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Royal Treatment in Vouliagmeni
Went for Sunday Brunch (Pranzo dela Domenica – Italian for Sunday’s Lunch) to Mercato at Four Seasons. It turned out that the reservation via Open Table didn’t work. Had several embarrassing experiences with this reservation service. Concerning the Sunday Brunch at Mercato I didn’t like the two seatings (two hours each) concept giving not enough time to enjoy the delicacies. One may need at least three hours in order to avoid eating in a hurry.
Reception and treatment by the staff were kingly. They were courteous and respectful, never loosing their sense of humour. Got to know the chef, Mrs Maggie Tampakaki, we had a small chat; she’s a very charming lady endowed with fabulous cooking skills.
The hors d’oeuvre were pure subtle art: mind-blowing vitelo tonato, steamed cod with garlicky spinach and lemon, exquisite charcuterie, variations of smoked salmon; the other seafood was somewhat average. One of the most amazing dishes was Maggie’s 100-layer-lasagne: optics, scent and taste, simply divine. The other big surprise was the porchetta which contained the suckling pig’s head (and the cheeks of course). It had to be prepared several days in advance and went through a laborious cooking process. The tender and juicy meat absorbed all the herbs aroma and it felt like foam on the tongue. The buffet featured top quality beef brisket and short rib from the smoker. Although I’m not a dessert fan, I had to indulge in some specialities laid out: a superb interpretation of mille feuille, cheese cake with forest berries, pistachio eclair. A nice touch was the distribution of the tiramisù from a carriage which had been pushed beween the tables.
Non-alcoholic and hot beverages were in the price included, which at 80EUR was reasonable keeping in mind the outstanding products and performance. Wines were available à la carte and insanely overpriced. Travelling to/from city center takes time and costs money but the effort is definitely highly rewarding.
To sum up, it was the highlight of my stay in Athens and I wouldn’t hesitate to take this option for a Sunday afternoon into consideration should I have this opportunity ever again.