Eating around the world – Athens

Exploring Athens made me hungry. There was no way I was going to leave without trying her much discussed food. The Greek way of living, filled with heart healthy olives, drizzles of cold pressed olive oil, fresh vegetables grown on the island of Crete, fresh fish, lemon and erm some ouzo( although one should not try it on an empty stomach) or wine, as we all know, is quite aptly prescribed as the most moderate diet to follow. Much against the advice of falling into the regular “tourist – traps” we found one place in particular for brunch which came with the world’s friendliest head waiter Niko. We were so tired from walking all morning and really, with two hungry children, many alleyways explored and that many locals hanging out there, how bad could it be? It was pretty good. The best part of the cafe however, was that we came away, having made a friend for life. I learned so much about the culture and the current political situation that we found ourselves stopping by for hot chocolate and a chat, even when we weren’t hungry. We also tried local food in our neighborhood – it was so fresh, I found it divine. We stopped by the local patisserie every morning because the pastries were so fragrant, it invaded my nostrils overwhelming my senses. I never knew Greek chocolate was so good… it has the right amount of cocoa with that creamy, smooth, yet subtle, melt in your mouth texture and not a lot of sugar. A little bit like ambrosia from the gods…

Some of that grilled Haloumi cheese was just yummy

Did I mention the chocolate was fabulous?

perfectly grilled egg plant with a red pepper tapenade, seasoned with a greek yogurt dressing and fresh lemon

crispy white bait..