairaktaris, but passing in front of this crepe shop, we changed our mind and decided to try it out.



Its precise address escapes me, but it is at the bottom end (Monastiraki end) of Athenas street.

They don't offer any ready-made combination of crepes. This means that you have to choose every single one of toppings. I ordered cheese, mushrooms, and cabbage-carrot. The seller girl tried to convince me to add some more ingredients, but, to be honest, I don't like too much toppings on my crepe, so I declined. As Hubby was softy, he added one topping suggested by the girl (or, did he just want to please the girl; who knows?)



I think that mine came to about 3 euros and Hubby's 4 euros. I cannot tell you precisely, because I did not have time to check the receipt or was allowed to keep it. After we paid the bill, the girl kept the receipt to complete our order. I.e. the receipt functioned also as our order form, and that is why we could not have it. I am not sure if it is legal.



Now the crepe.

Leaving aside the toppings, the crepe for me was too doughy and tasted raw flour. Being think, it was very filling, but I did not want to fill my stomach with stodgy sheet of flour.

That is why I don't think I will go back.

To Pithari @ Monastiraki, Athens

In between two meeting-ups, I stopped at this souvlatzidiko to give a quick fix to my stomach.



It is a very small place on Ifestou Street between Monastiraki and Thissio. I think it is mainly for take-out, but has some tables.



I wanted to order pork skewer in pita wrap (pita kalamaki hirino) (1.80 euros), but it was ran out already. So I ordered pork giro (pita giro hirino) (2 euros) instead.

This is it. Nothing particularly noteworthy, either in good or in bad sense. One thing I found positive was that the pita wasn't at all oily or greasy. I cannot stand oily pita.



While I was eating it, I noticed it was chicken gyro, not pork, as I ordered.



Chicken gyro is sold more expensive than pork gyro, 2.20 against 2 euros. So I guess it was a honest mistake, but I don't understand how could it happen, as they were not busy and it was made by the same man whom I placed the order. Well, not that I don't understand. It is called incompetence, I am afraid.

To Pithari (Το Πιθάρι)
37 Ifestou Street
Monastiraki
Tel. 210-3215420.

A Dog in Monastiraki Square

The glass-topped archaeological site in Monastiraki square is popular not among tourists but among dogs, too! You can always find a dog or two sleeping on it, if it is not too hot under the sun.