Our customers are diverse in age, occupation and interests. They are young and elderly people, doctors, lawyers, bankers, peddlers and even former prisoners. They are quite colourful and even I wonder sometimes. The music is also odd. Ethnic, psychedelic and classical music sounds along with rock. Some time ago, an elderly couple came who said they come here because they like listening to reggae.
Has the crisis affected you?
I would not say that the crisis has affected us very seriously. I am pleased and even think that we have more work. I have not heard a complaint from any client so far. But this is the result of our efforts. Last year, we removed 12 tables to accommodate the number of customers to the capacity of the cuisine and serve them faster and better.
How many years have you been working as a chef?
I have not finished a school, if you mean this. I like cooking from a very early age. I watched my mother and grandmother cooking and the things I am cooking are after their recipes. I do not know another way of cooking, I have not read books. Of course, I am looking at new recipes. However, I think things about cooking are exaggerated nowadays. They figure out different things just to extend the duration of cooking shows.
I know it is a matter of expression, but I like simple and delicious dishes. I can not imagine anything more delicious than a fish that I bought from the fisherman's boat early in the morning, well grilled with the right dose of olive oil. You will not have such a good result whatever sauce you add.
The difficulty in cooking is to take out things, no to add them. You can add 100 ingredients in a dish, if you wish but only one can give the dish everything it needs. I serve the anchovies fried and "extinguished" with vinegar, no matter how oddly it may seem. I offer what is best in my opinion.
What is important to me is the quality of the ingredients and I never make compromises in this regard. I do not mind the price if the product is fresh and of quality.
The people I work with have the same philosophy. We want our meals to be as traditional and usual as possible. In other words, we do not cook to impress the customers with the first bite. Even statistics show that you understand the taste of the dish after the seventh bite.
What are the biggest influences in your way of cooking?
The influences are mostly from southern Greece and especially Crete. I like the dishes like the women in the villages cook them. Whenever I go to a new place, I want to get to know the local cuisine, because I think there is no better than the traditional dishes the mothers cook for their families with love.
What do you think makes the people choose a dish?
Our choice of food is related to how we grew up. If you have no memories because you grew up with burgers at fast food restaurants, you will not be able to understand the taste of good food. The word "nostimo" (delicious) contains the word "nostos" (longing), the memory of what our mother cooked. The biggest recognition for me is when people think and ask how we cooked a meal and when they continue to come because they like the food.
If we have made you a bit curious, you can visit the restaurant in early September. And who knows - you might be lucky enough the waitress to take your order before she disappears behind the curtain.
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