I visited Papaioannou’s Fish and Seafood Restaurant in Mikrolimano, Piraeus, on a busy early January 2018 Sunday for lunch. The maître D informed us that due to the holidays the variety of dishes is not as wide as it usually is.
We started with the sea urchin eggs in their natural juices.No salt, no lemon, no olive oil. As it should be. We accompanied the delight with ouzo.
The red mullet sashimi that followed needed no dressing other than a couple of lemon juice drops. The olive and rocket were perfect companions.
The crayfish tartare was the best crayfish dish I have ever tasted. You cannot imagine the sweetness, the kindness of the soft flesh as it unleashes its flavours in the unsuspecting and unprepared oral cavity. It continues to unravel its magic until it has reached the lower depths of the oropharynx.
The baby cuttlefish fried with its ink melts in your mouth, while the crispy ink explodes in millions of parcels of pleasure. Infinity as a sensation must be this bombardment of the taste buds by these agents of hedonism.
Grilled squid sweet as sin and tender as desire came next. The chef had given it just a touch of olive oil for the grill, and a light sprinkle of salt. It needed nothing else.
gThe crispy skin of the Grilled red mullet filet complements the juicy succulent flesh in a way that makes one believe in miracles. At the end of the day, metaphysics must have a physical grounding, and it might very well be this dish.
The chef, George Papaioannou has a reputation for frying fish to perfection. He lived up to it. The filet of red mullet was melting in the mouth, releasing all the flavours of the red mullet’s skin. And as always with fresh fish, a sweetness enveloped every sensation in the silky delusion of never ending pleasure.
The grilled Mediterranean slipper lobster (kolochtypa) ended the feast. This was an ode to the endless adventure of texture interweaved with flavour.
The service provided by the professional, friendly and efficient team, was top class.
Gastrolvios 