Kifisia, as we’ve mentioned before, used to be a holiday destination for wealthy Athenians, and its suburban charms remain intact. Green spaces, high-end shops and close proximity to most of Athens’ international schools have seduced a number of expats into settling down here. We’ve written previously about the original Nice ‘n’ Easy in Kolonaki; it’s one of the few non-smoking establishments in a city where everyone puffs up all the time. Named after the Frank Sinatra song, the original has been in business since 2008 and has carved out a niche for itself by serving Mediterranean-inspired dishes with strictly organic and locally sourced products. It’s been so successful that additional locations have opened in Mykonos and Kifisia.
The Kifisia outpost sits opposite the local favorite open-air cinema, Boboniera, a landmark that has raised generations of children. With its sleek minimalist décor, old Hollywood movie star pictures on the walls, and dishes with names like “Sophia Loren” and “Pamela Anderson,” Nice ‘n’ Easy could be easily mistaken for a yuppified American-inspired diner. And the chitchat is definitely what one would expect from an upmarket Kifisia restaurant: Boat insurance was a hotly debated topic amongst diners the last time we visited.
Nice ‘n’ Easy’s appeal isn’t only skin-deep, however. It is first and foremost a place with enormous dedication to organic, locally sourced food. The menu has a whole page describing the provenance of every single ingredient. Buffalo, chicken and eggs come from the Kerkini organic farm near Serres in northern Greece, while the beef is from an organic farm in the Peloponnese. Unlike most places with a lengthy menu, Nice ‘n’ Easy does a lot of different things very well, including a breakfast and snack menu serving everything from organic muesli with goji berries to eggs Benedict, sandwiches, pasta and risotto, more than 10 different salads and some very creative starters and main courses.
We really liked the “Jim Morrison” – caramelized formaela cheese with citrus paste and an aromatic herb salad. Formaela, which has been recognized with a Protected Designation of Origin, is made only in the region of Arachova. At Nice ‘n’ Easy it’s lightly fried – the correct treatment – which makes for a pleasingly chewy contrast to the citrus paste. And, as noted by the restaurant’s nutritional index, the dish weighs in at 247 calories, with 14 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbs and 15 milligrams of cholesterol.
Nice ‘n’ Easy is a pioneer in another sense. It’s one of the first restaurants in Athens to serve water buffalo. Greek water buffalo were being raised near Lake Kerkini near Serres before the 1950s, but the population had dwindled precipitously by the 1990s. It took a lot of effort and two dedicated farms to not only bring the buffalo population back but also to start farming and selling their meat. Nice ‘n’ Easy serves a buffalo burger in Kolonaki, and in Kifisia, there’s the lovely but bizarrely named “Marvin Gaye” dish: water buffalo meatballs with graviera cheese from Naxos and a smoked tomato sauce, a surprisingly light spin on the heavier beef meatballs served in most restaurants. We also love the sioufihta pasta with wild mushrooms, baby tomatoes and Cretan graviera. Sioufihta, a traditional fresh pasta originating from Crete, is made with a combination of wheat and white flours, salt, olive oil and water and shaped into twists.
This being Kifisia, the prices are not low. Expect to pay around €25 to €30 per person without wine and more if you want a special like the buffalo fillet dish, which is €27. What you get for your money are ingredients of exceptional quality skillfully transformed into wonderfully satisfying dishes. Whether you were born and raised in Kifisia or are a recent transplant, that’s great value.
Published on October 16, 2014
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