Yiannis Kalogiannis has clearly developed a real passion for Italian cooking, and for pizza in particular. You can hear it when he talks about it, with the kind of obsession that comes from pursuing the same goal for years and believing, each time, that you are finally getting a little closer. At I Frati, the pizza has gone through repeated trials, adjustments and refinements. There have been discussions with pizzaioli from Naples, along with extensive work on ingredients, fermentation times and baking. On our most recent visits to Kifisia, it became clear that all this effort is beginning to pay off.
The pizza arrives with a well-developed cornicione, the raised outer crust characteristic of Neapolitan pizza, showing both proper fermentation and confident oven work. It has an attractive open crumb, offers just a slight resistance to the bite and then yields with a pleasing softness. The moisture at the centre allows the toppings to integrate beautifully with the dough rather than sitting on top of it, and the pizza achieves the balance one looks for in a good Neapolitan-style pie.
The ingredients matter too, of course. The kitchen uses Petra flour by Molino Quaglia, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, Sorì buffalo burrata and Fior di Latte Appennino Campano, a product developed in collaboration with the celebrated pizzaiolo Franco Pepe. Training and technical development have also played their part, including exchanges with Neapolitan pizzaioli and work focused on dough maturation and oven technique. Most importantly, all of that is now evident in the pizza served at I Frati.
Information: 7 Argyropoulou Street, Kifisia
Tel.: +30 210 808 8157
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