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You are here: Home / Travel / Europe / Greece / Varoulko Seaside – The Finest Seafood in Greece

Varoulko Seaside – The Finest Seafood in Greece

July 22, 2016 by Adrian York 11 Comments

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Last Updated on February 28, 2019 by Fiona Maclean

Varoulko at Mikromlano, Greece:

Varoulko Mikromilano
Mikrolimano is a beautifully situated Marina nestling in a bay next to Athens’ bustling port of Piraeus. I was last here about five years ago coming to eat fresh fish at one of the restaurants that overlooked the water.
Varoulko int 1
Since then there has been more development including Varoulko Seaside, a flagship restaurant for one of Greece’s most renown chefs Lefteris Lazarou, the son of a ship’s cook, who has created a “boat” on land, ‘a kitchen that will never get rocked by the waves.’ I was in Greece as the guest of Gastronomos magazine, the foodie magazine that is associated with the respected Kathimerini daily newspaper. I was there to cover their food producer awards and go on an Athens Gastronomos foodie walking tour which I will cover in another post, but this night was all about experiencing the food and atmosphere at Varoulko Seaside.
Lefteris LazarouLefteris Lazarou, the first Greek chef to receive a Michelin star, has created a suite of buildings that encompass restaurants, a bar, a demonstration kitchen, private dining and event spaces and even an art gallery. But I have come to eat and drink!
Varoulko egg mousseScrambled egg mousse was astonishingly delicious and light and spiked with a salty grey mullet bottarga. The mousse was matched with a Tsipouro based cocktail with geranium liqueur-Tsipouro is a clear Greek spirit similar to an Italian grappa made from pomace, the residue from wine production. The geranium liqueur has a rose flavour and is an acquired taste-one which didn’t work for me as a counterpoint to the salt and egg flavours of the dish.
Varoulko breamMuch more  successful for me was the Tsipouro cocktail with verbena, lime and ouzo which accompanied the Ionian Sea bream carpaccio with ouzo jelly. The fish was slathered with wilted greens and wonderful olive oil and the aniseed flavour of the ouzo jelly was witty and unexpected. For me the dish was a classic articulation of the healthy aspects of Greek gastronomy.
Varoulko octopusAnother wonderful manifestation of Greek seafood was the Aegean smoked octopus carpaccio with marinated greens. The accompanying wine was a well-balanced Ketchribari Estate Kechris 2015, Resin, 100% Roditis. This is one of the new breed of Retsinas where the resin is used in a much more subtle way than before.
Varoulko mulletRed mullet fillet was served on deep fried slices of sourdough, with pea purée, smoked aubergine mousse and tomato and carrot jam. Red mullet is one of my favourite fish and can stand up to the robust flavours that accompanied it. Tears of the Pine, Estate Kechris 2015, Resin, 100% Assyrtiko was another retsina but this time with the Assyrtiko grape from Santorini with its mineral, steely and citrus flavour profile.
Varoulko risottoAegean grilled grouper with lemon verbena risotto was one of my favourite dishes with the lemon verbena rissoto being something of a revelation. The wine match was again from Santorini, Estate Hatzidakis 2015, 100% Assyrtiko, but this time unresinated.
Varoulko dessert 1Valrhona white chocolate mousse, Rosemary, caramelised peaches, chocolate -hazelnut cream and peach sorbet. This was a well-constructed dessert but for me at this point in this great meal just a plate of watermelon would have been perfect! With the dessert we drank Chios mastiha liqueur-mastic (the resin from the mastic tree) is another of those typical Greek flavours. I first tried it a few years ago in an ice-cream and grew to love it.
Varoulko ext 3Greece has an amazing  resource in its natural produce. If you are in the Athens area you should make the trip to Varoulko Seaside to see it showcased in wonderful surroundings and framed by the imagination of a great chef who clearly respects the integrity of the raw materials.
Varoulko Seaside
Akti Koumoundourou 52
Mikrolimano, Piraeus
Phone: (+30) 210 5228400
E-mail: info@varoulko.gr

Filed Under: Greece, Travel Tagged With: Athens, Greece, Seafood

About Adrian York

Musician, academic and writer Adrian York is a keen observer of restaurant culture and the gastronomic scene. His spiritual home is Soho where he is mostly to be found playing the piano, propping up a bar or holding forth about politics, art and culture from behind a restaurant table with a linen napkin on his lap and a glass of champagne in his hand.

Comments

  1. Carly Moore says

    August 2, 2016 at 10:37 am

    Wow! It looks delicious. I wonder what it must feel like to become the first Greek chef to get to that michelin level. I’ve always wanted to eat at such a place!

    Reply
  2. Megan says

    August 1, 2016 at 5:53 am

    Wow! A beautiful venue and mouthwatering looking food. I’d love to give it a try. Guess I’ll have to give it a try.

    Reply
  3. melody pittman says

    July 31, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    Yum, that grilled grouper with lemon verbena risotto looks fab! The mousse and accompaniments are pretty impressive, too. Looks like a great night out.

    Reply
  4. Arzo Travels says

    July 31, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    What a beautiful view. Dinner with views like these are just the best!

    Reply
  5. Sia says

    July 30, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    I absolutely love Greek food and this looks delicious. Some of the dishes I couldn’t even understand what it is, quite creatively presented. Looks like you had some great meals.

    Reply
  6. Stevie Wilson says

    July 30, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    What a delightful meal and a great introduction to your events in Greece! Sounds like you had an amazing trip!

    Reply
  7. Karla says

    July 30, 2016 at 8:38 pm

    SEems a little pricey but looks yummy

    Reply
  8. Dannielle says

    July 30, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    Such an imaginative menu – scrambled egg mousse? It all looks delicious. Very different to the food I ate when I was in Greece a few years back.

    Reply
  9. Danik the Explorer says

    July 30, 2016 at 4:31 pm

    The food looks great here but is an overpriced restaurant compared to others? love the photos

    Reply
  10. Karilyn says

    July 30, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    Looks like a fabulous place. Probably a lot nicer than I usually happen upon while traveling, but maybe i need to up my game!

    Reply
  11. Salt in our Hair says

    July 25, 2016 at 9:28 pm

    Looks delicious!

    Reply

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