Restaurant Review: Kiku. Athens & Paris For Dollars A Day
Welcome to my multi-part review of our summer vacation. We spent 12 days abroad, predominately in Athens and Paris. We did squeeze in about half a day in Amsterdam before heading home. While I’m writing the series, I’m happy to answer any questions you have ahead of time. We traveled in mid-July, so right in the middle of the Athens financial crisis. Here’s most of what I expect to cover, including links to posts I’ve already completed:
- Planning Our Summer Vacation!
- British Airways First and Business Class Lounges at Philadelphia Airport
- US Airways Business Class from Philadelphia to Athens
- A Speed Bump Upon Arrival At Arion
- Arion Guest Room Review
- Arion & Westin Amenities
- Arion Restaurant Reviews
- A Quick Trip To The Acropolis And Parthenon
- Athens Metro System
- Temple of Poseidon at Sounio
- Swimming With The Fishes
- Restaurant Review: Garbi (Seafood)
- Flying From Athens To Paris
- Hyatt Regency Etoile Paris
- Eiffel Tower
- Arc de Triomphe
- Disneyland Paris
- A Study of Macaroons
- Various Restaurant Reviews
- Taking The Train From Paris To Amsterdam
- Sheraton Schiphol Airport
- US Airways Business Class from Amsterdam to Philadelphia
I wasn’t expecting to find great sushi south of Athens, but boy did we ever. Kick was a recommendation from the Arion that was exceptional. The restaurant has a downtown Athens location as well but opens in the summer down in Vouliagmeni. It’s a small town where all the restaurants and shops are a short walk from each other.
The weather was perfect for another night of dining outside. In this case, there was no overhead cover, just a slight breeze as the sun began to set. One of the first things we saw walking in was the sushi counter, well-stocked with very fresh looking fish. You’ll also find a large bar area if you want to grab a drink and some sushi outdoors.
The waiter helped us with wine and food selections. We started with a local Sauvignon Blanc, some cranberry juice for the kids and edamame. The Sauvignon Blanc was mostly as expected, though maybe not quite as tart as the New Zealand varieties. It was a perfect wine for sitting outside on a warm day. The meal was definitely one of small plates, though there were larger plates available. I’m a big fan of tapas in general, so small plates were perfect for us to graze.
We started with a few imaginative items. There was a seared tuna salad with noodles and enoki mushrooms, followed with a heated king crab in the shell with local grains and finally ended the first course of grazing with a local sea bass over rice slightly warmed with a sweet mayonnaise-based sauce. I’m usually not a mayo fan but it was light enough and a really good compliment. All 3 were excellent.
The next round of small bites was more traditional, with seared chicken, beef and salmon on skewers along with some tuna and local nigiri. The quality of the tuna was excellent. The local fish (which I can’t recall the name of, call it old age setting in) was great as well.
Bottom Line
This is how good the restaurants were in Vouliagmeni. This was not the best meal we had during our trip. And, it was exceptional. Everything came out at the right temperature, the staff was attentive and made great suggestions. They made sure the kids were happy throughout the meal. We couldn’t have asked for any better.
If you enjoy sushi, Kiku has to be on your list if you end up in this area of the world. I haven’t experienced a better sushi dinner outside of a metropolis like Tokyo or NYC that I can recall. The small plates were all between $7 and $15, so it’s easy to have a reasonably priced meal. The only thing we didn’t conquer here was dessert, and that was because one of our other favorites was across the street. More on that later….
