Art & Food Styling
January 17, 2020
Athenian ‘Laiki Agora’- the city inside out / Panayiotis Tetsis
May 19, 2020Art & Food Styling
January 17, 2020Athenian ‘Laiki Agora’- the city inside out / Panayiotis Tetsis
May 19, 2020
Back in Athens after a while. I have been meaning to write an article for this place before the new year. It has been one of the places I always propose when friends from abroad visit Athens or people ask me where to have good food in the center of Athens. I was invited to try the new menu in November and returned last weekend for a brunch/lunch/dinner after a looong weekend. We were all so happy with everything we had. Greek food with interesting touches, nice presentation and good service. But let’s take it step by step.
Cherchez la Femme, part of the Terrablue family, is a conceptual Greek ‘kafeneion’ (coffee place) reviving this classical typology to todays needs and inspired by the new era. Key pillars of its philosophy are the authentic cuisine, valuing traditions, the use of pure products and an ecological sensitivity.
The interior designers COSMOANINA, Phaedra Anastasiadis and Miranda Karamanlis, created an atmosphere inspired by modernist elements of the 60s and 70s. Marble is used for the floor, Tinos marble for the benches and tables, sturdy wood for the bar, and retro chairs are selected for the tables. The vintage design with some key choices like the strategically places embroideries, the chandelier, the velvet sofas and sophisticated lighting create a space inspired by the past, recreating memories and bringing them to the present in a creative way.
The menu is based on the original concept of the talented chef Andreas Lagos, as a hymn to the philosophy of Greek ‘meze’, aptly highlighting the Greek traditions giving emphasis to the raw ingredients and the locality of the recipes. You can start from early in the morning having your coffee and loukoumi, then have breakfast or brunch, continue with lunch and dinner. They have a nice variety of wines and really good tsipouro so give it a try.
Some of the dishes we had was the Rocca Salad with Quiche and Goat Cheese, Homemade Lacquer, Smoked Mackerel Fillet from Lemnos, Fried Squid in Crispy Crust, Twisted Cheese Pie with Caramelized onions, Moussaka, Liver, and Goat Frikasse are just a few of the dishes the chef, Constantine Jouvaras and his team, prepare daily creating exquisite gastronomic proposals.
The good thing is that both times I was with friends that enjoy food and eat a lot. When I was there for the tasting of the menu they brought 17 plates from the menu. Yes 17! And I am a person I hate leaving food behind and wasting it. I am the person who will actually take a ‘doggie bag’ either of the dog but mot likely for me. Eventually we managed to fight through all 17 plates. Some of the pictures can prove this. Another a good sign is when you visit a restaurant and you have a difficulty choosing one of the plates you had cause you were happy with all of them or the combination of them. This happens here it is difficult to choose just one. They all complement each other really well. I would really like to hear your experience if you visit Cherchez la Femme so send me a message with your most or least-favorite dishes!
ABOVE: Baked chocolate Alaska, ice cream & Meringue dessert with red fruits sauce / Chocolate Serano cake / Traditional 'Kok' sponge cake with cream filling /
