This
is the time of the year when we start dreaming of
sun bleached Mediterranean beeches. A few months
will see Tupolov and Boeing loads of jolly people
flapping off to Greece to soak up the sun and retsina.
However for those who need to get in to training,
before taking on the challenge of Greece's resin
flavoured wine, and get to understand the cuisine
of that region, there is now a good educational
facility.
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| The Santorini (Ul Egipska 7. Tel: 672
0525) is located in an area which is about as for
from an idyllic Greek beach as one can get. It is
not even that easy to spot lurking at the back of
a concrete nasty surrounded by other concrete nasties.
I must admit that my heart sank after the taxi, which
had wafted me over the Wistla, deposited me in this
uninspiring neighbourhood. |
However I was now committed and I caterpillered
around the side of the host building and into the
courtyard of the Santorini. I was quickly changing
my mind and once through the door I knew that somehow
somebody had bought a tiny piece of Mediterranean
sun to the grim realities of contemporary Warsaw.
I suppose in reality the cleverest part of the design
is that with a high walled patio and a striped canvas
cover over it, at the height of the walls, there is
absolutely no view of the world outside. Instead one
is in a place with whitewashed walls with splashes
of pastel blue and pink on balustrades. There are
plants and clever rope bits to let down the multiple
candle holders and the furniture is pleasantly rustic.
A great deal of thought and effort has gone into this
remarkably authentic decor. The ultimate proof is
in the downstairs loo’s were the theme is continued!
The menu has no attempts to appease the locals and
is strictly Greek only dishes. There is a particularly
good starter section under mezedes and zesti (hot)
mezedes. I am very fond of Greek food particularly
for it's enormous range of starters which can be a
meal in themselves. Sitting soaking up the atmosphere
with a continual stream of different dishes and a
good supply of wine is my image of Greece.
I had a plate of cold mixed starters which included
tzatziki (yoghurt, cucumber and garlic), houmous (mashed
chick peas), taramasalata (cods row paste), dolmas
(stuffed grape leaves), feta cheese and octopus. I
rated the octopus highly and was less impressed with
the rest. In particular I had an extra potion of taramasalata,
which is a dish I really miss, and this was disappointing
being dry and insipid.
The wine list is exclusively Greek, although the house
wine, at Zl.20, is provided by Greece's neighbour,
Bulgaria. I have drunk plenty of Greek wine so I decided
that the Sofia was as good value as anything. It arrived
decanted into a white urn.
After the cold dish I had a plate of fried calamari
which were freshly cooked and only lightly battered.
With plenty of lemon I enjoyed this dish a great deal.
For mains the grill is clearly the preferred cooking
method, although there are three oven dishes. The
souvlaki dishes are kebabs and the options are pig,
chicken and seafood. There were also chops of the
same meats plus veal and lamb. I asked for lamb chops
which were sadly off, and an unpleasant reminder that
I was really in Poland, since lamb would never be
off in Greece. So I settled for a chicken souvlaki
which came pleasantly cooked and with a good garnish
of rice.
I had a mila apple to finish which was a baked, and
fruit and nuts, stuffed apple. Also I decided that
I would risk a retsina. The best retsina I had was
in a village, near the mainland Turkish border, where
it came in crown cork topped bottles. That was some
retsina that was. This version was not a patch on
that but was able to remind me why I avoid the stuff
like the plague.
The final bill was for Zl.85 including service, added
by myself. I enjoyed my meal at the Santorini and
it is definitely the place to go for those longing
for more than just sunshine to remind them of Greek
days past, and days to come. |
