Where should I begin….?
From the beginning I think….
We have two friends, Alex and Albert. I met Alex on a food styling seminar in “Milia” in Crete. I also met Elena, Konstantina and Artemis there but I will write more about them in another post.
As Alex and I were ‘fellow students” we bonded more and started to keep each other company during the course and afterwards.
I met her partner Albert, they met mine and we have all become great pals..
In other words we get together, I talk with Alex about food stuff and the others get bored and talk about other stuff :)
Well it’s not really like that… Alex has a life that resembles a fairy tale.. and has an amazing blog called “Bakergirl” as she loves baking, bread and all things to do with it! Take a look at her site I guarantee you’ll love it!
Even though the couple try to stick to a vegan diet sometimes they told us that they go to a wonderful fish restaurant called Travolta in Peristeri.. It’s very far from where they live, but it’s close to us and we agreed to go there one day together to eat with them.
I had heard a lot about Travolta and the first time we went I was quite hesitant because we (sadly) don’t really eat a lot of fish.. on leaving that night we were spellbound..I could not imagine how I could eat so many tasty things; and if you had asked me, I would have said simply it’s not possible…
So, a few words about the restaurant.. It’s in Peristeri easily accessed from the north-south “national” road that runs along the western side of Athens. From our home it’s about 10 mins by car..unfortunately..:)
It was opened by three people, Vangelis and Spyros Liakos who also run Basegrill in Peristeri and Anesti Lambropoulou, son of the legendary “Travolta” (his father’s nickname) who runs the Ouzeri Pigadi near there. I knew about him because my mother’s brother used to eat there and was a real connoisseur of food. I think he took us to Pigadi when I was a kid.
The restaurant is not a high end style establishment..it looks like an upmarket taverna in style even though the level of the food lends itself to any world metropolis fine dining experience whatever the decor.
That’s good because it makes you feel more relaxed..
Huge selection of Ouzo and Tsipouro (we had the wonderful Apostolaki) and some great wine..which could have been dearer if the decor was even more high end and the food prices were double they are now..therefore it’s fine with us as it is!
As for the food, what can I say..simply go there one lunchtime, drink an Ouzo and order a couple of dishes..The softest light as air Tarama mousse and the baked bogues (or boops)
There is no need to try anything else to realise how wonderful the food is..especially the bogues which are so light and fluffy and so juicy and well cooked you cannot imagine..We asked Mr Liakos how they are prepared as they are so wonderful..Maybe they are cooked sous vide first and then baked? No he said they are this good because the fish is so fresh..especially this type of fish- if they are more than 4-5 hours out of the water they change so much that you would think you are eating a totally different fish…
Wonderful information freely given by people that know and have “studied” all about the food which they present.
All their dishes are wonderful..The raw plated sea beam sashimi and the red mullet tartare, the legendary fried red mullet, the anchovy millefeuille with pureed beetroot salad and so many more..
I should mention the Kondosouvli with calamari, the Spetsofai with sausages made from cuttlefish, the fava from Schinousas, the fries with the Bottarga (salted cured fish roe) and so many more wonderful dishes!
I have been many times and we have taken friends both from overseas and from Athens who know good food and they have been speechless after eating there..Kyriakos from Rozas in Santorini almost cried and said how come he hadn’t been there before, a great Greek Australian chef David Tsirekas who took us to the best seafood place in Australia, St. Peters in Sydney, said Travolta’s food was better- where when we visited the restaurant in Sydney, on that very night they won the award as best new chef in a restaurant in Australia! And plaudits from so many other friends and acquaintances with whom we have shared this little gem of a restaurant.
And finally I should mention their desserts…go past what they offer you and order the Knefeh..it takes 30 mins to be made but is worth the wait!!
So, lets hope that I have convinced you to visit this wonderful restaurant.. We are going on Saturday with some friends who are arriving on Saturday from Australia and they really want to go there..
Maybe we’ll see you there!
N.B. I must mention that the first photograph on this blog is of a loaf of wonderful sourdough bread made by the aforementioned Alex. She brought it on our last visit to Travolta last Sunday and we have devoured it already!
Information :
Address: Arcadias and Aghiou Paulou 33, Peristeri, Western Athens
Tel: 21505719222
Opening times: every day for lunch and dinner except Mondays.
Price: 50-60 euros per person (worth every penny)
I would just like to add that I do not receive any money for this article or free meals and we are not personal friends of the owners…
