Why Merceri Food & Drink was considered a solid value from the very beginning

Some restaurants have the credentials to become classics from the moment they open. One is Merceri Food & Drink, on the pedestrian street of Herakleidon. It`s no coincidence that the Michelin Guide almost immediately spotted it - it`s been recommended since the 2022 edition - nor has it had a star in the FNL Best Restaurant Awards since last year. But beyond any accolades, the important thing is that it has become a hangout for many Athenians who want to enjoy a quiet evening with good food and excellent, polite, warm and efficient service in a correspondingly elegant and discreet environment. These are, obviously, the reasons why so many foreigners choose it.

I usually avoid references to people`s gender. Still, at Merceri Food & Drink, there are more than a few times when, while observing the rhythms of its open kitchen, I noticed that the restaurant`s two chefs, Melina Homata and Maria Dioudi, are used to moving with well-balanced gestures, without tension, but also with an impressive dedication to what they do, which made me reflect that there were times - not so long ago - when some worthy and perceptive women invented recipes and laid the foundations for the evolution of cooking.

The need to return to our fixed values, possibly translated as taste - which, I remind you, includes the concept of deliciousness - pushed us to visit Merceri Food & Drink a few days ago. Flipping through their small menu, I was delighted to find that several dishes I had loved on previous visits remained on their menu with slight seasonal variations. Sometimes, it`s important to rediscover what you love - and it`s also nice to find that they`re served in a more sophisticated version. This realisation contributes to a sense of `familiarity` - an element that answers our demands for deliciousness. We ordered à la carte and chose a couple of dishes from his excellent raw ceviche with fish of the day and the beef fillet tartare, with Dijon mustard, olives, onion and chilli, to which those chopped black olives added a pleasing "tone of spice" that changed the whole scene. A common request from my group was to share the excellent veloute with parsnip, lobster, truffle butter (subtle) and trout eggs. Although there was some redundancy in the size of our order, we didn`t regret it both because all the dishes were lightly cooked and because the wine pairing suggested by the sommelière worked perfectly with our dishes, helping us to move pleasantly from one stage to the next.

Of the mains, apart from the duck, which is a firm favourite, as it is perfectly roasted and served with kumquats and a plum sauce and thin slices of sour apple, I also appreciated that Iberico secreto (Pata Negra pork tenderloin), which came cooked correctly, its delicious skin crispy. Of the desserts, I singled out the honey parfait with caramelised Valrhona milk chocolate, almonds and aniseed, served with a crispy honey waffle; again, perhaps the pairing was helped by the way the Très Vieux Pineau de Charantes Bache-Gabrielsen Bache-Gabrielsen tied in, as its aromatic notes (honey, confit orange, butter, pain d`épices and nuts) joined the dessert notes.

Yes, this is a restaurant I would go back to. It is consistent and better each time.