A new day, a new hotel… At this point in our journey the circumstances meant that we would visit Athens, and we decided to choose The Dolli for our stay. I was not familiar with the food or the chef residing here, so all the more fun to find out. We started with a dinner on the rooftop of their restaurant overlooking the Acropolis- This is a big draw and even made me want to take my breakfast away from ‘in room’, which I rarely ever do. The view is captivating and working from here is a pleasure, it changes your day completely.
Thursday night is their ‘Dolli’s Thursdays’ with a DJ bringing in some ambient, techno beats whilst you enter into the night with an aperitif, nibbles or some plates for sharing. It is entirely up to you. The welcome from the chef arrived with the skin removed from the tomato, I appreciated this step in the mise en place, because I hate it when the skin is left on. We could have had some more seasoning in here, but it was a good start.
The olive oil comes from their own farm, to go with both normal bread and gluten free (You just have to ask for it) The waiters open it for you and pour it into a bowl, steeping in there is a little pinch of thyme. I love being in Greece… All the bread is served warm and it’s crusty, and they are never forgetting the olives on the side.
The fish of the day was grouper, (Which is in fact the fish of the day, week and the year!) Cooked perfectly with clearly an excellent product primarily. With fish this simply prepared, you must have the best supplier, if not you will be able to tell a mile off. They have a good connection with their fisherman here. The fish was moist inside, not dried out at all, a thick and plump piece. The fries were well seasoned but unfortunately not the best in the cookery. They needed even crispiness and to be crispier. The side dish of vegetables was cooked nicely, the avocado salad, fresh and bright green plus the dressing for it was homemade, of course.
The crème brûlée was huge, easily enough to share with everybody. There was a good balance between the scorched sugar and the filling, the top having the right amount of ‘snap’ This might be a personal preference, but I didn’t care too much for the fruits on the top. I always think this spoils it, so I started to remove them all so I could just focus on the brûlée itself which was smooth.
The service is very warm and caring here, everybody is smiling and trying to do their best for you. The view is gorgeous, you are surrounded by open glass which gives the best possible glimpses of the Acropolis, and when it is lit up in the night, oh my gosh… This is a comfortable restaurant with good vibes. We were off to a good start…
