Armolia

A new fish meze place about five minutes from my house is always a welcome thought and the Halandri square, where Armolia is located, has become a hot and happening restaurant scene over the last 2 years.

Armolia is designed to look like an old bakaliko (grocery). This is a trend, not only in places around the square but in general around town, the answer, maybe, to our need for familiarity, comfort and the air of economy. How expensive can a neighborhood grocery store be, in other words?

Armolia falls into the category of places that have opened in droves these last two years, places where someone thought through the design a bit and yet still serve familiar food. You won't find foams, gels, or hunger-inducing hauteur here.  The food is simple and most of what we had was quite competent, each plate with its own little twist. People seemed to be having a good time all around us, sipping their ouzaki or house wine and finding some relief from the stress of the daily news.

I liked the beet salad with walnuts, a filling, nicely portioned dish with a vegetable I adore. Trying to keep my silhouette from exploding, I stayed away from dishes like the baked potato with cheese but did go for the fries with grated kefalograviera cheese, which are excellent, thin, crisp and tasty, the way a sinful, starchy fry should be. The mushrooms in a skillet with wine (pleurotus mushrooms to be exact) were lovely. The sauce is tasty and pleasantly winey, but the touch that makes this dish is the strips of pita bread that are crisped (fried?) and added to the otherwise soft mushrooms in a nice contrasting note. The fried zucchini don’t work for me here. Too thin and too soggy and nearly burnt. Neither did the walnut skordalia that I ordered in the side. This needed punch (and salt).

There is a whole range of fish and seafood mezedes and main course to choose from, including all the classics on the gill, several saganakia, steamed shellfish of varying type etc. I was pleasantly surprised with the stuffed kalamari (squid), a dish I usually don’t like. Here it is filled with a tangy bulgur mixture. The squid was nicely cooked and the pan sauces just right for bread. The octopus with mavrodafni wine is a dish I have tried in several better versions around town. What was missing here was the raison d’être for the sweet wine—if you don’t let it cook down a little and turn somewhat syrupy the dish is ordinary. Basically it’s a classic stifado with sweet wine instead of dry. Never one to reject a melted cheese dish, I did try the grilled Chios Mastello – I forgot to mention that the cuisine of Chios plays prominently in various dishes. It was nice, finished with a tangy tomato sauce.

Halandri is getting ever more crowded with cozy little places like Armolia that offer decent value for money, an outing that is affordable, food with a little twist that isn’t totally over the top, and a comfortable, well-appointed room that people feel good sitting in. Have they reinvented the wheel? No? Are these the times for such reinventions? Probably not. So, sip that ouzo and enjoy a decent meze before we all default…

Cuisine: pleasant, light, styled like an old bakaliko

Athens Area: Halandri, northern suburbs 

Decor-Atmosphere: pleasant, light, styled like an old bakaliko (grocery store) 

Service: helpful and accommodating even in the Friday night rush

Wine List: OK

Prices: 25-35 per person

Address: Central Halandri Square, tel.: 210-6856279