As soon as you arrive at Botrini’s you feel you’ve reached somewhere special and your expectations are fanned.

The very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive staff make you feel at home, although there is always a sense of being somewhere very elegant where you can’t completely let your guard down. With seven Michelin stars and a multitude of awards under his belt, restaurateur/ TV celebrity, and poet Ettore Botrini has created three tasting menus that each tells a story. Each story connects flavours, textures, philosophical concepts, cooking traditions, nostalgic memories, creative ideas, and even a fortune teller’s advice with often playful, beautifully presented dishes. It is a sort of theater of the palate and a wonderful place to visit with someone whom you can enjoy the journey with. After at least four ‘welcoming’ amuse bouche dishes come several entrees, the main course, a sorbet, and finally a light, refreshing dessert. Advice: Eat a light lunch on the day you visit!

Type of cuisine: Modern, Creative, Greek-Mediterranean

Type of eatery: Elegant, stylish, modern, with a large garden and large white rotundas.

The low down… Since it opened in 2014, the restaurant has received a Michelin Star seven times for its ambitious menu, professionalism, and ultra-creative high-end flavours.

Décor/ Ambience: Modern and designer, with strong elements of glass (like the façade of the kitchen, which one can see through upon entering the building) and wood. The garden area is spacious but hush-hush posh.

Entrees: We loved ‘Herring, A Journey Through Time’ the service of which starts with a smoked golden herring brought to the table as décor and ends with a glass of white mousse-like cream you dip through with an extra-long spoon to discover the herring and other ingredients from the bottom up. The Cheese Pie puff with cheese, sesame, and thyme honey was also a delight.

Mains: If you want to relish an explosion of citrus (Corfiot neratzosalata or bitter orange salad) artfully combined with Swordfish Carpaccio prepared in fishermen style from the Elba island. Also delicious was the Pasta Benedetto Cavalieri cooked like a risotto, in lemon water with sea urchin. Unfortunately, as a sea urchin fan, I couldn’t taste much of it, but the pasta was gratifyingly cooked to perfection as one would hope from a half-Italian chef, and with a zingy lemon punch.

Something to drink: Every dish in each elaborate menu is paired by the restaurant with a Greek or Italian wine chosen by the restaurant’s Sommelier.

Price range: There are three tasting menus created by Botrini, My Origins (70 € a head), Travelling (120 € a head) and Ploes (90 € a head).

FYI: Botrini also has an award-winning restaurant in his native Corfu.

Location: Vas. Georgiou B, 24 b, Halandri.

Opening hours/days: Tuesday- Saturday 20:00 – 24:00.