I stopped and had a meal at the restaurant in O&B Athens Boutique Hotel during my latest visit in Greece!
It was conveniently located near the main shopping street in Athens. Sadly there are plenty of graffiti in the area but apparently the locals simply got used to it. Some of them shared with us that it isn’t a gang marking their territory like they do in many American cities. Instead, it’s a way of expression for people to speak with the Greek government. They decided to go that direction since the violent protest that happened earlier really didn’t bear much fruit. Fortunately they aren’t spray painting on the national monuments. Anyway, I took a break at the O&B Hotel’s restaurant and enjoyed quite a few dishes.
I was seated quickly next to the wonderful floor to ceiling windows with city views. The restaurant looked very clean and modern. The lovely server quickly brought fresh baked bread with olive oil from Lesvos with a unique spread. This was very much appreciated as I was quite exhausted and parched from the Greek summer weather. As hungry as I was, I decided to have a full course meal.
Style Details
Dress | ASOS
Purse | SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
Sandals | GUCCI
Jewelry | TURQUOISE JEWELRY
For appetizers, I had two different unique dishes: The skewered cheese with bell peppers and the Spartan smoked pork with orange and rosemary sauce. I love European cheese and I was certainly enamored by those found in Greece! They kind of look like a big fried tofu cube yet, its cheese! The cheese was light and decadent while the bell peppers provided a slight spice to the dish. The cheese also had a sweet balsamic flavor. Apparently this was a traditional plate form Cyprus.
I chose the Spartan smoked pork primarily because I was curious about Sparta itself (thank you 300 movie). It was somewhat dry yet thick and flavorful. It was also not salty which is always appreciated. The smoky flavor was evident only on the outside of the pork; the remainders of the pork slices are reminiscent to baked American ham. The appetizers tasted quite wonderful with the famous Greek Mythos beer. A refreshing flavor after a good day’s walk around Athens.
The next two mains I had the pleasure of enjoying are extremely different from each other. My taste buds will have to be on overdrive to handle these two distinct dishes. The first one is a medium veal bone-in with baked potato. This veal was the most flavorful, rich, and oily meat I have ever enjoyed. The texture was so amazingly soft and juicy. Whenever I have a choice to either have a steak bone-in or not, I always elect to have it with the bone as the richness from the marrow contributes so much towards the flavor and texture of the steak. The baked potato with cream cheese and parsley complemented the rich veal very well.
I would say the next dish is much more gentle than the veal as it was the Mediterranean Sea bass with rice. The sea bass is my favorite fish therefore, I was very excited when I saw this on the menu. The sea bass was delightfully light and quite wonderfully oily. The bed of rice was mixed with spices, some coriander and onions, which complimented the fish well. The veal and sea bass contrasted each other so much; I enjoyed the entire meal that much more.
For dessert, I elected to have two unique desserts. I got to enjoy the Revani cake with vanilla ice cream and a cheesecake made from goats milk with strawberries. The revani cake came with quite a generous slice all drenched with syrup. At first glance, I thought it would be extremely sweet but it wasn’t sweet at all! It was warm which I also enjoyed with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The cheesecake made with a unique anthotyro cheese created a light cheese flavor and smooth texture. The strawberries reminded me of the strawberries and syrup at those carnival funnel cakes. I finished off the entire meal with a traditional rakomelo, which is a shot of liquor and honey. Apparently they are boiled together with herbs and served warm. This restaurant serves it cold which actually made it easy to go down.
Truthfully, my meal at O&B Athens Boutique Hotel was one of my most memorable meals in Athens. Beautiful, modern interior combined with unique, flavorful dishes – it’s an easy favorite! Don’t forget to stop by when in Greece!
Thanks to O&B Athens All Day Bar Restaurant | 5 Leokoriou str. | Athens | Greece | (+30) 210 33