It barely felt like my birthday. At 21 degrees the weather was far too good! I finally ventured into the remains of the Roman Agora, looking at ruined temples and shops that spanned from the bronze age to the byzantine period. Centuries worth of destruction and rebuilding in one sprawling garden.
But my morning in the Roman Agora was cut horribly short when I went to use the toilet. The button zipper of my favourite hiking shorts tore off and went pinging and clinking into the toilet bowl. Startled and put-out, I rushed desperately back to Hawks to change my clothes…. as well as to put on some sunglasses before I went blind.
Safely in jeans, though grieving heavily for my beloved shorts, I found a cheap tavern and ordered a pint of Magnus – a Greek lager. It came with some very fancy looking bread sticks and hummus.
Being my birthday, I was obviously going to treat myself. It just so happened that 14 minutes from my current lodging lay a terrific restaurant that went by the name of Mironi.
Mironi had a tranquil atmosphere. The floor was made of rough stone, a fountain splashed water, and the place was nicely adorned with Christmas decorations that were pleasant but not in your face. I was in love with the menu before I even opened it. Far from being one of those laminated double-sided sheets, or a little card listing the specials of the day, it was an old scrappy thing, a sacred tome with reams of pages detailing the pastas, the meats, the starters, the salads, the coffees and the wines. One of those menus where you take a good twenty minutes to choose, rather than just resigning to yourself to the best of 5 dishes.
Since it was proper Greek cuisine, I steered myself away from seafood pasta and tried to choose a dish that was more… Greek.
I’d never heard of Strapatsada before today, but I can now thoroughly recommend it. It’s one of the most wholesome starters I’ve ever eaten, consisting of eggs whisked up with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cheese, eggplant and other Mediterranean vegetables.
Mironi had a decent list of bottled wines, but like most other places in Athens, they served their house wine in 500ml quantities for only 5 euros. Seeing as the cheapest bottle was 26 euros and they didn’t do any other wines by the glass, it just wasn’t worth getting anything but the house. This was a little lame as I love trying new wines, but the house wine was awesome and – more importantly – it was Greek, so I guess it didn’t matter.
I simply had to get some bread for my starter. The Strapatsada demanded it. I was surprised they didn’t give me a basket of bread by default – again, most places I’ve been to here have done that for dishes that certainly didn’t require bread, the dry pastitsio from To Kati Allo for example…
Anyway, they brought me down some buttered garlic toast along with dips and olives. It transformed my starter into a substantial course, which could only be outdone by the whopping main.
‘Souvlaki’. I’ve been seeing it written everywhere, all over restaurant and shop signs. I figured it was just some kind of kebab. But now the question was begged. What kind?
This kind….
I was full to the brim when I finished, but the delights didn’t stop there. I was brought a complimentary dessert. Again, something that appears to be quite common here in Athens. This time, it was no simple piece of cinnamon sponge, but a smashing mousse, slopping with delicious honey and a shot of liqueur on the side. I sipped the shot of liqueur… it was like sipping from an ocean of sugar rather than salt. When I asked one of the waiters about it, he told me it was called Mastika – made from the Mastic tree. I’d never heard about the mastic tree before, but I am grateful for its existence.
Yeorgia messaged me to say she’d seen me rushing through Monastiraki square earlier in the day. That must have been when I was frantically returning to my hostel before my shorts dropped… She said she was out tonight and we could meet up for a drink If I wanted. I declined. I was slipping into a feast induced slumber and there was no way of getting out of it. I’m 26 today… well into PART 2 of my twenties. I wonder what I’m going to do?
With my life I mean….
Happy Souvlaki.
