Numb Nymph - Life after Metamorphose: June 2008

All I Remember About Athens..

Even before stepping on Grecian soil, I have already stereotypically associated Greece with rubble, with gladiator chariots and armour and stoic ancient ruins that have stood an architect's nightmare test of time... and I am almost right.

This post is an ode to the initial intention of Numbnymph@blogspot, more photos for memories and less words.

150 m above sea level, the Acropolis (high city) in Athens is indisputably the essential 'high'light and must-see when in Athens.

The temple of Hephaistos - the best preserved of it's kind.

Nature staking her claim to beautify in her own colours and desire.

The Acropolis and it's ongoing restoration program from the view of Hephaistos

And the rest of Athens.

The Propylaea - oxidation and breakage of the marble demanded the need for a restoration project.

Amidst the redevelopment project, there are still many facades and intricate details that remain unchanged and undestroyed through time and uncertainty. The marble steps, though typically regarded as any old insignificant part of a building, ironically remains the most undefiled by weather and age.

The Erechtheum - Once the resting homes for Kings and playground of ancient deities, today the comfortable resting rock for dogs.

A shield from the Spartan days. What those skimpily dressed beefcakes in 300 were carrying back in those days to the battlefield.. G loans a fist to put size and weight into perspective.

Then of course there is Athens in the common streets.

It appears only the historical buildings can stand the test of time. The others, just errode with.

Which religion do you prefer - God or Shopping?!

And of course you never truly experience Greece till you had a Soulvaki.

This man has humbly served Soulvakis to all kinds of Royalty, Celebraties and the common folk in his lifetime. The numerous photos taken and hung around the shop stands testimont to his popular chicken and pork soulvakis. At less then 2 Euros each, why won't they be?!

Selene Sunset - Our Best Dinner in Santorini

And we finally caught that dramatic sunset dinner in Santorini the night before we left.

We trusted another local's recommendation and made reservations at Selene, a highly recommended restaurant with a gorgeous rooftop view.

In the day's anticipation of the sunset, and the scorching heat gives way to cool evening breeze. A neatly set table in front of us, the archaeological sight before us, the serene sight of ships sailing quietly away.. it certainly doesn't get more tranquil and perfect than this.

Our gourmet experience at Selene was exceptional. The authentic fava bean dips and the yummy dessert, was true testament of an established restaurant, rooted in their natural cuisine heritage and confident of their culinary capability.

The grilled lamb was some parts soft and chewy, some parts a little dry, but the yogurt was nice and tart.

The fish was a delight. Literally a skip and a hop from the ocean, fish is a dead-given to be fresh. But lightly penfriend, the cod fish with the eggplant dip was gastronomical. Everything from the Santorini pistachios, peppers and accompanying tomato salsa, is indigenously grown on the fertile volcanic soil of Santorini and Selene's dishes captures that "homely" essence.

The Vinsanto laced pigeon was perfectly done. The meat was juicy and bursting with flavour.
Served whole on a stick visually provided the rustic homely feeling and just invites you to gamely get down, dirty and yummy with your hands.

Soon we find ourselves nursing swelling stomachs and as we picked incessantly on the remaining pieces of meat left on the bones or on the plates, the sun starts to set.

Cue for the camera comes as diners start to leave their seats to capture the breath-taking sunset in timeless memories. Just for that moment, Santorini is etched in our memories for eternity.

And then we move on to dessert. A smiley man with a pleasant disposition about him came over to make several recommendations just couldn't refuse. I would later come to know that he is George Hatziyiannakis, the creator in the Selene's Kitchen, and the incredible genius responsible for the dessert of the trip I will never forget.

On the menu, it's described as something I would probably never touch with a ten-foot pole.
But when we sink our spoons in for the first bite, we couldn't get enough.
It's a light cheese dessert with a sweet tomato compote. The cheese is light and fluffy, and the sugary rich tomato sauce adds just the perfect amount of sweetness to end the heavy meal.

Eating into the sunset, this was the loveliest meal we had in Santorini and probably the only one I will recommend. It gets all the checks on my list.

Selene Restaurant
Fira - Santorini

Slow Food in Oia Santorini - 1800

We slowed down in Oiae for dinner. No hopes of the sunset for dinner at 6:30 but we were excited to find a restaurant that supported slow food right in the heart of the little town.

The cosy little restaurant is housed in a mansion supposedly built in the 1800s. The mansion was well preserved and oozing with rustic charm. The food, unfortunately left a little more to be desired after. The rooftop seating was closed and effectively removes any chance of having an ocean and volcano-view dinner. But the tiny alfresco seating was comfortable enough.

We started dinner with some bread sticks and fava bean dip. After being in Greece for over four days, it was the first time we were served something other then the olive. And I loved it.

The 'Opektika' - starters we ordered leaned more to Mediterranean then Greek. I couldn't resist the familiar king scallops and was most inquisitive about the white bream carpaccio. The carpaccio was served with a bed of fresh celeri heart, Madagascar peppercorn and sea urchin eggs. New to any of the aforementioned ingredients, we went for it. The bream was fresh with a nice firm crunch. Unfortunately the dish was much peppered with salt together with the other condiments and made it too salty for our palate.

The scallops were good with a nice chickpea puree and a complimenting citrus sauce. And thumbs up for colour combinations and presentation!

For our main course, we shared the lamb loin crusted with pistachios and stuffed cherry tomatoes and the risotto with mushroom, Parmesan cheese and truffle cream.

The lamb loins were a little too predictable and a little on the tough side. But the cherry tomatoes were pleasantly sweet. The truffle and mushroom risotto was a big letdown. The rice was too salty and the truffle cream, too heavy. The hint of truffle was of course pleasant, but the heaviness of the cream and the generosity with the salt was a complete turn-off. Even the crown of Parmesan cheese was tough on the bite and was not good.

The menu paired the traditional and authentic with new and innovative, but too disappointingly, they sounded too good to be true. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things, or we are not accustomed to the Greek palate, either way, I was left wanted.

So, we left without dessert and headed next door for some delectable dessert selection.