Gazi College and The Saturday Morning Curse

Saturday again today. Unsurprisingly, it happens once a week. After Friday and before Sunday. And as is the case on most of my Saturdays: the 'Saturday Morning Curse'. Eyes wide open at eight, and as much as I try to sleep in, another week of getting up for work in the morning is more routine than my body can fight against. Usually by ten, and despite my very best efforts to 'go slow', I'm all dressed up and ready to go! And, have nowhere to go to.

By half ten, I'm holding my mobile phone and thinking, 'I could start calling people up for morning coffee, but do I really want to be know as the annoying one that wakes people up in the morning?'. Luckily, this morning, the phone rang as I was having these thoughts, and after a brief consultation, I was off to meet a friend at Gazi College for our morning coffee.

I've written about how great Gazi College is for all hours of the day, but the point to be made here is how great it is for Saturday and Sunday late morning coffee both because one can easily find a seat and because of the feeling one gets this time and day from Gazi. On a sunny weekend morning, Gazi feels like you're on a party island in the morning, holiday season, when there's a strange quiet in the air as most are asleep from the night before. Calm and serene, and those who are up are only now getting things ready for the day (and more importantly the night) to come.

We sat down, ordered our coffee, and my friend asked for the menu. Oh dear. I didn't even try to resist when he suggested the mini-burgers for breakfast (he didn't even try disguise it as brunch). At least this time round I had my camera with me so I took some pictures to capture how amazingly perfect these mini burgers are.

The Mini Burgers: Perfect as always.

Smarties Served With Coffee

This was the surprise of the day: together with our coffees, instead of the conventional cookie or piece of cake, they served us a shot glass filled with Smarties (or other chocolate filled, colourful sweet). I love it when places do these sort of simple small things, if for no other reason, just for the sake of it and to keep things interesting.

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Coupepe: Perfect if you're in the neighbourhood.

When I was little, my grandfather used to take me to the barber to get my hair cut. I have so many sparse memories of the time. Like pictures, emptied out of a shoebox onto the table. Just there, in no particular order, some out of focus, but definitely there. I remember that the barber wasn't in the neighbourhood, and I imagine that this was because he was in an area where my grandfather had lived earlier in his life, and that the barber was one that he had been going to for a long time.

After my grandfather passed away, my dad took over, taking me to the barber that he had been going to for, as I understand it, all his life. I don't think it's a coincidence that both men had such a long lasting bond with they barbers. Somehow, I believe this stems from the personal nature of a hair cut. Even more so with a shave as would have been more often the case in both their times. I think it was this personal facet that put me off hair cuts both as a child and later on.

Eventually, as I grew older, the time came for me to take the matter of my hair into my own hands. The results of this were devastating both for me and for the people around me. All through university I wouldn't get my hair cut for months on end. This ordeal reached a peak after I had completed my national service when I had left my hair to grow for more than a year (something that I'm honestly not proud of ). Luckily a friend of mine took the matter into her own hands and arranged an appointment with her hairdresser to get my hair cut. I've been going with her ever since.

Friday was one of those days, and after the vile and intrusive grooming business I had to get some comfort food to make it all better. However, to convince my friend to follow through with me I had to promise her a good salad: not really the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of comfort food. Lo and behold, 'Coupepe' to the rescue, with wholesome salads and pizza to die for!

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A little bit of background first. Coupepe is located on the main square of Nea Penteli - which is really, more or less, as far out of Athens as you can go and still say you live in Athens (technically of course, it's a suburb - yea, shoot me for not naming my blog 'On Attica'). It basically has a good collection of cold cuts of meat and cheeses which it uses to make salads, sandwiches, crepes and pizzas or just serve plain with drinks. A sort of coffee-drinks-and-simply-food place. Very small but with enough outdoor seating on the square. Same owner I believe as Dadas, and the reason I had such high hopes for it (you can read all about that experience here). And here are some related links: facebook, foursquare, clickatlife.gr, athensmagazine.gr, athensmenu.gr, telegourmet.weebly.com, estiatoria.gr.

Back to the story. We arrived promptly, parked and went to find a seat. Unfortunately inside was packed, and we were lucky to get a place outside. It's always a good sign when a place is full. It's not necessarily a sign of good food or whatnot. It's a sign of a good balance of quality, quantity, service, environment and price.

