The restaurant in Kalamaria is a historical location full of memories, where entire generations used to spend their summers swimming in the waters of the Thermaikos.
Akti Ntovil, the emblematic name of the well-known businessman Elias Violidis and his partners Sakis Gontinos and Giorgos Karapapazoglou, opened at the beginning of 2022, enriching the options for eating out on the coast of Kalamaria.
Located in a privileged position a breath from the sea and with an unbeatable view of the sea, Akti Ntovil continues to build its gastronomic profile day by day, gaining ardent fans thanks to the culinary exploitation of the wealth of the wider region.
And I say region because the excellent local seafood is one of the restaurant's strong points.
This is a profile that is constantly enriched with gastronomic events such as the evenings entitled "Our Sea", where renowned chefs from all over Greece create special menus in collaboration with the restaurant's head chef.
The winter began with the iconic Greek chef Giota Koufadaki and continues on January 23 with the award-winning chef patron of the Vergiotiko restaurant in Veria, Nikos Maliaras, in an unexpected marriage of Land and Sea.
The pages of the Akti Ntovil menu, in line with modern trends in seafood, are full of the individual categories that today's consumers are looking for in a modern restaurant with a seafood identity.
Shellfish, raw compositions with an international touch, pasta with seafood, small and larger fish for frying and grilling, and creations where the fish is cooked in pots, ovens and pans.
For about a year now, an impressive bar has been added to the restaurant in the middle of the "sea" of the lounge. A glass oyster bar warms up the main lounge with its presence and allows small groups to dine at the bar by choosing dishes from the bar menu.
Since the first day of operation, the well-known Northern Greek chef Panagiotis Delithanasis has been head of the kitchen.
On my recent visit, I met a more mature and delicious Delithanasis. I enjoyed samples of this deliciousness throughout the entire menu, especially in the dishes where pots and ovens had the first place in the few cases where tradition became the protagonist.
In an era when raw and fusion fish dishes triumph, dishes such as a fricassee with fish of the day, a Mount Athos avgolemono casserole with mashed potatoes, and that octopus stifado never cease to thrill with their deliciousness.
Deliciousness is reflected through cooking based on texture and time.
Modern recipes, however, speak a different language. For example, the popular mullet tartare contains notes of red curry and coconut milk, while the crayfish tartare has passionfruit and shichimi togarashi (a mixture of Japanese spices).
In the cold appetisers, the Greek element dominates with Athonite eggplant salads, well-made fava beans from Feneos and dishes with an urban identity.
In the hot appetisers, the filleted mullet with savoury sauce, rosemary and cranberries stands out, a dish that has been high in the preferences of visitors since day one, and the sea bream schnitzel with a fine coleslaw with fennel gives them a special aromatic touch.
Baklava with caramelised phyllo and a bergamot-scented syrup accompanied by the beloved ice cream made from salepi that doesn’t melt by pastry chef Panagiotis Symeonidis is a dessert that I love to choose for all its individual characteristics.
I did the same this time, looking at Thessaloniki bathed in the colours of the sun that spread in the distance at every sunset.
Info: Themistoklis Sofouli 86, Kalamaria, tel. 2310407000
Gregoris Philippatos is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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