For dessert, he recommends a cold crème with Chios masticha topped with a sauce made from rose-petals.
Giantes: + 30 210 3301369
Tarazza: Roof with a View
Chef Aristofanis Tsanaklides

Much of the ancient city of Athens lies at the foot of the Thission and Monastiraki quarters. This neighborhood is always busy and attracts – even during summer – people who like to take a walk through time. On one of the busiest pedestrian streets, right by the ancient agora (market), there is a beautiful three-story Neo-classical building decorated with light colors. It is the restaurant Kuzina (meaning kitchen). Though not viewable from the street, this building also has a roof, which houses a complementary establishment in the summertime called Tarazza. With the Temple of Hephaestus just a few meters away and with a close panoramic view of the Temple of Acropolis, this roof garden functions as a threshold between Ancient and Modern Athens.
Chef Aris Tsanaklides is a world citizen. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, he has worked in Mexico, Japan and various US States including Hawaii and California. When he returned to Greece, he opened a couple of high-end restaurants including the prestigious Spondi. He then became the Executive Chef for the entire Everest Group. In Kouzina & Tarazza, Chef Tsanaklides has created his own little temple of creative Greek cuisine, where he tempts sophisticated diners with his menu of 11 summer specials.

The idea behind Tarazza was to create light, Greek-style dishes to accompany champagne cocktails. As an alternative, there is a Greek wine list. This concept is an elegant expression of his general definition of Greek summer food: a light, more flavorful cuisine that tempts both the eye and the palate.

Among his dishes is avgotaraho which he describes as “world’s finest Bottarga from Greece’s finest producer, Trikalinos”. He serves it with a little bit of butter on a small bruschetta, finished off with a drizzle of olive oil. He is a strong advocate of “minimal invasion” when the raw material is of superb quality. On the other hand, he knows how to be as creative as it gets: he makes a seviche of fruits of the sea marinated with lime and cilantro, spicy piquillo pepper and Tsipouro, which is presented in a martini glass. He also offers a Sashimi of Greek yellowfin tuna with wasabe, aioli, daikon radish and cucumber. For Chef Tsanaklides, summer also means substituting heavy sauces with pure extra virgin olive oil or flavored olive oil. He serves cured octopus with fennel shavings and aromatic herb olive oil, as well as a cold grilled vegetable terrine with goat cheese and basil oil. His innovative menu also includes a selection of prominent Greek cheeses , like Graviera from Crete, Kasseri from Sokos and Ladotyri from Mytilene.

He mentions Greek fruits and vegetables with a paternal affection: white eggplants, zucchini and small Greek cucumbers from the island of Naxos. Downstairs at Kuzina, he serves a very popular salad with watermelon, Feta cheese and arugula. He also serves sikomaida, a fig tart marinated in anise seed and Ouzo, wrapped with walnut leaves, a delicacy which deserves international gourmet status.

When all cocktails and dishes have been consumed and the lights are off at Tarazza, Chef Aris Tsanaklides goes upstairs, sits alone and finally gets to enjoy his favorite dish: Greece.

Kuzina: + 30 210 3240133