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.
Armed with our treasured sweets in a box, we left Oia with the last of the sunlight back to Fira.
1800 Restaurant Oia (Ia)
84702, Santorini, Cyclades Islands,
Greece
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