Pelagos: The best menu signed by Luca Piscazzi to date

I think what Luca Piscazzi has been doing for the last three summers at Pelagos, attempting to present the culinary richness of the Greek islands creatively and elegantly, is not easy. In this year`s Pelagos on Tour he has chosen three Cyclades that can stand out for a thousand reasons; one is their cuisine with a treasure trove of raw materials at its heart: Sifnos, Naxos and Santorini. The Pelagos team has even ensured that visitors get a first taste of these wanderings from the beautiful photography with which they adorned the restaurant`s lobby. 

On his travels to these Cycladic islands, Piscazzi met the best producers, scoured traditional recipes, sampled their fine restaurants and, on his return to Athens, created the most complete menu he has presented at Pelagos. The dishes centred around one material are teeming with high-level techniques, balanced, delicate, with weighted tensions, beautiful complexity and consequently very tasty. Yes, this work is embroidered with golden thread.

Santorini, however, gave him the inspiration for the two top specialities of this year`s Pelagos on Tour: it`s a wonderfully fresh tomato stuffed with sun-dried tomato cream with carob and caviar, and at the base, the dish is completed with watermelon water flavoured with ginger and Luisa—a masterpiece. The white aubergines served with velvety flesh, fantastic beurre blanc with yuzu, oysters, Iberico belly, and fresh peach were also excellent, in a composition that could have been a masterclass in balance and exemplary complexity. The famous potatoes from Naxos are translated into wonderfully textured gnocchi, made with plankton and acqua pazza broth paired with sardine tartare and a sharp sauce of watercress and sorrel, while both the impeccably cooked sole (pictured below) with champagne sauce and the dry-aged beef in an airy tomato and cucumber consommé were expertly paced by the kitchen. I found the idea of condensing the deliciousness of the Naxian graviera into a cloudy-textured waffle, which heralded a well-made dessert, like a homage to the Santorini peanut, very clever.

Add to all of the above the restaurant`s magical atmosphere, the view of the bay of Asteras and the - every time better - service, and you`ll find that Pelagos` proposition this summer is irresistible and charming. As I sampled Piscazzi`s dishes, there were more than a few moments when I was reminded again of that night at La Dame de Pic in London, where he won the second star with Luca as head chef. How well Emily Dickinson had said it: `Luck is not random, it`s hard work. The smile of success is earned." And how right she was...