Αsωtos, first impressions

November 03, 2024
Thalia Tsichlakis
Thalia Tsichlaki attended a dress rehearsal of Asωtos, which opened on Tuesday, 5/11, and records her first impressions.
  • ΑSΩTOS, FIRST IMPRESSIONS | News & Views

As you may remember, we had already - since the end of August, on Asωtos taking the place of Frater & Soror, the popular bar-restaurant of Scouts Square- saying that their chef Michalis Merzenis would present his version of modern comfort Greek food. At last, the "wills" were over, and Asωtos opened its doors "gently", with a soft opening, on Friday, 1 November. So we found ourselves in that familiar space transformed to host this modern kitchen bar restaurant, a.k.a. wine bar restaurant.

And indeed, the dishes from the menu I tasted that night were precisely what Michalis Merzenis had described to me two or two and a half months before: simple, with an emphasis on quality raw materials, which he prefers to source, as far as possible, directly from Greek producers. And this choice answers, in a way, the likely question: "What does the adjective "prodigal" refer to, culinary-wise, or even that "rogue taverna", which some of you may have seen flaunted on Asωtos` profile on Instagram?

Do you remember that Bible parable of the father and two sons? After claiming his share of the father`s property that was his due, the youngest went off to live in the world, and before he could rejoice, he cut it up and left cloth to cloth. In this way, the prodigal realized that he was no longer taken. So, to save himself, he had to go back, tail between his legs, to his father`s house, asking his father to forgive him for his debauchery and take him back as a servant .

And at this point, we come, at last, to the crux of the parable and the explanation of the name; the loving father not only forgave him but set up a whole feast to celebrate his repentance by slaughtering his "muskon the muskrat," that is, his best-fed calf - or, otherwise, his choicest possession. Michael Merzenis promises to cook with similar fine raw materials - inviting us around a "family table", a homemade fragrance identical to the biblical table set up to celebrate the family`s return of the prodigal son. And that`s why his menu will always be homey and comforting. His dishes combine the warmth of the familiar, the Greek, without limiting them to be seasoned with more Mediterranean spices and spices - mainly lavender - but also incorporating the chef`s taste experiences from various other ethnic cuisines. And, as you can understand, due to the composition of the owners` team, who love wine and refined drinks, here we can accompany our food, choosing either one of the natural and non-wines on the list or a cocktail of our choice. That evening, they were "playing" mainly with classic cocktails.

On our plates, now! We started with sourdough bread with trahanas, which came with their butter. We also ordered the burnt tomato oil tarama (white tarama, with an extra, fishy umami, apparently due to some dashi). The next dish was their handmade labneh, with fire-roasted Florina peppers, raisins, pine nuts and fluffy pita bread. Two other seafood dishes followed: the Greek tuna tartare with diced cucumber, roasted corn, catfish dressing and valerian and a mackerel with ariani, chopped celery, cucumber, green apple, dill and lime.

Moving on to the meats, I found the cabbage noodle a clever idea - I will undoubtedly seek to try it again on a regular flow day, just as I want to try the liver fritters with fresh tomato sauce and lemon confit again, which I liked as an idea. In contrast, the spaghetti bolognese, with its very charred and fatty, chopped pieces of meat - didn`t remind me of the familiar ragù bolognese. Indeed, of course, the one that stood out for its deep deliciousness was the pasticcio in foil, which came set up like a crispy tart with rich cream cheese (Naxos arseniko) flavoured with nutmeg and truffle.

The pumpkin cake with its rich crème patissière, pollen and pumpkin seeds - which wasn`t an anniversary cake because of Halloween - if you love pumpkin, you should try it, unless you`re a chocolate person, in which case go straight for the "unforgettable" serrano doughnut. That`s all for now; we`ll be back for more when Asωtos has time to settle in for good, and his team has entirely found its footing.

As I saw them, you average around €50-60 per person, with wine.

Info: 6 Amunda, Scout Square, tel. 2107213720

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