Lonely_Planet_Asia_February_2017

CYCLADES

W

ITH THE GRACE AND

poise of a ballet dancer,

one clogged foot is raised

steadily into the air. The

leg to which the foot is

attached extends with equal measure until

it is entirely straight. There it hovers, dead

still, until the limb is brought down with

sudden force, the stamp of foot on pavement

like the shot from a pistol.

It is one small part of a ceremony that

takes place every hour outside Athens’

parliament building: the changing of the

guard. The soldiers, in beige kilts, red berets

and pom-pommed clogs, remain resolutely

focussed, even as sweat rolls down their

faces and spectators dive in for photos.

The city seems made for drama. In the

alleyways of nearby Plaka, waiters invite

diners into their restaurants with promises

of plate-smashing, while men noisily slap

down backgammon counters in smoky bars.

Down streets paved with marble and shaded

by orange trees, crumbling columns and

arches rear up like ancient ghosts. They are

but a warm-up act to the main stealer of

limelight in the city, though: the 2,500-year-

old Acropolis that presides over Athens

from a hill right at its heart. Built as home of

the gods, with a temple devoted to Athena at

its core, the survival of the complex is due in

part to its ability to change purpose over the

millennia, from temple to mosque, church to

harem. Now, it serves both as a Greek history

lesson brought to life, with archaeologists

and tourists alike gathering to wonder at

the ingenuity of its makers, and a romantic

backdrop for the couples who gather to

watch the sunset from the olive groves

of nearby Filopappou Hill.

There are different gods to worship these

days. At Brettos, Villy Saraidari, resplendent

as Athena in an electric blue dress, pours

clear liquid from an oak barrel and places

the glass on the marble counter. A photo of

Mr Brettos, who founded the ouzo distillery

in 1909, hangs in the room that has changed

little since. Villy fell in love with the place

as a customer, and now indulges her passion

for its many types of ouzo from behind the

bar. ‘We have people come in who are 70

years old and they start crying. They

remember being here as kids,’ she says. ‘It

still has the same spirit, the same history.’

In Gazarte, home to the old city gasworks

and a rapidly changing nightlife, bartenders

are somewhat less respectful of tradition.

‘People said when we started that this was a

terrible idea, that the Greeks only like what

they already know,’ says owner Thodoris

Koutsovoulos, sitting under a fig tree in the

backyard of MoMix, an operation that is part

theatre, part laboratory, part bar. Cocktails

are presented in solid, wobbly bubbles that

explode in the mouth, in chewy, deceptively

alcoholic lozenges, or in glasses that swirl

with dry ice. The place is full every night.

Round the corner from MoMix, there is no

grand announcement for Funky Gourmet: just

a nondescript door and a doorbell. Head chef

Georgianna Hiliadaki, her blonde hair in wild

curls, makes sure all the drama comes out of

the kitchen. Placing a lamb’s tongue in a

gold-painted sheep’s skull, part of a dish

Catch a taxi to Piraeus port for the three-hour fast

ferry to Mykonos (from US$62; seajets.gr).

1. Athens

Start your journey in the cradle of Western civilisation, getting to grips with both

ancient history and startling innovations in the restaurant and bar scene

Sweet Home is a small, friendly hotel on a

sidestreet a short walk from the restaurants of

Plaka, the Acropolis and parliament. Rooms are

quiet and comfortable and have parquet floors;

those on the top floor have beamed wooden

ceilings. Some have Acropolis views across the

rooftops (if you stretch) and small balconies

(from US$130; thesweethomehotel.com).

Acropolis entry US$21, or take a guided tour for

US$36 (athenswalkingtours.gr). Funky Gourmet

tasting menu US$93 (funkygourmet.com). Ouzo at

Brettos from US$4 (brettosplaka.com). Bubble

cocktail at MoMix US$4(momixbar.com).

Essentials

Chef and owner

Georgianna

Hiliadaki at

Funky Gourmet.

Right Changing

of the guard at

the parliament

building

Bubble cocktails

at inventive bar

MoMix

called Silence of the Lamb on the flamboyant

tasting menu, she says, ‘Diners come because

they want an experience. It’s not just going

out for dinner, it is like going to the opera.’

The approach has earned Funky Gourmet

two Michelin stars, and endless bookings of

its nine tables. Here, it seems, the Athenian

love of performance has reached its zenith.