The charming fish taverna on Achladi beach is an address worth noting for anyone who is in Syros or planning to visit the island. Already last season, Achladi had been visibly upgraded, hence its recognition at the FNL Best Restaurant Awards, following a change of ownership. It is now run by a group of friends: chef Thodoris Kassavetis of Lygeros in Syros; bartender Christos Golfis, owner of Theosis in Ano Syros and Rogas in Ermoupoli, who also oversees the bar recipes, now executed by Giorgos Tetradis and Konstantinos Regoutis; and Panagiotis Zacharas.
I have listed quite a few names, but allow me to add two more. This year, the kitchen is led by Konstantina Kasparidou, affectionately known to her friends as “Ntin Ntin”, whom we came to know either from the Athens restaurant Annie Fine Cooking, which closed a short while ago, or through her participation in the team at Cantina in Sifnos. Last but not least, I must mention the one and only Giannis Zygomalas, who from the outset has taken on the role of host, making guests feel pampered in his own distinctive way.
Turning to the kitchen itself, Achladi remains a classic fish taverna, yet its new chef has brought a significant breath of fresh air to the dishes. One more list, this time of plates, will allow me to explain what I mean by renewal. I tried an excellent smoked aubergine dip with Syros capers; rock samphire paired with sea urchin; grilled dolmadakia “married” with raw, lightly cured amberjack; lightly charred Cycladic-style sun-dried salted fish served with a lentil salad; and sun-dried octopus with red seaweed from western Crete and an ouzo-spiked olive-oil-and-lemon dressing. As for her chickpea stew with grated Messolongi bottarga, and her goldblotch grouper giouvetsi, they were simply terrific.
I hope that, reading through these combinations, you have formed a sense of how the young chef, with a deep understanding of her raw materials, manages to bring ingredients together in a way that makes the recipient of the dish feel they are tasting a classic, thoroughly tried-and-tested recipe, even when the combinations may have sprung from a moment’s inspiration, or from the last few weeks. As for dessert, with apricots, strawberries, tsoureki and vanilla ice cream, I can only hope that, season permitting, she still has the right fruit available to serve it to you in exactly this way: simple, composed and complete.
Info: Achladi Beach, Megas Gialos, Vari, Syros
Tel.: +30 2281 063310
Open: Daily, lunch and dinner
Price per person: €60-80
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