I realized which Ace Hotel in Glyfada was after I had walked through Sebastian`s door and saw Elvi Dimitris Zyba`s menu. This is the group where their hotel in Kyoto is hosting Noma`s pop-up restaurant for the second time. I was reminded of it by the chef himself, and I won`t hide that I was surprised since I was expecting them to make some noise about their arrival in Athens. Anyway, Sebastian, the first restaurant inside the Athens Ace Hotel & Swim Club, is a beautiful all-day bistro that mixes flavours from America and France in a cosmopolitan setting with the Athenian Riviera as a backdrop. The name refers to Saint Sebastian, who was associated with caring for others, so symbolically and practically, they wanted to be identified with hospitality.
Although it`s still in its infancy, and I want to avoid jumping to conclusions, Elvi Dimitris Zyba, who splits his time between his Esthio in Koukaki and Ace Hotel, has done an excellent job. He`s stepped into American-style bistros that love French cuisine, so Sebastian`s menu - I`m talking about dinner - hides some exciting and delicious dishes that the more he works on, the more they shine.
His gougers served with a delicious anchovy mayonnaise are well done, but where I said "here we are" was in his steamed mussels with fried potatoes and crusty bread on their jelly. They would look great with a little too much acidity, though. The lobster, accompanied by fries, kept its flesh juicy on the grill. At the same time, the best dish of the night was a fantastic surf and turf meatloaf with grilled lobster and a sauce of dense deliciousness, an American meatloaf, which in our case was rectangular and made with ground pork and beef. Finally, the rib eye I tried was excellent. And an extra tip: Those of you who love natural wines have an additional reason to head down to Glyfada, as the Wine curates the list is Fine team.
Info: 1 Artemisiou 1, Glyfada, Athens, Greece 166 75 tel. 2100220176