More of a gastronomy project than a conventional restaurant, the 1-Michelin starred CTC is indeed a very bold move on chef Alex Tsiotinis’ part! With a colorful past in some of Europe’s most awarded kitchens, Tsiotinis relocated to Athens and kept food lovers on their toes while setting up his first top-secret business venture, whose name was kept under wraps until the very last minute. CTC (a wordplay based on the Greek word “sitisi”, which means nourishment) is a lot of things, but first and foremost it’s innovative and worth experiencing. Conceived as an urban oasis, the restaurant welcomes guests in a verdant courtyard serving a 11-course surprise menu that is gradually revealed by staff as if they were unveiling a secret.
Photo © CTC.
Following the French menu du marché paradigm, Tsiotinis invites you to trust both his cooking and his choice of produce, as he loves to forage for raw materials, as much as he likes to prepare them. The seasonal menu is, naturally, focused on Mediterranean cuisine with Parisian sensibilities and a handful of innovative techniques that will often transform your plate into a gourmet installation. Let’s not forget that Tsiotinis partly owes his fame to his S. Pellegrino Young Chef award, where he first premiered his signature “Cretan Salad in a Pot”, two edible flower pots with a panorama of Cretan greens that blew the judges away. Given his surprisingly mature style and insatiable appetite for experimentation, dinner at CTC should be nothing less than extraordinary, even if you don’t know quite what he’s serving!
Photo © CTC Restaurant.
Photo © CTC Restaurant.
