Piraeus does not have piranhas

Or at least, I didn’t encounter any. (Fish experts will pooh-pooh me since I'm not in South America, native land of the carnivorous fish...)

I’ve always associated the port town next to Athens with the carnivorous jaw-chomping fish. I guess it’s the way both are spelled! Although many will tell you that Piraeus has it’s fair share of metaphorical carnivores, being the gateway for sailors to enjoy what land has to offer. The seedy alleys and neon signs dotted throughout the dusty streets are a far cry from the sparkle of tourist-oriented Athens.

But that was till we hopped into a cab to head over to the other side of Piraeus. There we saw where the affluent resided and well-heeled tourists headed.

On the opposite side of town from the main port, Mikrolimano is a small, circular bay lined with fancy bars and seafood restaurants touting the catch of the day. Overlooking Mikrolimano is the neighbourhood of Kastella, built into the hillside of Profitis Ilias and affording its residential homes picturesque views of the bay.

Pity we only had one night to spend in Piraeus, after arriving back from Rhodes and before we were off to check out Classical Greece the next morning. Otherwise we could have taken a walk to explore Kastella and Mikrolimano further.

Wandering around Mikrolimano looking for a restaurant to fill our empty stomachs for dinner was an arduous task. Perfect competition at its best, restaurants lined side by side with great views and all selling seafood specialties. We walked up and down the stretch twice, before deciding to settle for a cute outlet that had the funkiest interior deco and shelves lined with toy collectibles.

Ok I know , I know, one should not judge a shop’s food by its furniture.

But thank goodness the food was just as excellent as the colourful chairs we were sitting on. Plus they topped the meal off with 2 shots of mastic complimentary!

Even the napkins are colour coordinated!

Brightly coloured chairs brightened up the ambience and made me feel happy :)

The menu has a robot!

This lighting structure is made up of multiple lampshades strung together...





This one is made of white buckets and water jugs!

And this one is made out of jerry cans!

 

Fresh, crisp prawns, so good that you can eat the shell with it too!



Catch of the day - some of the freshest fish I've had seriously.
Succulent and juicy, just the way it should be.

Grilled cheese with the texture of firm tofu, topped with warm pesto
and served on a bed of tomatoes. What's not to like??