Last night, on my way home from work,
I decided to stop by a spot I always passed by, but never decided to enter.
In my part of the city which I cross from age 9,
we are not used to this type of "alternative" facade.
It is a new spot, anyway, so I can be party excused, but still, I was wondering whether it is an eco/raw/food-cum-cannabis shop of some kind, with insanely high prices and poor service.
And yet,
last night I did get inside.
I was greeted at the door -but a little further inside,
which was a good thing, as I got to spot the place first,
by a trendy but nice young man who showed me in but not to my table.
I got to pick the one just behind and above the music duo who was playing jazz for the night.
This gave me the opportunity to survey the people (young, "alternative", older with grown children)
and the atmosphere (informal yet tightly woven).
There is also an extra spacious upper room which houses some rather more fashionable and older groups, but which was so tightly packed that
I wouldn't care to cross, unless I was meeting someone special.
 |
| I'll go back for the smoothies |
I ordered a pita with egg and a caramelised onion chutney.
The pita was kind of heartwarming, I'd say.
this soulful kind of food that is not exacly a dish to talk about, but it does its job of making feel
a simple plate, a treat.
What I need to say, though, is praise for the onion chutney, that turned out to be delicious, given that I am not an onion fan but tried it on purpose.
This special little dish was washed down with a home made lemonade which was not really, really special, and rather too sugary for my taste,
but was a nice alternative if you don't want to drink alcohol.
On my way out, I stopped by the selection of Ionia crockery that is for sale.
Ionia is a Greek company that produces premium quality porcelain since 1972.
Finest quality and lovely design. Highly recommended.
As it turned out, they also do take away and delivery,
and
they work with TV-famous chef Dina Nicolaou,a graduate of
«Le Cordon Bleu», «Ritz Escoffier», «Alain Ducasse formation», «Lenotre».
which goes a long way to explain the imaginative dishes they sell in a creative manner.
The even better part is that the store has also a basement where you can shop for
GReek-only items of food and wine, all presented in an aboundant yet boutique manner,
which really does fit the neighborhood,
linking upper class Kolonaki to the student-in-rebellion Solonos/Exarcheia planet.
All in all, a lovely experience
with real food
reasonably priced
and
efficient but non-intrusive service.
YOLENI'S
SOLONOS 9
ATHENS
T:0030 2122223623
open all week 8:00-22:00
Sat:9:00-22:00
Sun:10:00-22:00
