COMPLETE Team Bricki's Ancient Athens Anniversary Adventure- Final Day Wednesday 15th May 2024

[princessnicki]

WEDNESDAY 15TH MAY 2024
It was a beautiful day for our final day so we decided to take a walk from Pangrati around the city.

On the way we were tempted by the huge selection of baked treats at Cafe Vaneti. Honestly i have never seen such a big selection of sandwiches, pizzas, pastries, mini cakes. We were literally spoilt for choice!

We decided on a couple of sweet and savoury treats to share

Burrata and Tomato Pida

Hot fresh pizza dough perfectly cooked and filled with a heap of soft melted cheese and fresh seasoned herby tomato. It was a decent portion- it was so heavy, i am glad we shared it. A really enjoyable Brunch bite to start the day

Banana Chocolate Caramel Tart

Brett loves a Banoffee so this was right up his street. It was like a Millionaires Shortbread with the added flavour of banana The biscuit base was crumbly and buttery topped with a thick layer of rich chocolatey caramel lightly flavoured with a hint of banana

Strawberry Chocolate Mousse

My favourite chocolate from the xmas boxes is a Strawberry Quality Street so i had to try this and it did not disappoint. It was rich but light and airy so it didnt have that sickly flavour. The chocolate was the perfect balance between milk and dark and the strawberry was really bold in the fruit flavour

To drink i enjoyed an Orange Juice and it was made from scratch using squeezed oranges. I was a bit nervous at first as i hate pulp in Juice but it was super smooth and so so fresh!

Brett had a Freddo Cappucino which was fresh, creamy and strong

We carried on walking taking in the beautiful sunshine and ended up at the Panathenaic Stadium. This was the Stadium that hosted the first Olympic Games in 1896. It is still sometimes used for special Concerts. We debated paying the 10 Euros entrance fee to go inside but you can see plenty from the outside. It would be worth going inside if you wanted pictures from the stands though but there isnt a huge amount to see. It is an absolutely stunning monument and another beautiful part of Greek history

We carried on walking and went into the other side of the National Gardens. This is such a stunning area and i feel like there is even more to see here than the other entrance.

I loved the stunning Blossom trees that gave me the vibes of my ultimate bucket list place- Kyoto

The turtle pond was really cute

We hadnt been to Monastriaki yet so decided to check out the Flea Market. Well this is a horrible tourist place, we walked straight in and out of there, it wasnt for us at all

It was well into the afternoon now and shock horror we hadnt had a cocktail. We had ticked off everything we had wanted to do so decided to appreciate the stunning view of the Acropolis one last time and have a drink in a rooftop bar. We settled on Cityzen as we had heard this was one of the best ones. You are usually paying for the view rather than the food and drink at these type of places but we went in with an open mind. We were given a lovely cosy table with the perfect central view of the Pantheon. They have an interesting cocktail menu but unfortunately they didnt have it available until the evening so we had a choice of 6 classics.

Mojito

This is one of my all time favourite classics and its been a while since i ordered one. It was really refreshing but maybe needed a little more rum

Old Fashioned

Brett enjoyed this version as it was perfectly mixed and very alcohol forward

We decided to share a couple of small plates to tide us over

Beef Taliata (Black Angus Skirt Steak, Truffle and Chive French Mashed Potato)

The first steak that came out was way overcooked and looked well done. We never usually send food back but when you are paying for a steak you want it cooked to your liking so on this occasion we did. The staff were very accomodating and quickly replaced it with a beautiful piece of rare steak that melted like butter in your mouth. It was lightly seasoned so all the flavour of the meat was retained. The mash was creamy smooth and had the most decadent umami truffle flavour complimented by the chive. We couldnt fault this dish at all, mistakes happen, its not a big deal as its how they are dealt with that matters.

Salmon Gravlax, Orange, Apple Pickle, Hazelnut

A dish that was not only stunning in presentation but in taste too. The cured salmon was excellent quality and really fresh. The pairing sauces brought out the flavour of the fish even more as they were really sharp and citrusy and the nuts added texture

We had to be up early the next day so decided to have a couple of drinks and some more small plates if we were hungry back at Walk In. We really did enjoy this place, it has the best chilled vibe and is full of local people rather than tourists.

We started with their house Negroni (Gin, Red Bitters, Vermouth) and a Basil Spritz (Apple Why-In, Vodka, White Grape, Elderflower, Basil) which bartender Kris very kindly gave us on the house. They make a mean Negroni here, the perfect balance of earthy bitter and sweet- they make the Vermouth themselves from Red Beet Wine! The Spritz is so refreshing- sweet and fruity with a hint of floral notes and a slight savoury flavour from the Basil

Of course we had to have one last round of Why-in

We shared a couple more of the delicious small plates

Beef Tartare, Salted Egg Yolk, Potato Chips, Sourdough

This was stunning! Lots of gorgeous rare beef perfectly seasoned with capers and parsley and kept lovely and soft by the egg yolk. The salty crispy potato added a nice crunchy texture to the dish

Sausage, Mustard, Pepper Mayo

Loved this twist on a deconstructed Hot Dog- the two generous sized sausages were rich, meaty and peppery and complimented by the sharp mustard and the heat from the mayo

And we may have had the potatoes again from the previous day as they were that good!

After realising we hadnt tried any Baklava yet, i sent Brett across the street to My Bread to pick up a couple of pieces. I could see him chatting away to the staff and he came back with a box of different ones and then extra bits to sample- total cost 3 euros what a bargain! We forgot to take a photo in the excitement

Our flight was at 8am on Thursday morning so we had a very early start with the taxi picking us up at 4.30am. We enjoyed our balcony view for one last time before trying to catch an early night

And that is the end of our week in Athens. We had such a great time, met some lovely people, sampled lots of fantastic cocktails, ate some gorgeous Greek food both old school and modern, saw the stunning historical monuments of the city. Greek hospitality is fantastic and we adored the city so we would definitely want to come back as well as see more of Greece

Our next adventure will be starting shortly 😍

[Sparksy72]

Nicki I think I could have eaten all the breakfast pastries. 😋 the strawberry dessert sounds delicious too. I love your pics of the blossoms, just stunning. 🤩 You were so right with the steak, accidents happen but giving people the opportunity to fix it is important too. 💕 I’m pleased the second one was perfect. 😍 It sounds like Brett did well on the Baklava front, I hope you managed to eat them for breakfast. It looks like you had the most wonderful time in Greece, I have loved all the amazing food and fabulous cocktails you sampled. Thank you so much for taking the time to write your report and I can’t wait for the next one! 🥰🩷💕 xx

[princessnicki]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Nicki I think I could have eaten all the breakfast pastries. 😋 the strawberry dessert sounds delicious too. I love your pics of the blossoms, just stunning. 🤩 You were so right with the steak, accidents happen but giving people the opportunity to fix it is important too. 💕 I’m pleased the second one was perfect. 😍 It sounds like Brett did well on the Baklava front, I hope you managed to eat them for breakfast. It looks like you had the most wonderful time in Greece, I have loved all the amazing food and fabulous cocktails you sampled. Thank you so much for taking the time to write your report and I can’t wait for the next one! 🥰🩷💕 xx

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Thank you for your kind words as always Michelle, it was a fantastic trip and a great introduction to Greece 🩷🩷