Athens – Zampano

Zampano is a  bistro and wine bar which opened in the centre of Athens in 2017. There were several people sitting outside but it was empty inside when I entered, but fortunately it got busier with people coming in for lunch.

Freshly squeezed orange juice, which is usually an expensive drink to order. But not in Athens, where there is no shortage of oranges, so this was an affordable and tasty start to the meal.

The interior was simple, but yet stylish, and it felt comfortable.

The menu advertised this as a Greek salad with barley rusks, capers, sea fennel. The feta cheese was creamy and beautiful, it’s my preferred cheese and this one was no disappointment. The other ingredients all tasted fresh and the barley rusks and cucumber added texture to the meal, with a substantial number of tomatoes which were full of flavour. And the capers added texture, taste and elegance, they’re one of my favourite ingredients. This cost the equivalent of under £5, very reasonable. Indeed, writing this, I could quite fancy eating this now.

It seemed rude to leave without having a dessert, or at least, I felt greedy so I had a dessert anyway. The waiter recommended the pumpkin cheesecake and this sounded a perfectly good suggestion, which was borne out. The base had some texture to it and the top was creamy and the caramel sauce added positively to the dish.

The service was exceptional throughout, attentive, polite, jovial and always professional. The environment felt welcoming and this proved to be my favourite restaurant of the week. The food was simple but had clean flavours and the prices were very reasonable given that quality.