Speaking of ovens, I’m starving. I pop into the gift shop and pick up an Apollo Playmobil toy for my son, say efharisto to Katsoulakos, and hop a cab to Cookoovaya, which is in a neighborhood the locals simply refer to as “Hilton,” because, yes, there’s a big Hilton hotel at its center.
I settle into a table on the patio and take in the giant painting of the restaurant’s original chef-owners—all stars on the Athens food scene—hanging over the bar inside. Cookoovaya means owl in Greek, which is also the symbol of wisdom, and the focus here is on “wise cuisine.”
On the recommendation of consulting chef Florian Ogici, I go for the grilled octopus and pureed fava appetizer, and then the special, a whole scorpion fish, half of which is baked in tomato sauce and half of which is served in four different raw preparations: ceviche with tomato and avocado, tartare with thyme and yuzu, sashimi with ginger and apple, and carpaccio with spring greens. “We try to use the most simple ingredients and not dress them up too much,” Ogici says. “We want to let the fish be the flavor.” Mission deliciously accomplished
Πηγή: hemispheresmag.com
