Bollywood Kitchen @ Thissio

We visited a new Indian restaurant in Thissio called Bollywood Kitchen at the end of August. It was a full moon day and there were so many people were around.

The restaurant is on a small side road called Thissiou. If you are walking down Adrianou Street, you need to look for it, because it is not much visible from the central street.

Inside is very simple, almost austere. Only the Bollywood films on a flat screen and the "Indian" (I don't know if they are from India, Pakistan, or even Bangladesh) cooks in the kitchen remind you that it is an Indian restaurant.

The menu isn't long, but all the classics are there. For the curry, there are various sauces and you can choose which meat you want to be put into your sauce. The price changes according to which meat you choose.

Papadom was offered for free.

GH got a beer and I got a mango lassi.

The vegetable samosas were nice and plenty.

Judging from the form of skin, I thought these should be house-made.

These were all right. I just think that they should sell samosas one by one. If you are in a group of 4, you don't know how to devide and if you are in two like us, three samosas are just too many to eat before the main dishes.

The salad was odd.

Apart from lettuce and cucumber, there were half-cooked green peas. Not the best combination I have ever tasted.

Then to the main dishes.

This is lamb masala that came in a bright red color, which can only be explained with artificial food dye (I think it is the same dye they use for tandoori chicken).

The sauce was fine (except that I sensed too much sugar), but the hard and small bits of lamb were disappointing.

I got palak paneer (curry of spinach and Indian cottage cheese).

I expected paneer in it, but to my surprise, the cheese was salty. It tasted suspiciously similar to feta cheese. The sauce itself was ok, but the cheese was very disappointing.

Cheese naan.

Here we expected yellow gooey cheese, but what we found was again feta (you don't see it in the photo, but it was inside). It was fine, but it again betrayed our expectation.

Pilau rice, however, was quite good, with lots of spice and caramelized onion.

The final bill got close to 40 Euro. The price-wise, it is all right, but I want the food to be of better standard.

In any case, recently Bollywood Kitchen is offering 50% deal coupons on many website. If you are interest, buy one of these and go. If you pay 20 for all these, you cannot regret much.

Bollywood Kitchen
7 Thissiou & Adrianou
Thissio, Athens
Tel: 211-4019197

Indian Masala @ Thissio

My first Indian restaurant in Greece!

GH, GH's cousin and I visited Indian Masala restaurant in Thissio one Sunday afternoon.

I used to go to Indian quite often when I used to live in UK, but this was my first try since I came to Athens. Not that I did not want to go, but until recently the Indian restaurants in Athens were either in "bad" areas of Athens where GH refuses to enter or were quite expensive. The openings of Indian Masala in Thissio and Indian Kitchen in Syntagma are very fortunate.

I tried to book a table, but was turned down, because it does not take reservation in principle. It is inconvenient, but understandable, as the space is limited and the price is moderate.



Lucky we found a table that could accommodate 4 pax.

The interior is cozy and warm. I heard that there is a courtyard, but it is not for winter period. While we were there, I saw some people either turned down or had to wait for some time to get a table. The waiting staff was quite relaxed and did not tried to urge the people to get out as soon as they finished. It is a good thing, if you have already a table, but it is not, if you don't.



GH ordered chicken pakora as starter to share. They are strips of chicken breast deep fried with spicy butter. Very good and nice snack while you wait for the main.



This is a lamb curry of GH. I don't remember which variety of the curries it was. I liked it.



This is chicken karahi ordered by the cousin. Very similar to what is called "balti" in Birmingham (where I used to live). I did not like the large morsels of tomatoes chopped in.



I wanted to order lamb chops, but were not available. So I ordered sis kebab that the cousin wanted to try. I was not quite sure of the quality of the meal (there were some hard bits here and there), but they tasted all right and the portion was plenty.



We ordered also a raita (Indian tzatziki!), two plain naans, one plain rice (1 portion of rice can feed 1.5 people I think) and one coca cola. The bill was about 45 Euros, 15 per a head, which we thought were bargain.

If you want something exotic while you are in Thissio or Monastiraki, it is a good place to go, as far as you can find a table.

INDIAN MASALA
Ermou 129, Thissio, Athens
210 3219412
Open also for lunch

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A couple of weeks ago, a new patisserie opened in the central Piraeus, in Iroon Polytechneio Street.



It is called Ilion and the first of their shops was established indeed in Ilion in suburban Athens.

The speciality is galaktoboureko. We bought one whole galaktoboureko, but gave it to mother in law, so I don't know how it tasted like.

We bought some ekmek kataifi for ourselves.



It consisted in 4 layers, whipped egg white like cream on the top, then sort of stiff mousse, then kataifi noodles, and spicy sponge at the bottom. It certainly wasn't a conventional ekmek kataifi, but was all right on its own light.

I will try galaktoboureko at the next occasion.

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. :)

Thea Thissio @ Thissio

A new cafeteria in Thissio.



It is on Apostolou Pavlou Street, just next to another relatively new, but already well-established Chocolat.

As the name suggests, it has a very good view of Acropolis, especially from the terrace.



