Today, a shout out for a (relatively new) restaurant in the village. The Kali Strata opened last year to great success. From what I’ve seen and experienced, it doesn’t need any publicity as it’s proving so popular, but I wanted to mention it because I have an association with the building going back to my first visit to Symi in 1996.
The restaurant that was there then was called… I don’t remember, actually, was it Panorama? Or was that what later became Syllogos? Anyway, the place that was at the top of the steps… I called in there one night and tried Symi shrimps. Now then, what I am about to tell you has no bearing on the taverna that’s there now or even the one that was there then, but… I discovered I am allergic to the local delicacy, Symi shrimps. I know this because during that night, staying at the outpost that was Lavinia, I woke feeling decidedly odd and spent half an hour in the en suite having what you might call a purge. Once that had subsided, I put the light on (there hadn’t been time before) to discover I was covered in great red welts. A bit worrying for a lone traveller. Having drunk two cans of Fanta lemon and 1.5 litres of water, I went back to bed, and the next morning, was as fit as a fiddle. Phew. Since then, I’ve not gone near the things and can’t even stand the smell (sorry to all you shrimp lovers). It is fun, though, to watch the unknowing trying to peel them. Tip: if you order them, you eat them whole. Another tip: don’t order if you might have a shellfish allergy. Just so you know, I also had two weeks off work after eating oysters in Selfridges, and that’s something else I can no longer stomach. Not West End department stores, but snotty things in shells. Strange, as I was brought up with a shrimp net, winkles and welks. That paints a very unusual image of Romney Marsh, but it was the 60s.
Moving on
Later, when coming here on holiday, I visited the taverna again; To Klima, as it was known by then. This was the place where we had to rest our feet on the wall to avoid things scuttling about on the floor. It was also the place we called into during our first winter and ended up being there until about four in the morning with G & J, until crawling up to our place at Ag Triada, only to learn, the next day, that not long after we left, G had to be airlifted to hospital. But that’s another story…
Later, the taverna became Filos. We had the shop at this point and, while setting up an exhibition, booked for lunch at Filos to save time, only to find the water had given away our table because he couldn’t be bothered to put people on the upper terrace; too many steps. This was the same waiter who’d sit down at a customer’s table and open with the line, ‘Now, then. It would be so much easier for all of us if we spoke English.’ Needless to say, this incarnation didn’t last long.
Then, we celebrated the Olive Tree, and everyone said, ‘Yay!’ and everyone was happy to have an original, healthy, and laughter-filled place to have breakfast and lunch, and all my dodgy experiences of before can be forgotten. Sadly, the café had to close in 2020 because of Covid, as did many businesses, and it sat empty until 2022.
Kali Strata
Which is where we came in. With the opening of Kali Strata comes a modern approach to Greek dining, with an excellent menu, good food, a great cast of staff and the perfect view. What’s also nice for me, though, is that we have, from a distance, seen the guys who run it grow up for the last 20 + years. It also continues the tradition of family-run, with the brothers in the kitchen, dad on front of house, the grandparents on hand. Also, the staff they employ are young, thus, giving younger people a chance for work and a career so hard to come by in Greece today. One of them is our godson, working his first job, and discovering (to his delight) what it’s like to work eight hours a night, seven days a week.
And as for the actual dining: tables on the terrace, perfect service from the young staff, plenty of choice, great flavours and great food but not at inflated prices. This ain’t Santorini love, it’s Symi, and where better to spend an evening than the top of the Kali Strata at the taverna called Kali Strata?
