The best travel memories often arise from chance discoveries -- anonymous villages, unmapped paths, or best of all, unheralded dishes.
Now I love sea urchin roes, commonly known as Uni to sushi fans, and have tried out different varieties in different areas of the world to find my favorite. The Sea of Japan coast produces soft and deeply flavorful Uni; Hokkaido's Kita-Murasaki is golden, firmer in texture and lighter in taste; Canada's British Columbia coast produces a red-shelled variety that is very sweet but not as concentrated in flavor. But I never thought that some of the best sea urchin roes in the world could be found in ... Greece? Raw sea urchin roes as a traditional, authentic Greek dish? Really?
That's what traveling is about, and this time we're in Mykonos.
But before arriving the eventual destination, our ferry would pass by a spectacular hidden gem we've never heard of. It was a breathtaking 15 minutes when our ferry docked into the small harbor on the island of Syros, when I took some of my favorite pictures of the trip. Sadly, I never even set foot here.
This remains my only regret of the trip: such a beautiful, authentically untouristy island and I denied myself of a chance to stop for a night, as my upcoming accommodations were all booked firm ahead of time. Oh well, one more excuse for another trip.
Five islands. Eleven Days. We would start with arguably the most iconic of all Cycladic Islands, the home of the prototypical, whitewashed sugar-cube houses one would automatically associate with the Aegean.
Finally we arrived, five hours after departing Piraeus on the Blue Star Ithaki. Lovely narrow alleyways, thick earthen walls and disproportionately small windows, all whitewashed without exception. This can only be Mykonos.
Frankly I wasn't sure how much we would enjoy Mykonos, based on the dubious reputation of its Chora (main town) as a near-metropolitan, overdeveloped tourist trap. But we found the crowd level to be quite acceptable in late June, especially prior to all the clubbers coming out in the evening. And the further away we wandered from the town centre, the more laid-back and charming it became.
Though guidebooks and tour agency staff often boast of Mykonos’s 16th Century windmills or the oddly shaped Paraportiani church, IMHO there really aren’t any must-see places on the island. The only real world-class sight in the vicinity is the uninhabited island of Delos, once sacred to Apollo for over a thousand years and now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So aside from a half-day trip to Delos we had no itinerary on Mykonos, instead opting to purposely lose ourselves in its labyrinth of alleyways. Despite the town centre’s relatively small size (~500m in diameter), it easily took us a whole afternoon to discover just some of these unnamed alleys.
Our favorite spot in town actually isn’t on any guidebook -- it’s the ring road of Agiou Ioannou which circles of the perimeter of the town. Climbing to a higher elevation to the east of the town, the road itself, along with the narrow streets and footpaths leading down from the road, are the perfect places to watch the Aegean sun setting over the whitewashed town of cubic houses and cylindrical windmills.
Besides wandering the town we did take the bus to Paradise Beach for a Greek tan, but that turned out to be a mixed experience for us. Yes the sand beckoned with glittering, sun-soaked warmth, the music was good and not too loud (for the earlier part of the afternoon anyway), the facilities were well-organized, and of course the water was as clear and brilliantly turquoise as advertised. The only problem was -- and we’re fully to blame -- that we spent 15 minutes playing with the fish at the artificial reef just off the shore, not knowing about the danger of reef stings. Soon after my wife sat down at the concrete edge of the reef, a burning rash began to surface on her legs and quickly swelled to a large, intensely painful reaction very similar to a jellyfish sting. The anti-sting ammonia stick sold at the first aid station didn’t help at all, and the large, raised inflammation would remain painful for days, and didn’t really start to heal until a pharmacist at Paros prescribed a corticoid ointment. The thick skin of my calloused feet weren’t affected, but I did get a smaller rash at the side of my knees. So here’s my bit of advice for sunbathers: avoid touching anything that looks like marine vegetation, as you don’t really know what may be poisonous to you.
In retrospect I can’t really rank Mykonos among my favorite islands in Greece -- it’s certainly below Santorini, Symi and Rodos on my list. While it does have a charming side on lazy afternoons, the entire town soon turns into a loud, congested open-air dance club by nightfall. Personally I’d rather remember Mykonos for something other than overrated sights, packed beaches and expensive food. This is where I had the most amazing sea urchin roe anywhere, including Japan.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Food Review: NIKOS TAVERNA
Address: Agia Moni Square, Mykonos
Hours: 12:00 – 23:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: It's right next to the red, spherical roof of the Agia Moni church, one block from the harbor's long pier.
This is where I came across the best Uni Sashimi of my life, except it's not Sashimi, but an authentic Greek summer favorite called Ahinosalata, or Sea Urchin Salad. There's no salad dressing, or wasabi for that matter, with the only flavor enhancement coming from a dish of sea water and sea urchin juice mixture. Wow. This is raw sea urchin at its rawest form.
First impression. The roe slivers were quite small, comparable in size to the small Jo-Uni in Japan, and the color was a dark, reddish orange. With no expectations I took the first bite ...
This was the strongest, most concentrated flavor out of any sea urchin I've ever tasted. I can't quite describe it, except to compare it to taking a thumb-sized Bafun-Uni and concentrating all its punch into a quarter of the size. No wonder the Greeks don't need any additional flavoring -- that would only detract from the amazing natural taste of the roes.
