Plyta: Pangrati’s New Talk of the Town

Kafeneio – Refreshment Room – Grill House. That’s how Plyta describes itself — a place that opened just three days ago on the square of the same name, in Plita Square, Pangrati. Periklis Koskinas, Giannis Loukakis, Marios Korovesis and Spyros Pediaditakis have created something that feels at once like a memory and an experiment. The memory part needs no explanation — it simply happens. It’s there in the things you recognise without knowing why; in that faint sense of familiarity that you can feel but can’t quite trace.

I call it an experiment, almost inevitably, because here you have four figures from the world of contemporary gastronomy trying to reach simplicity — without turning it into a performance. Not a “staged” version of tradition, not the faux-rustic aesthetic so many modern restaurants adopt when they pretend to be humble. That’s what I felt, and that’s what I’m writing. On the contrary, what they seem to be searching for is the essence — to see whether you can return to what shaped you without idealising it. And they prove that you can, when you let things simply be what they are. When you stop trying to “refine” the familiar, and instead, you trust it.

There isn’t much to say about the space — or rather, there doesn’t need to be. Before I even stepped inside, I was almost certain it would look like this, if not exactly like this. The familiar aesthetic of the new Athenian “simple”: mosaic floors, marble-topped tables, wooden chairs, grey walls, an open kitchen with its metal framework breathing over the fire. A minimalist room, cool in tone but instantly on point: you’re not here to look around in awe — you’re here to eat. And how do you eat? The answer seems obvious once you consider who’s in the kitchen: Giannis Loukakis, the man who essentially inspired Greece’s gastrotaverna movement; Periklis Koskinas, one of the most important chefs of his generation, who works wonders whenever he turns to the sea; Marios Korovesis, highly talented and until recently head chef at Cookoovaya; and Spyros Pediaditakis, a world-class pastry chef who’s surprised us more than once with his desserts.

How wrong could this quartet possibly go? Perhaps it could — but only if they didn’t share one essential thing: the need to cook with honesty, without pretence; to rediscover the obvious as if for the very first time. I imagine the menu will change often. When I first looked at it — and at these prices — I couldn’t help myself and ordered far too much. Dishes range from €5 to €13, with a few specials reaching €19 — a quality-to-price ratio that’s increasingly rare.

The tomatoes were outstanding — sweet, juicy, genuine. The skordalia was powerful and rich, with no unnecessary embellishments. The raw prawns from Koilada carried the scent of the sea and a perfect freshness, while the sardines, roasted in the wood oven with cherry tomatoes, tasted exactly as they should when everything has been done with real care. The ingredients at Plyta are exceptional, one by one. Don’t miss the irresistible graviera pie and the properly made lakerda (cured bonito). I could feel Giannis Loukakis’ touch in many of the dishes — and I liked it very much. And then, in other moments, you could sense Periklis Koskinas. When Koskinas cooks from the heart, the flavour is intoxicating. At one point, a sauce arrived — pure bourdeto with a slice of toasted bread on the side — and if that isn’t Greece, then what is? I’m reminded of a few months ago at Le Calandre, when the great Massimiliano Alajmo served a dish with the same kind of logic and emotional power. We finished with rooster pilaf, the best I’ve ever had in Athens, and with the ultimate guilty pleasure: slow-cooked goat in tomato sauce over fried potatoes — a dish that needs no description.

The chocolate tart by Spyros Pediaditakis was delicious, light, and delicately textured, though personally I’d have liked a touch more boldness in flavour. Even so, it clearly showed the pastry chef’s class and precision.