A taste of my TOP TAVERNAS
ONE of the most important and delightful aspects of a holiday is the food. We all love to experience new tastes, particularly where the ambience and surroundings are conducive to relaxed eating.
Wherever you go the food sets the tone. Never more so than the Greek island of Crete. There are so many excellent restaurants and tavernas in the Vamos/Chania region. From the very fine upmarket feel with linen and crystal and beautifully arranged fresh flowers, to rustic wooden tables and chairs in the traditional blue or green Greek colours.
All the restaurants I’ve added to my list down the years have fabulous surroundings, whether facing the turquoise sea or located high up in the mountains under a vine latticed canopy.
Greek people love their bougainvillea in all its colours from purple to vivid pinks and reds, and most little villages will have pots of geraniums and lemon trees clustered round their tavernas.
Many — including some mentioned in this article — will feature a tree with the tables set around it. Add the wonderful Greek golden light to the views and your dining experience can be unforgettable.
My daughter Rebecca and I have been coming to Crete for the past ten years and it never ceases to amaze us with the variety of regional dishes in such a relatively small area between Chania and Vamos.
IN THE village of Gavalochori there are two great tavernas, Monica’s and Asmiri. The Asmiri was the first one where Rebecca and I encountered regional food at its best, set down a little cobbled lane off the main square beside a small museum depicting how life was lived 100 years ago — not unlike a relatively well-off farmer in Ireland at that time.
The Asmiri has an unusual décor, both artistic and creative. There are several eating areas beside an open-air log fire in the courtyard with bleached wood tables and a wonderful restored old wall with a variety of plants trailing from local pottery.
There is an amazing tap set in the wall which delivers red wine from the family’s own vineyard. Their signature dish is chicken in lemon with butter beans, accompanied by a Spaniko, which is a delicious cheese and spinach pie.
Also in Gavalachori is Monica’s. Very different from Asmiri, this is a cosy little taverna set around an enormous sycamore tree. The evening we arrived it was full of people celebrating different occasions, from birthdays to engagements. Fairy lights were entwined in the tree and the surrounding greenery, lively local music was playing, and the atmosphere was festive.
Instead of a menu they list their dish of the day on a blackboard. We were informed if there wasn’t a price beside the dish it wasn’t available. Fortunately, there was plenty of choice.
We had their speciality beetroot and beans in a lemon sauce followed by a beef dish cooked in a clay pot that was among the best I have ever tasted.
As usual in these little tavernas there were numerous cats hoping for bits and I was glad to note that they all looked healthy. At the end of the meal we tasted ice cold raki served with a delicate piece of Turkish delight. We so enjoyed this particular restaurant that we went back three times and were not disappointed.
In the nearby village of Plaka, there is a very famous restaurant called Elpis, an elegant dining experience, ideal for relaxing after a day swimming and enjoying the sun. Plaka is a cute traditional village not far inland from the seaside area of Almyrida. The staff, including mother and son, are incredibly helpful, explaining how each dish is created and what ingredients are used. We were totally captivated with ‘Mamma’s’ bread freshly baked from the wood-fired oven.
With typical Greek generosity we were given another jug of local wine after we had paid the bill plus the usual dessert and the locally-made Raki. This is pure spirit and not to be treated as just a liquor — it has a very strong kick to it. Their signature dish is Lamb Kleftiko. Also on the menu was an intriguing dish called drunk shrimps finished in white wine and ouzo, fresh tomato anise and peppercorns.
Further inland, one of our favourite things to do is walk the Imbros Gorge. En route you pass through a small village called
Vyrises. While we were at Monica’s we met a group of people hoping to set up a glamping type of Cretan holiday and they mentioned this incredible taverna way up in the hills above Vyrises in a village called Nipon, so we decided to try it out.
In the village of about 100 people there is a taverna called The Horse and Girl. It is an ancient Roman site and the views are spectacular. We were the only guests and the owner is a beautiful lady called Elena who smiled a greeting in Greek. Her English was practically non-existent but the warmth of her welcome and her wish to serve whatever we wanted made the whole experience most enjoyable.
She showed us different dishes
on the menu and more by luck than anything else we were served wonderful tapenade with her own baked biscotti, then village sausages, a huge Greek salad with artichokes and half a litre of local wine.
THIS was followed by an extraordinary dessert made from strained and reduced grapes made into a type of mousse. The sum of this amazing meal came to €14!
Food production and supply is the very basic of human culture. The Mediterranean diet has now been acknowledged as one of the healthiest in the world.
It originated in Greece with the advent of the Minoan culture with the island of Crete enjoying high standards of living, particularly in the culinary area. Excavations of the Minoan palaces have brought to light huge clay storing vessels, olive presses and querns for grinding grain. There were also recorded quantities of olive oil, herbs, spices and livestock.
Cretan olive oil and honey were famous as the basic commodities traded with other countries — having tasted many, I’m not surprised they held such value!
On our trip we also decided to do a day trip to Chania, which is one of the most beautiful cities in Crete, known as the Venice of Greece. There are some beautiful hotels and restaurants along the port. We chose one called Amphora facing the Firvia Fortress.
On a perfect sunny day, there’s nowhere better to sip a glass of rosé and choose from a very wide range of Greek dishes.
Our starters were a superb blend of artichokes, peppers and beetroot in garlic and olive oil. This simple dish was transformed by the quality of the ingredients, particularly their own brand of olive oil. This was followed by calamari, which was soft, sweet and succulent with a fine light crisp coating. We also had sea bass with oil and lemon accompanied by a black bean and rice dish with added fresh herbs, which was perfect with the fish. Parking can be a challenge, but we found a huge underground car park right in the middle of the town adjacent to the restaurants etc. The markets of fruit, vegetables and all sorts of jewellery and souvenirs are colourful and there are some great bargains to be had, particularly with wooden items made using the beautiful Cretan wood.
Another ‘must’ of any holiday in Crete is to take a boat trip from Almyrida to Marathi. We went by boat from the deep-sea diving company of Omega and we swam in the deep waters off the coast and snorkelled. There are a myriad of beautiful fish and corals to be seen. The water is warm so you can stay in as long as you like.
We then sailed from Marathi to Nico’s, one of the best fish restaurants in the area. It is a beautifully designed restaurant, decorated in blues and greens with arrangements of brightly coloured gourds artistically laid out on bleached wood tables
Our favourite dishes here are stuffed courgette flowers and sea bream, which is lightly cooked in butter and lemon sauce, enhancing but not drowning the taste of the fish. Here we indulged in a light fluffy mousse-type dessert encased in feather-light pastry shells.
Washed down with their local equivalent of sauvignon blanc and finished with the obligatory Raki, we just about made it back to the boat. Full to the gills — again — it was time to head home...