My plan was to get a pizza, but I had already promised, in the name of healthy eating, a salad each. I had to get her to drop her guard so I decided to start with some Rakomela and a bruschetta to get her appetite going. We decided on two salads, but as soon as she'd got some alcohol in her, I argued for a pizza instead of the salad. She fell for it! Then, as we ordered, I snuck the second salad back in claiming I couldn't decide between the two. Overall I was well happy with myself, and with my trusted camera with me, here goes:

The Rakolemo. I could have sworn there was a hint of orange in this. Strong stuff! Did the job.

The bruschetta. There were five pieces, but as all things served first, it was eaten before my brain switched from  'man eat food. ouga-ouga' to 'maybe I should take a picture for my blog'.

Rocket, lettuce, bacon, parmigiana, cherry tomatoes... yum-yum.

Cabbage (if I member correctly), radicchio, gorgonzola and walnuts... yum-yum-yum. To be honest, both salads were works of art! They were both so fresh and delicious! My only problem was that I didn't toss them (I couldn't bare to spoil the look), and the dressing which was all over the top, never got to the bottom.

And finally the pizza. Or should I say pi-xxx-a, because it was absolute sex. Thin, crispy and soft, not too much cheese, straight out the oven, melting all over the place. Fresh toppings, juicy tomato, crunchy peppers, earthy mushrooms. I dunno, I'm no pizza expert (and I have suffered a disappointment after saying that something is the best of that something - read that here), but as far as I'm concerned this pizza is the reason why pizza delivery - the likes of domino, pizza hut and pizza fun - should be made illegal: either go out and get it fresh or make it yourself!

Verdict: perfect for what it is, and absolutely worth it if you're in the neighbourhood.

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A Full Day

Yesterday I had a pleasantly full day. I always like taking full advantage of a DAY I'm not working (as opposed to the night before and sleeping through the day).

I woke up around 8:30 and pondered about how borrowing/ lending leads to inflation (I know - random - that's just what got into my mind). That took me all the way up to 9:30. By the time I was up, showered and ready to go, I'd also arranged coffee in the centre. Thanks to my new motorbike, getting around has become easier than a walk in the park, so not long after 10 I was sat down having my coffee.

We went to 'Rosebud' in Kolonaki. I hadn't been there before but had walked by it many times and it had seemed very interesting. The coffee was as coffee should be, and the atmosphere had a warm jazzy feel to it. The décor included various vintage items and pictures - on the walls, in the tables and even IN the ceiling! Perfect for a cold winters morning coffee - and not only! Apparently, they serve food there too. Note to self: try food at Rosebud!

Next we went for walk to look around the shops that lasted till around 1 when we parted ways - but I wasn't done with the centre yet. A call to another friend in search of lunch landed me on Coffee number two! This one included a hearty waffle - not for me (sweats aren't really my forte): I was holding out for lunch - but for my companions. They swear by the waffles at 'Skoufa Bistro' in Kononaki, a bit further down from Rosebud. Of course by the time we were there, people were having lunch - and the food did look good. Note to self: bistro lunch @ Skoufa Bistro.

Eventually it was time for lunch. We pondered between a the 'lazy option' of having lunch where we were, the 'pigout option' of going to 'La Pasteria' and having a pasta each, and one to share (plus starters and a pizza), or the 'try something new' option of going for an Asian meal at one of the places in the side streets of Syntagma. Eventually went for option number three (though letting go of the pasta wasn't easy). We ended up in 'Dosirak' on Voulis 33, a Korean restaurant which includes Japanese dishes. I had spicy squid with steamed rice - very pleasant. I was very happy. My friends had the Katsu (deep fried breaded pork), which I also tried and which was nice. We shared some yakitori skewers and mixed mushrooms. Both were good. The only thing that tasted a bit wrong was the sake (and that may be just me - I'm no sake connoisseur). Over all I'd say if you fancy something different, its worth a visit. Next was dessert.

We went to 'Chatzis' on Syntagma square. This is a chain that started off in Thessalonika - so that alone should vouch for its quality. None the less I will say that we had some ice cream. The depth of flavour and texture was on par with no other. By this time it was around five-ish, and I could have happy called it a day but jokingly made a comment suggesting we have a few early drinks - and before I knew it off we were to Baba-au-Rum!

Now for those of you who haven't tried it, YOU HAVE NOT HAD A COCKTAIL TILL YOU'VE HAD A COCKTAIL AT BABA-AU-RUM. Now for me, and that's just personal taste, because I go for the drinks, I find that the best time to come is early afternoon, before it has time to pack up - at which point getting a drink is a Marathon and a half. I had my ever loved 'Sonic Boom' which, as best as I can describe it, is a mouth watering drink with a chilli kick to it. All was well for us here until the sun came down and the phenomenally chilled music sent us to sleep. We left - but not before deciding to end the day with a walk and a break for hot chocolate.

