Chef Dimitris Dimitriadis loves traditional Greek cuisine. However, he does not stop at just cooking it; he takes it one step further, making it more modern and adding techniques without changing its identity.
He did this for years at Artisanal and has been doing it at FITA, his new culinary home, for the last few months.
It matched perfectly with the profile of this gastro-tavern in the Athens neighbourhood of Neos Kosmos, owned by Fotis Foteinoglou and Theodoros Kassavetis. After all, all three chefs share the same philosophy.
And what is that philosophy?
Cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients, based on laderas (olive oil), and fish and seafood dishes, which are combined with legumes and vegetables. There is no shortage of meat, but it is not the star.
The menu often changes according to what is fresh in the market and has a Greek identity since almost all the raw materials come from small Greek producers.
We met a few days ago at the renewed FITA headed by Dimitriadis. The menu is one page, as always. There was enough time to study it since the service guys were busy or pretended not to care - probably the latter. But it's good to put the whining aside.
One of the first things that bears Dimitriadis's stamp is bread. A puffy, leavened, slow-aged sourdough ale that gives it much crunch.
We accompanied it with the grilled broccolini, which had a very strong-tasting parsley salad and handmade sour milk cheese, and the Kerkini burrata, which had wild greens that were slightly overcooked.
Feneo gigandes, with a rich taste reminiscent of chestnut, were served with roasted carrot and oyster mushrooms.
Next, we asked for the grilled sardine on grape leaf cream. It was a nice dish that demonstrated the correct cooking of the fish and Dimitriadis's technique in tying and making nice, tasty sauces.
In contrast, the grilled pike was a bit dry, accompanied by a very salty fava bean and beetroot.
As for the cuttlefish - which had also been grilled and on the plate with broth, lots of lemon and dill - it was the one that was most favoured.
We also asked for the yuvarlakia with roasted cabbage and egg-lemon artichoke. It was a nice idea with full flavour; however, the truffle could be missing as it didn't add anything to the dish.
We will definitely return to FITA again because the food will be better as time passes, and the chef will better connect with the kitchen team and find his footing.
Also, now that the weather is warming up, the gastro-tavern's courtyard next to the tram lines is beautiful for a spring night out.
info: Durm 1, Neos Kosmos, tel. 211 4148 624
Prices: 30-45 per person without wine
Vasilis Dimaras is a columnist for Olive Magazine. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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