Mediterranean products and pairings perfectly highlighting every single flavor reflect chef Costas Angelopoulos’s talent at creating beautiful and appetising dishes.
The chef’s sophisticated cooking has influences by modern cooking techniques and is basically formed by his passion for hearty and comfort cuisine. As a result, he creates a unique “comfort gourmet” cuisine served in one of the most picturesque locations of Santorini, at “Ifestioni”, the restaurant of the Aressana Hotel in the center of Fira.
Our dinner started with a reformed Athenian salad. The vegetables were crunchy and perfectly grilled. The homemade mayonnaise balanced the greasiness and a fine melon slice on top, added a delicate freshness, turning the salad into an excellent summer first course. Best way to start with. An amazing sea bass ceviche with marinated strawberry and lime juice came up next. I would definitely have another one of that!
The course with a comb was another pleasant surprise. Perfectly sautéed, crunchy and juicy, it was served with wild greens of santorian land (karmamida), which added a pinch of bitterness and a little bit acidity, because they were marinated in lime. At the top, a seemingly mismatched ingredient, popcorn pork, completed a technically perfect dish.
The cod fish with celeriac, egg-lemon sauce (avgolemono) and quince which came next, reminded me of my childhood. To be more specific, it tasted just like fricassee, a spring specialty, but chef Costas Angelopoulos turned it into the most amazing summer dish. The fish was tender and juicy paired with velvety celeriac puree and the egg-lemon sauce was perfectly made.
A tender tri tip (a small triangular muscle located between the belly and the thigh), served with black beluga lentils, cantharellus mushroom and three different onion textures was the last course of our menu. The meat was covered with a delicate sauce and an aromatic spring truffle borchii. Absolutely perfect!
At the epilogue of our meal, both of the desserts served were playful, light and balanced, with pure summer profile. Chocolate lovers will love the illanka chocolate mousse, made with Greek coffee cream, butter biscuit, cocoa cake and turkish delight gels on top.
