Trippin’ in Greece Part 2: Devilfish in Athinaikon

Probably one of the more well-known eateries among tourists in the Omonia Square area of Athens is Athinaikon.  Omonia Square is generally like the business district of Athens, kind of like what Makati is to Metro Manila, but with the Binondo-area looks.  It’s also the unofficial drug (the illegal kind) store and escort service district of Athens.  Not the best place to stay, but for cheap bastards like myself, the price probably compensates for the daily scare of walking to your hotel room.

First of all, I have no idea what “Athinaikon” is supposed to mean or signify.  What I know is that Athinaikon is rated one of the top joints¹ and it’s fairly a 15-minute walk from our hotel.  Sorry, make that a 10-minute walk if you count the fast paces I had to take to avoid the drug dealers on the streets.   Oh, and I know that it’s been open since 1932 and is quite famous for their seafood.

My cousin Jeff was quite sick of the meat dishes we had been eating the past few days and the seafood menu was (for lack of a better term) a breath of fresh air.  He ordered Cooked Octopus in Wine Sauce.  The octopus is considered one of the must-try’s in Greek cuisine.  Not bad, but a bit chewy.  I liked the wine sauce, but not something I’d crave for when I go to bed.  The taste reminds me of adobo, which might be dumbing it down a bit, but that’s what it tasted like to me.

We were given a radish-based dip with bread to start the meal.  Nothing special.  I hate radish, so I probably had a piece of bread with the dip and that was it.

My dish, again keeping with the keeping-costs-down-but-I-still-want-something-good approach, was a Fried Devilfish with Garlic and Potato Mix Sauce.  Like everything else on the menu, the place was fairly overpriced.  The devilfish is still small serving of fish with more thorns than meat.  I think that’s why they call it the devilfish.  Seriously, it was eating a fish version of me — all bones, no meat jeje.

The fish was fried well, though, and it seemed fresh.  Generous slice of lemon, but I’m not paying by the lemons here.  Sorry, but I was thoroughly disappointed and wished I had gone to a gyro joint in the streets for a cost of €2 instead.  The potato and garlic side was actually pretty good except for one big detail: it was cold.  That might be the way they do things over there, but I’m Asian.  I generally like my food hot.

We ordered a dessert dish called Semolina Halva, which had some nuts and topped with cinnamon.  The texture is sticky, polenta-like, gelatinous.  Too sweet, and I’m not a fan of cinnamon.  It cost like €2 (sorry, I’m not sure) when this dessert is being given away in other places.

Sorry, food was mediocre, prices too high, and service was eh.  The least that could’ve been done was to either have bigger portions or take out any service / cover charge.  I might do better than to rely on those guidebooks next time.

Trippin’ in Greece Part 2: Devilfish in Athinaikon 2011-12-25

robably one of the more well-known eateries among tourists in the Omonia Square area of Athens is Athinaikon.  Omonia Square is generally like the business district of Athens, kind of like what Makati is to Metro Manila, but with the Binondo-area looks.  It’s also the unofficial drug (the illegal kind) store and escort service district …