Asotos: Greek cuisine with an Eastern twist in Athens

Asotos has Greek food with a constant nod to Middle Eastern, Maghreb, Egyptian culinary constants – labneh, dukkah spice, and harissa. But also a surf & turf dish, such as pork with tuna belly, horseradish, and a pumpkin cheesecake.

"How would you describe your cooking," we ask chef Michalis Merzenis, creator of the new restaurant Asotos he set up with his partners Lelo Georgopoulos (The Clumsies) and Panagiotis Koutsoumpi and Nikolas Spyropoulos of Poco a Poco.

"I like to cook simple Greek food. But at some point, something happens, and I throw in a weird oil, a weird spice, and the food goes rogue."

Rogue Taverna is written at the bottom of the menu.

“It could mean sassy, it could also mean playful. Yes, a playful food. I like this better," adds the chef.

His family comes from Kastellorizo on his father's side. He fled to Egypt during World War II and came to Athens when he was 16 years old.

"I walk into the kitchen, and the flavours of the falafel my grandmother used to make, with fava beans, not beans, the aroma of cumin automatically comes to my mouth."

The adventurous culinary journey of Michalis Merzenis passes through shops of all kinds, his experience and technical knowledge allow him to make a sophisticated fresh mackerel with diced apple and ariani but also a perfect sirloin steak and a surf & turf.

The sourdough bread with trachana and their own butter plus tarama with burnt tomato oil has something vaguely umami that we really liked.

We talk to Sommelier Petros Mylonakis about wine. He studies our selections, and from the wine list, with about 90 labels, he recommends the dry sparkling wine Champalou Vouvray NV Chenin Blanc Loire Valley.

The next dish is the lahanodolmades. The chef has very successfully transformed the traditional lahanodolmades into a hearty side dish which is baked in the wood-fired oven and becomes something like a pie served cut into pieces.

In the handmade labneh with bell pepper, raisin and pine nut, the ingredients appear on the plate one by one: the raisin, the pine nuts, and a whole bell pepper, all on a base of creamy labneh. The chef recommends mixing them and spreading them on a pie.

In a completely different style, the fresh mackerel is cut into thin slices, just seared, with ariani that elegantly cuts through the fattiness of the fish with its acidity. Cubes of celery, cucumber, and green apple add freshness, and dill oil and lemongrass add subtle aromas.

We change the wine for the meat: Domaine Myrsini Nees Rize Paros Mandilaria – Vaftra.

A daring dish is the Greek roasted pig, with molasses glaze cut into slices and between them tuna belly, with a garnish, freshly grated horseradish and fresh mustard leaves. Undoubtedly tasty, with a nice ratio of meat to fish.

For desserts, the aged tsipouro olive oil and syrup cake is accompanied by an excellent whipped cream flavoured with thyme reminiscent of the relatively unsweetened Italian panna and well-made wild cherry “jam”.

Lovers of pumpkin will adore the pumpkin cheesecake, pastry cream with pollen and pumpkin seeds. The biscuit base is absent, but the pumpkin seeds provide the necessary crunch – a kind of upside-down cheesecake with seeds in place of the crust.

Although a gourmet restaurant, the restaurant has the atmosphere and vibes of a bar and could easily be classified in the wine bar. Opposite the door is a great big bar with marble and stools to eat, drink, and play.

At the back of the bar, the refrigerators with the wines, racks with spirits and at the end, glasses with pickles, like a small grocery store, create a colourful, lively mural.

At the end of the bar, DJ Giorgos Rallis, with his nice jazz music – adds to the atmosphere.

As time passes, the shop fills up with nice people, casual chic, neat clothes, and an outgoing attitude.

Info: Amynta 6, Proskopon Square, Pagrati, 2107213720

Artemis Tzitzi is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.

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