It’s a rare feeling to leave a restaurant after sampling a variety of dishes and being unable to find a fault in any of them. To Antikristo in Perivolia, on the outskirts of Chania is that restaurant.
We visited as a party of six and were greeted in these times of Covid-19 by our waiter, Andonis, in face mask and gloves...just as required by Greek law to keep everyone safe. The entrances also had antiseptic hand sanitizer for the patrons to use on arrival and exit.
After being escorted to our table, well apart from the neighbouring tables, we were brought an appetizer of olives, rusk and freshly picked, sliced plum tomatoes. A large bottle of water was also given to us as part of the greeting which was welcome on a hot June afternoon.
The menu is superb, just what you would expect from a traditional Cretan restaurant. I love the little phrase on the menu, ‘Not Greek, we don’t have it’. It says everything you need to know about To Antikristo. After running through the specials and giving us a great introduction, Andonis asked if we would like to see the kitchen, at which point the owner and head chef, Zoran escorted us through.
The kitchen was immaculate and the food preparation area was pristine. The fire pit was roaring away and in the heat of a Summer’s afternoon it was tough to be in there even as a guest, let alone have to work in there. The antikristo meat of pork and lamb was cooking away nicely; the aromas in the kitchen were a meat eaters dream. But also being prepared was the vleeta, or mountain greens, and fresh salad ingredients that are also worthy of mention.
After being shown the special tools and devices (some over 150 years old) to keep the meat cooking so succulently, we were asked to sit back down at our table. At this point, Andonis produced a bottle of tsikoudia, ‘just to get our appetite ready’. We ordered some house white wine and local romeiko wine while we decided what to eat.
Before we talk about the food we have to mention the raki and wine. The raki, brought in from Kissamos has a wonderful smokey aftertaste which is amazing. Sometimes a raki can be harsh, or leave an aftertaste that just makes you want to leave it in the glass...To Antikristo’s raki definitely is not one of those!
The romeiko is light and soft and comes from Keramia, an area on the slopes of the White Mountains just outside of Chania. The white wine is soft on the palate and has a pleasant sweet taste like an Australian Chardonnay; what is there not to like about this place so far?
So, down to the food.
STARTERS
We ordered a Gardner's salad, Tsatziki, local village sausages, horta and a mixed selection of bread. The salad is a delight to behold...and this coming from a 100% carnivore. Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, purslane, pomegranate seeds, radish, broccoli, florets, olives, carrot...the list just goes on. Just be sure that if you want something to set your palate racing then this is a perfect starter and the dressing is superb.
The Tsatziki is one of the creamiest and flavoursome I have had and coupled with the five different styles of bread was a taste sensation.
The local village sausages came in two styles; one was typical Cretan with a lovely amount of fat that bound the whole sausage together in perfect harmony with the gamey flavour. The second was a real treat with tomato and herbs mixed with the wonderful sausage meat that just left you wanting more.
MAIN COURSE
With the name of the place being To Antikristo, we had to try the meat from the grill. We ordered lamb and crispy pork belly along with the beef in white wine sauce.
We have to start with the beef. Slow cooked for eight hours, the beef is tender, moist and has a flavour that will make you think you will taste nothing better this side of heaven; but then comes the pork!
I wish I had enough words to describe how well the pork is cooked. The fat has been rendered perfectly into an outside slice of crackling and a thin underside of pure taste sensation. The meat is so well cooked it that you could cut it with a spoon, and the taste is out of this world. There is the saltiness we expect, yet also a sweetness that adds an extra dimension to the flavour.
The lamb is succulent, with just the right amount of crispiness to get the taste buds soaring. How do these guys manage to cram so much flavour into every dish?
DESSERT
We didn’t order dessert, but Andonis brought over an extra bottle of raki and six separate portions of a light, creamy and tasty mille foulle (after much google searching it's apparently spelt Mille Feuille...who knew!) that had us all sitting back and reflecting on the meal. He also offered us all a complimentary coffee to finish a wonderful afternoon at To Antikristo.
THINGS TO KNOW
There is a small play area next to the restaurant which makes it ideal if you fancy a wonderful meal out while keeping the kids entertained.
The toilets are pristine and according to one of our group are, ‘...the cleanest I have seen in Chania’.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
One of the best dining experiences we have had in the Chania area. Look it up, try it out and enjoy a traditional and wonderfully tasting Cretan meal. It is well worth the little extra effort in seeking out this charming andexcellent restaurant.
To book a table contact Zoran or Andonis by telephone on (0030) 2821 072700 or go to their facebook page and private message them here TO ANTIKRISTO FACEBOOK You can even look at their webpage (still under construction) by clicking HERE