Dishes worth trying in Athens: Legumes and mushrooms at Taverna ton Filon

Usually, in this column, we write about a dish we tried in Athens and liked so much that we urge you to do the same. But this time, we won't tell you about a specific dish but about delicious variations based on two different ingredients.

At Taverna ton Filon (the Friend's Tavern), the food change almost daily, and while they may have the same base (we are talking about the raw materials), they are cooked differently, giving different dishes each time.

For example, we first tried the mushroom stew at the tavern of Yiannis Mousios (chef) and Giorgos Kontorizos (sommelier). The next time, after a week, the mushrooms were charred and served with sea bream and pilaf.

The same thing happened with legumes. The first time, the chickpeas went into the pot with kritamo and sun-dried tomato, and the next time, they became chickpeas that no one at the table wanted to finish.

And we have other examples: the gigantes. We tried them in the oven with cabbage and smoked pork, which gave them a nice smoky aroma but also a crunchy element, and in the second version—again in the oven, just as delicious—with spinach and galomizithra.

Taverna ton Filon is a very good reason to go to Kolonos. The delicious food they serve speaks to the soul, as does the atmosphere and the hospitality offered by both the owners and the staff.

And we don't just say it like that. Out there, it isn't easy to find the fabric of the old taverna owners who made us feel at home, relaxed, and enjoyed the food as if we were at home.

Info: 66 Argos, Kolonos, tel. 210 5127 506

Vasilis Dimaras is a columnist for Olive Magazine. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos. 

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