Pardon the blurriness of the shot, but at that moment I just wanted to ditch the camera and get on with the best Uni ever.
For entree we started with a plate of grilled shrimps. I suspected that these weren't local shrimps, as the flavor of the meat was nowhere as good as the smaller shrimps at Athens's Kafeneio Evis a few days prior.
I made the mistake of checking out the greatly overpriced fresh fish counter ... and coming back with a large sea bream. The fish was actually grilled well: crispy charred skin, moist flaky meat, and of course lightly salted and drizzled with olive oil. But 38 Euros for a fish was too much even for Mykonos, as we ordered sea breams several times on other islands later on the trip typically for less than 15 Euros. I probably should have stuck with grilled octopus tentacles.
It's still a memorable dinner overall, but that is entirely due to my fondness of raw sea urchin roes. Aside from that the shrimps were mediocre, and the fish was overpriced for its quality. If I ever return I would just come early before dinner just for the Sea Urchin Salad and a glass of wine, and then head off for some cheap Gyros Pita elsewhere.
Bill for Two Persons
| Sea Urchin Salad | Euro 10 |
| Grilled Sea Bream 0.63kg | Euro 38.43 |
| Grilled Shrimp | Euro 14 |
| House Rosé (Half Litre) | Euro 5 |
| Bread x 2 | Euro 2 |
| TOTAL | Euro 69.43 (CAD$111.1) |
Food Review: O LICHOUDIS
Address: Drakopoulou 20, Mykonos
Hours: 11:00 – 21:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Hard to explain, but Drakopoulou street is one of the north-south alleys leading from the harbor front. Ask the locals ... this place is well-known for its cheap Gyro Pita.
If you're like us and don't want to shell out 70 Euros for every dinner, there's always the cheap Gyro Pita at the other end of the price spectrum. We came across a decent place right at the centre of town: greasy, filling and finger-licking good, and best of all, less than 10 Euros for a dinner for two including beers.
Finding it out of the maze of alleys may be a challenge though. The name of the place is only written in Greek, and I can only provide the photo above and its address (Drakopoulou 20). Start from the harbor front and it's a couple blocks south of the shoreline -- that's the best instructions I can give.
Note the menu at the top -- while the Souvlaki Pita and Gyro Pita are priced dirt-cheap at 2.5 Euros, anything on a platter is much more expensive. So don't fall for the Gyros Plate or Souvlaki Plate or Kebab Plate for 8 Euros. Get it wrapped up in a Pita for 2.5 Euros.
Just look at the thick, garlicky Tzatziki! While this certainly isn't the best Gyro Pita on our trip, 9 Euros for a meal and beer for the two of us was certainly a steal in cosmopolitan Mykonos. So if you've on a budget in Mykonos, give this place a try for a cheap and satisfying meal.
Bill for Two Persons
| Gyros Pita | Euro 2.5 |
| Chicken Souvlaki Pita | Euro 2.5 |
| Beer x 2 | Euro 4 |
| TOTAL | Euro 9 (CAD$14.4) |
Food Review: KOSTAS RESTAURANT
Address: 5 Metropoleos, Mykonos
Hours: 12:00 – 24:00
Website/Map: http://www.kostasmykonos.gr/
Directions: From the harbor, walk south towards the centre of town for a few small blocks. Ask the locals where the Catholic Church and the Metropolis Church is. Kostas is right next to the two churches.
As reasonably priced restaurants seem to be at a premium in Mykonos, I thought I should write a short review about another restaurant we tried. For our first lunch upon arriving on the island, we had these meaty Keftedes, some Pastitsio and a healthy heap of giant beans, in a mixed platter big enough to feed two.
While the flavor was nothing extraordinary, 18 Euros was quite reasonable for a wholesome platter for two in a proper restaurant in the heart of Mykonos. The food was generally enjoyable, though the Pastitsio wasn't rich enough for my preference.
My favorite item was actually the simplest thing on the plate -- buttery soft giant beans in tomato sauce. This gives me the feeling that while this place promotes seafood as its star dishes, cheaper, homey dishes may be a better bet. Too bad our stay in Mykonos was too short to give it a second visit.
Bill for Two Persons
| Mixed Platter for Two | Euro 18 |
| Beer | Euro 3 |
| TOTAL | Euro 21 (CAD$33.6) |
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Review: ANDRIANIS GUESTHOUSE (Mykonos)
Address: Beside the School of Fine Arts, Mykonos
Price: Euro 50 for double room with private shower/toilet
Website/Map: http://www.andrianis.com.gr
How To Book: Through HostelWorld.com
Directions: Starting from the bus station, walk uphill towards the School of Fine Art. Andrianis is a little further uphill behind the school.
It wasn't easy finding a place in Mykonos to satisfy our typical wishes: private washroom, walking distance to the centre of town, walking distance to bus station, at a reasonable price (~50 Euros per night). The best place that met all our criteria was Andrianis, located about 7 minute's walk uphill above the bus station.
Typical whitewashed cubic architecture. Clean and simple rooms. Quiet location within walking distance to town. Shared patio for sitting under the stars on a warm summer night. I can't really ask for much more for a mere 50 Euros, especially on arguably the most expensive island in the Aegean.
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