Everything relatively pricy, but average in this part of Athens. I had a citrus panna cotta, which was not bad, even though was too sweet to my liking.



Little bit of extra money is accounted for as far as you manage to get one of the better tables.



Grafitti we saw on our way to the car.



I liked this one below.

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.

Kuzina @ Thissio

We went to Kuzina in Thissio, famous nouvelle Greek cuisine restaurant and I wrote a review on Gate to Greece (click the link below).

KUZINA

Some of the dishes there are variation of the traditional Greek cooking and some are just exotic - no Greek element - with mostly East Asian influence.

It was interesting experience for us, but, to be honest, if this restaurant were in London or in Tokyo, I don't think it could have made such a success. It is brilliant in Athens, but by International standard, it is just ... "fine". I guess this is why the restaurant is recommended in Michelin Guide, but doesn't have any star.

New Entry: Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

I added a page on Benaki Museum of Islamic Art to the Gate to Greece website.



It is a sympathetic middle-size museum near Thissio metro station. Although I guess it has lesser interest to the Tourists, as it does not contain anything related directly to Greece, it is no doubt an excellent cultural treasure for the residents.

As the other Benaki museum it is also conscious about cafeteria and giftshop. The cafeteria is at the top of the building and the visitors can enjoy drinks looking the Acropolis and the Keramikos archaeological site.

When I visited the museum I came across a Synagogue nearby.



As it was closed then, I visited it on another day. It is open for visitors from 10-12 o'clock except Saturdays, but when I tried to enter, I was stopped by a guardman and asked to produce my ID (passport) and to show him contents of my bag. And I was asked why I speak Greek; I am not sure if it was out of his curiosity or because I looked suspicious. Anyway, it was the day when the Israeli troop attacked the "Free Gaza", cruiser carrying humanitarian aid to Palestine, and that might be why he was particularly attentive.

Inside, a group of Israeli tourists was having a meeting (I don't understand Hebrew, but it looked to me that the visitors were being told about history and situation of the Jews in Greece).

According to the guardman, the synagogue was built in 1939. It is quite interesting that it was built just before the beginning of the World War II. I need to dig its history.

Gazohori Again

Yesterday was the day of Holy Ghost, national holiday in Greece. I am not sure why the day is dedicated to the Holy Ghost, neither my Greek husband. I am afraid we are not very religious, but merciful God gives religious holidays even to those who are not religious.

That is why we went to the town.

The day of the Holy Ghost is a strange holiday, in the sense that shops are mostly open. It is a nice day to go for shopping. In fact, it was our initial intention, but we quicky lost our sense of pourpose and stranded into Hubby's favourite mezedopoleio, Gazohori (Γκαζοχώρι). It was the fourth visit.

For previous visits and the address, see here : Gazohori.

Gazohori is a curious place. It grew into a huge mezedopoleio just in front of the Keramikos Metro Station, but you don't find it either in Athinorama or free papers like LIFO. It is also very popular, always more crowded than other eateries nearby.

We ordered five plates.



Tzatziki, Pork Tigania, Aubergine Borana, Fried Potato, Rocket and mozzarella salad, and a beer.

Aubergine Borana is Hubby's favourite and we never fail to order it.



It is oven baked aubergine and mitzithra, but aubergine is treated before getting into oven and has caramerised sweetness.

Apart from not fresh tzatziki and too salty chips, the other stuff was very good. With a bottle of beer, the bill came to €29.50. Not particularly cheep, but expensive either. The quality/price proportion is very good.

We sat at a table with these cats.



They did not demand any food, probably being already full.

And afterwards, we went to Thissio for coffee at Syn Athina.



It is essentially a cafeteria/bar, but offers also crepes, waffles, sandwiches, and mezedes.

And they make strange Greek cocktails with tsipoula and mastiha.



Unfortunately I don't drink, but, if you are interested, do go and try.

Syn Athina @ Thissio

I don't remember any more why we ended up there, but Hubby and I stopped at a cafeteria called "Syn Athina..." at the beginning of Iraklidon Street in Thissio.



The name comes from a famous (i.e. famous to the Greeks, but not necessarily for us foreigners!) Greek proverb "Συν Αθηνά και χείρα κίνει", i.e. "together with Goddess Athena, move your hand", i.e. (again), "if you want to achieve something, it is not enough to pray to Athena, but you have to make your move as well".

I said it is a cafeteria, but the truth is that it serves also meze dishes together with crepes and waffles.

But we ordered only drinks.



Ice espresso for me and frappé for Hubby. I don't remember the exact price, but it was between 7 and 8 euros for both of them, which is an average price you pay in "nice" cafeterias in central Athens.

The best thing about this place is the view.



If you are lucky enough to grab a table near Apostlou Pavlou Road side, you get the Acropolis for free.

Well, you get the same, or maybe better view from another cafeteria-mezedopoleio Athenaion Politeia nearby, but it is a good thing to have alternative, isn't it?

I found the website of this place, but it is still under construction (but at least, address and phone number are there).

http://www.sinathina.gr/