Aleria, Athens, 4/18/15

front door
front door

A lovely dining room with several lesser rooms located through a hallway, with all dining on the second floor. They offer a degustation menu of 5 course and wine pairing of 4 or 5 glasses and an a la carte menu. Service is efficient, if a bit rushed and the dining room fills at later time than some of the others we visited. Could this be because more local folks eat there than tourists? Everyone has a bottle of water on ice waiting at the table which is a nice touch and after you’ve ordered you are presented the basket of housemate breads which are all quite good along with a traditional spread of fish eggs, although I couldn’t really find the fishy taste.

Outside
Outside

We chose the tasting menu which started with marinated swordfish, substituted for Croaker that evening. Mild taste but nice textures and very fresh fish. The urchin sauce was very creamy and nice but overall it could have used the addition of a few herbs to give a bit more umph. The pumpkin mousse was light with strong flavor of truffles, creamy chestnuts and smokey ham – this one was a winner and I was glad to have the nice bread to wipe my bowl clean. the lamb was very tender with a crispy skin adding a great textural touch. The carrots were like a fine whipped mash potato – a lovely treat but the pickled vegetables were an odd touch. The Pastitsio was a béchamel sauce poured on top of meat similar to short rib – very well cooked – and the mushrooms added a wonderful taste to this delicious dish. The dessert mousse had a touch of chocolate on the bottom which cut through the citrus ice taste nicely. The baklava was like none I’ve had but it was sweet and crispy and I would have eaten a second piece if it was there!

Table set up
Table set up
decorating the heaters!
decorating the heaters!
Keep the water chilled at the table
Keep the water chilled at the table
Room interior
Room interior
Other end
Other end
Another angle
Another angle
menu
menu
menu cover
menu cover
menu insert
menu insert
Traditional spread of fish eggs
Traditional spread of fish eggs
bread assortment: white rolls, rosemary, pine nut and goat cheese
bread assortment: white rolls, rosemary, pine nut and goat cheese
Marianted swordfish on cream from sea urchin eggs
Marianted swordfish on cream from sea urchin eggs
as plated
as plated
Red pumpkin mousse with caramelized chestnuts, cured port and fresh black truffles
Red pumpkin mousse with caramelized chestnuts, cured port and fresh black truffles
as plated
as plated
Roasted lamb with white carrot puree, pepper pickle and black eyed beans
Roasted lamb with white carrot puree, pepper pickle and black eyed beans
as plated
as plated
Pastitsio: thick pasta, braised oxtail, shitake and foamy bechamel
Pastitsio: thick pasta, braised oxtail, shitake and foamy bechamel
as plated
as plated
Frankie approved of the bread textures
Frankie approved of the bread textures
Macedonian halva mousse; praline from tahini and spearmint, lemon sorbet and caramelized peanuts
Macedonian halva mousse; praline from tahini and spearmint, lemon sorbet and caramelized peanuts
Baklava with pistachio parfait, caramelized pastry, cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce
Baklava with pistachio parfait, caramelized pastry, cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce
to bathrooms and other dining room
to bathrooms and other dining room
Stairs down to street level
Stairs down to street level

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