Monday 28 September 2015

Loufa and Good Souvlaki

Slowly, as the weather cools,  the crowds of Kalamata are moving towards the city centre and away from the beach. We haven't entirely abandoned the beach front yet but for our Saturday evening snack we chose to go to Loufa in the historic centre. This souvlaki joint is excellent in every way. The outdoor seating spills out onto the pedestrian friendly narrow road where restaurants, bars and small boutiques create a very European atmosphere. The seating is long bench style tables with cushions and an open kitchen so you can see your souvlaki being grilled.



We were looking for a snack rather than a big meal so we ordered a couple of small things, even though we were tempted to order the entire menu since everything brought out to the customers sitting close to us looked and smelled really good. Iliana ordered two chicken souvlakis and home fries and I had a pita. I asked for feta cheese to be substituted in the place of the meat because I was having a vegetarian moment. The dishes were not served in dishes but were actually served on wax paper the traditional way. Iliana's entire meal, souvlaki, toasted bread with olive oil and potatoes were all placed  in front of her on the wax paper.



The food was delicious. We devoured it in second. Everyone around us seemed to be eating eagerly. The service was very pleasant and quick, considering that the place was quite busy compared to the shops around it. We were very satisfied and will most certainly go back for another souvlaki fix. We recommend Loufa if you are looking for a good but cost friendly place to eat.



Thursday 17 September 2015

Hoppus…. Cocus!

Το Σαββατοκύριακο κάναμε τη βουτιά μας εντός μεσσηνιακού κόλπου επιλέγοντας ένα καινούργιο beach bar επί της Ναυαρίνου το CocusΜας άρεσε από την αρχή του καλοκαιριού αυτό το καφέ διότι η αισθητική του εξωτερικού χώρου ταιριάζει απόλυτα με το ύφος που προστάζει η παραλία. Λιτό χωρίς πολλά έντονα χρώματα με μικρές πινελιές γαλάζιου και γκρι. Μπορείτε να επιλέξετε μεταξύ της εξέδρας με τα stand και τους ψηλούς καναπέδες ή της αμμουδερής έκτασης σε κάποιο από τα πουφ ή ακόμα καλύτερα στις πολύ αναπαυτικές ξαπλώστρες!



Ένα ακόμα θετικό ήταν η επιλογή της μουσικής, η οποία ήταν διακριτική χωρίς να σου παίρνει τα μυαλά. Το σέρβις αρκετά ευγενικό και το σνακ- φαγητό γρήγορο και περιποιημένο. Η Χρύσα επέλεξε τη Caesar σαλάτα, της οποίας το dressing ήταν πολύ δροσερό χωρίς να είναι λιπαρό και βαρύ. Εγώ υπέπεσα στον πειρασμό και πήρα το club sandwich με φιλέτο κοτόπουλο, πιάτο εξίσου χορταστικό και εύγευστο. Θα μου πείτε σίγουρα πως γίνεται ένα club sandwich να μην είναι γευστικό, αφού όλα σχεδόν έχουν την ίδια γεύση. Σε αυτό απαντώ για να σας προλάβω, ότι το συγκεκριμένο είχε πιο ξεχωριστή γεύση, διότι όλα τα υλικά ήταν φρεσκοκομμένα και «ζωντανά». 



Επίσης ένα ακόμα θετικό για τους λάτρεις της ρακέτας, οι οποίοι έχουν μεριμνήσει για τις δικές τους, αλλά όλως τυχαίως οι φίλοι τους την ξέχασαν, το κατάστημα διαθέτει ένα κοφίνι γεμάτο ρακέτες προς δωρεάν δανεισμό για να μην μείνουν κάποιοι στην απέξω. Πιστεύουμε πως μια δοκιμή, θα σας πείσει. Καλές τελευταίες βουτιές του καλοκαιριού! (Το Cocus είναι ανοιχτό πλέον κάθε Σαββατοκύριακο.)



Sunday 6 September 2015

Cook King

Greetings! We are back from our summer vacation but summer isn't over yet in Kalamata. For this reason we chose to lunch beachside at Cook King. This restaurant is located next to Kalamata's port and it overlooks the water. From this spot you can also see the cruise ships dock on the harbour. The restaurant is new and has a high-end feel to it. The menu has a good selection of modern mediterranean inspired eats at average prices.



We weren't particularly hungry so unfortunately we didn't order a plethora of food. Forgive us but the heat suppresses the appetite. Iliana ordered the gourmet stuffed chicken served on rice and mixed veggies. I ordered an appetizer plate as my main course that had a selection of different appetizers including grilled vegetables, potato wedges with parmesan cheese, prosciutto with rocket salad mini pizza, a cheese stuffed pita and a hot bruschetta. Both dishes were tasty. I was particularly pleased with my appetizer selections.



Dining at Cook King was pleasant. The service was nice, as was the food and the view. We were however upset to hear that they wouldn't accept our credit cards. I'm not sure if that was a policy enforced because of the financial situation in Greece but has now been changed but if not, we advise the restaurant looks into getting their credit card machine up and running soon. We look forward to trying some of the other items on the Cook King menu next time.