sushi, me and the old sea..

ok, long tall bamboo canes, dark colors and low intensity luminous environment, don’t exactly signify a sunny golden sand beach. “hama”(the seashore in Japanese) though, may refer to the eternal sunshine of the spotless sushi at Venice Beach California(where the first “hama sushi” was established)! and it’s true you can find some really sexy signature dishes here.

the entrance

indoors

 view from above

the eternal sunshine of the spotless sushi!

you can taste some light steamed shrimp dumplings with spicy ponzu dip, some creamy tempura shrimps with sweet mayo, some fine spicy tuna, salmon avocado and shrimp tempura(ebiten) rolls, some luscious salmon philadelphia rolls with asparagus and the ultimate black angus rib eye teriyaki with sweet truffle soy sauce. in famous chef Take(matsuhisa mykonos & coo) we trust.

steamed shrimp dumplings

rock shrimp tempura

uramaki rolls

salmon philadelphia

black angus rib eye teriyaki

executive sushi chef Take(w/ dark t-shirt) & chef Lin

in famous chef Take we trust

before leaving this Asian boardwalk treat yourself with a soft mint chocolate ice cream scoop. made you think of the after eight chocolate thins hah?

mint chocolate ice cream

so go my friends, get high by the beach!

“hama” 34 Grigoriou Lampraki street, Glifada, Athens, Greece, tel. +30 210 9600595

“hama north“ 15 Agiou Trifonos street, Kifissia, Athens, Greece, tel. +30 210 6230330

http://hamasushi.gr

big sky pad thai..

go up the lighted staircase, pass the golden bamboo hallway and enter the sumptuous scenery! the new “oozora”(big sky in Japanese) is made of marble, wood and black bamboo. you will get the warm Asiatique feeling pretty damn well.

the entrance

indoors

indoors-marble bar table at the back

the bar

you will get the warm Asiatique feeling pretty damn well

sharpen your chopsticks and off you go. you can taste some Cantonese dumplings with prawns and a light velvety peanut butter sauce, some golden crusted tempura prawns with Japanese green curry, some out of this world Siamese bao buns with chicken and spring onions, some heavenly rolls like spicy tuna, philadelphia(smoked salmon and cream cheese), seared hamachi(asparagus and hamachi fish), salmon asparagus, beef miso(rib eye and eggplant miso) and california(crab, cucumber and avocado), some exquisite iberiko pork dim sum, a lip-smacking pad thai(rice noodles, prawns and tofu) and a delicious peanut butter chicken satay. enough said!

Cantonese dumplings

ebi mayo

bao buns

spicy tuna, philadelphia & seared hamachi

salmon asparagus, beef miso & california

iberico dim sum

pad thai

chicken satay

sharpen your chopsitcks and off you go

namelaka is the japanese term for creamy texture. it is also the name of the ultra-refined melting chocolate sphere served at “oozora”. do the math. pour over the hot caramel and watch some magic happen! ok, you can have some sweet roasted banana with peanut butter ice cream too.

namelaka

roasted banana w/ peanut butter ice cream

pour over the hot caramel and watch some magic happen!

so go my friends, you will love it as big as the sky.

“oozora” 54 Diligianni street, Kifisia, Greece, tel. +30 210 8018515

http://www.oozora.gr

 

 

class, elegance, sushi..

ok now, what is the most elegant type of food? please leave out all the graceful juicy burgers and the refined long and thin strands of pasta. sushi is the answer; full of fine textures, colors and shapes. “miyabi” is the word for the Japanese aesthetic ideal of refinement, thus the perfect name for the new sushi diner in town. Mr. Kazuaki Shitamori and the chef Mr. Masahide Isomoto are the hosts. the place is mini-mal both indoors and outdoors.

indoors

outdoors

the hosts; chef Mr. Masahide Isomoto and Mr. Kazuaki Shitamori

chef’s table

the taste will do the work. there you can have a colorful seafood salad with yuzu and truffle oil, a textured torched tuna with sesame and truffle oil, an aromatic sea bass with three kinds of citrus and chili, some adored salmon, fatty tuna and scallop nigiri, and some of the freshest rolls(hoso-maki, ura-maki) around. salmons, shrimps, tunas and eels embracing cucumbers, avocados, sesame and creamy sauces. oh, my lord! you can taste a bit of heaven in these Japanese omelet rolls.

seafood salad w/ yuzu & truffle oil

torched tuna

sea bass w/ three kinds of citrus & chili

nigiri

hoso-maki & ura-maki

have a sip of your “kirin”(popular Japanese draft beer) and that’s all you will probably need that day.

“kirin” beer

so go my friends, you might achieve the highest grace!

“miyabi” 3 Giannitsopoulou street, Glifada, Athens, Greece, tel: +30 210 8944845

https://www.facebook.com/MiyabiSushiDiningLounge

a Japanese chrysanthemum in the heart of Athens..

looking back at the gastronomic map of Greece someone can easily say that “kiku”(means chrysanthemum) was the first authentic Japanese restaurant in Athens. since its opening it remained true to the values and principles of the Japanese tradition while presenting to the Greek public what it really stands for. and let’s be honest, that wasn’t easy about 20 years ago! in the calming atmosphere of this place, nature and lighting coexist and cooperate in providing the ultimate culinary experience. the dishes are typical but also with a twist. there you can try some light steamed dumplings, some tender chicken skewers, some special nigiri and some of the finest rolls like prawn tempura, fried or spicy tuna. i also tried some special off menu spicy prawn tempura rolls with kabayaki sauce. i have to admit that i am still dreaming of the MKM aka fried tuna roll with tuna tartar; don’t miss it, really. i suggest you also try the heavenly desserts like the chocolate fondant with ginger and coconut ice cream and cocktails from the “blossomed” bar. this winter you can also enjoy your dinner at the new “kiku” up north. so go visit this exquisite temple of Japanese cuisine my friends!

the bar

the restaurant

indoors

steamed dumplings w/ shrimp

chicken skewers

prawn tempura rolls

spicy tuna rolls

MKM aka fried tuna rolls

salmon nigiri

spicy prawn tempura rolls w/ kabayaki

chocolate fondant w/ coconut ice cream   

“kiku” Dimokritou 12, Kolonaki, Athens, Greece, tel: +30 210 3647003

Perikleous 7, Neo Psyhiko, Athens, Greece

http://www.athenskiku.com

“stay hungry bitch”.. NOT..

i visited a new hip place in Athens. it is in Vouliagmeni area and it surely has an interesting name; “stay hungry bitch”. do not be fooled by this quote, because ordering too many dishes, will overfeed your body and soul and finally leave you with a stomachache. the portions at this restaurant are really big! you can try things like, vietnamese rolls with tuna, rice balls with cuttlefish ink and squid, black cod tacos, and meat like black angus and many more. you will enjoy a kind of a gourmet street food blend listening to some really nice music. so this is what i suggest “stay hungry at least one day before you visit this place bitches”!

the place

vietnamese tuna rolls

rice cuttlefish ink balls

black angus

black cod tacos

“stay hungry bitch”, leoforos posidonos & orfeos 2, vouliagmeni greece, tel. +30 2108960323