We walked until Gazi and stopped at 'Secreto', a relatively new place that operates probably more a a bar-club at night but was just right with just the right number of people for a day-ending hot chocolate. The décor has a dark back & red decadent feel to it - actually quite pleasant. We sat inside where we were happy to find that the smoking ban was being respected (at least at this time of day).
By eight thirty-ish we decided to call it and continue our walk home. We went though Thisio and round the Acropolis via 'Apostolou Pavlou' and 'Dyonisiou Aropagitou' - a great walk at any time of the day. As we walked with the Parthenon on our left and a hotel on our right (which had some sexual innuendo in its name) we pondered on the personal affairs of the ancient Greeks - I know - random - that's just what got into our minds!

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Gazi College: Best of Both Worlds

Today I think it's my turn to write about "Gazi College"...

Once upon a time not so long ago, a youth by the name of George embarked on an exploratory adventure of Athens. With the help of a veteran of the scene and fellow ex army postman, he discovered a sort of club called 'Mad' in an area called Gazi.

Back then there was no metro stop in the area and getting to Gazi was a matter of enduring rush-hour levels of traffic at 1am and wishing upon the god of parking for a cozy parking space to leave thy vehicle. Little did George know that not so far into the future this area would not only be a mainstream place for going out but also a five minute walk from his place of work.

This club that the boys had visited wasn't really George's cup of tea, but for only that it was one of the first steps of what was to be a great adventure, he had always held the club in a special place along with other fond memories. Therefore it was not to his liking when one day on returning home from work, his crossed the spot where the club once stood only to discover that it had been replaced by a coffee-food-maybe-bar style place called "Gazi College".

George was aware that the general area of Gazi was undergoing major changes due to the Keramikos Metro stop that had opened on the main square, and in his mind - affected by the disappointment that the physical link to one of his fondest memories was no more - this new place was just another one of the many new businesses that were popping up like mushrooms.

The story was the same for all of them: shroud businessman in suit and tie has money to invest. Throws money at consultants, financial advisers, interior decorators, cooks, bar men, blady blady bla... everything in a huge melting pot, stirs with an evil laugh, and out comes yet another soulless cafe/ bar/ restaurant.

To that end, George stayed away from this place for a long time after it had opened, until one day, around noon on a Saturday he found himself in Gazi with a friend thirsting for coffee and a snack. For no particular reason they sat at Gazi College.

Needless to say that the George in the story is me, and boy was I wrong about Gazi College. I guess every now and then the hoard of accountants, interior designers etc. get it right!

That first time we had a coffee each and two mini-burgers to share. Looking through a menu I usually get a fairly accurate vibe about a place, and it was really bugging me that I was getting a good vibe about this place. Not a huge menu, and nothing there that seemed to be there just for the sake of being there. One, Two for Four mini burgers, a choice of maybe four pizzas including the Margarita, a few salads, a few sandwiches and probably a few things I cant remember. Point is, spot on Cafe-Lunch material.

The burgers were to die for, small and succulent with tasty sauces, and best of all, served with fresh fries - and you know, when a place makes the effort to serve freshly fried crunch chips they're going to make the effort for allot more other things. Looking around a got a glimpse of the Pizzas: thin based, not too much cheese, straight out the oven. I was dead set on coming back to try them.

After going on and on about the mini-burgers, next time I went was with my burger-connoisseur friend & co. The burgers got the thumbs up - as did the interior of the place that I hadn't really noticed before. Decorated with a college-books-globes-equations-study vibe (unsurprisingly). And the music was definitely there, but at just the right volume and of just the right genre to create a pleasant atmosphere without being overwhelming. We also tried some deserts: a cheese cake and a chestnut caramel cream filled sweat bread. Thumbs up there too.

And finally, the pizza, which I had to wait one more time to try. After a Saturday of working in the office (deadlines - who needs them?!?), I went with a colleague. Two mini burgers, a Caesar salad, and a Margarita pizza all to share. The burgers where, by now, something that one can count on. The pizza, like i said, thin based, tasty sauce, not too much cheese: yum yum yum! The salad, slightly over dressed, but i think i'll give it another try. All and all a very pleasant meal.

There there it is. George on Gazi College. And why you ask the best of both worlds? In a nutshell, Gazi college combine the new with the old. A cozy place in a great area with easy access by car or public transport and good modern menu items on offer. A great place to go for a morning or afternoon coffee, brunch or lunch!

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Update: 14/05/2011

The Mini Burgers

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