Chef Luca Piscazzi introduces his own fresh take on fine dining at Pelagos Restaurant

Pelagos restaurant is scheduled to open on May 13 at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens.  Chef Luca Piscazzi, who recently joined the team in Athens, takes the helm at the Resort’s new flagship dining spot that looks out onto the becalming waters of the Saronic Gulf. Faithful to the restaurant’s dedication to fish and seafood, Piscazzi has crafted an excitingly inventive menu.

Having earned his stripes at Michelin-starred restaurants in Rome, Hong Kong, Beijing and London, Piscazzi decided it was time for a change of pace and made the move to Athens with his family, where he is thoroughly enjoying the stylish lifestyle of the Athens Riviera. His latest post saw him serving as head chef alongside trail-blazing French Chef Anne-Sophie Pic at her restaurant La Dame de Pic London. Located within Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, it gained its two Michelin stars during Piscazzi’s tenure.

Piscazzi brings this tradition-defying ethos to Pelagos, though makes it clear that he is not interested in “smoke and mirrors” gastronomy. Instead, he is invested in bringing out the rich flavors, subtle aromas and varied textures of seasonal raw ingredients while ensuring diners can immediately recognize what is on their plate.

Low-key yet an innovative thinker who enjoys experimenting, he considers flavour to be the most important factor in a dish. In developing the new menu for Pelagos, Piscazzi, who says he likes “the notion of the unexpected,” has applied techniques usually associated with meat to seafood, as well as ideas that are uniquely his.

“I wanted to use pure mastic, which comes from the North Aegean island of Chios, and thought to encase a whole fish in it as part of a dry-ageing process,” Piscazzi notes. “I found that the mastic resin not only imparts a sweet scent to the fish but has the effect of beautifully preserving it and making the flesh more succulent.”

Main highlights include 

Lobster & Foie Gras (Pithivier) – Metaxa bisque, roasted chicken jus, green leaves, apple, dill yoghurt

Blue fin tuna (Tartare & Souvlaki) – Pistachio & bay leaf ice cream, courgette trompette, yuzu, piper cubeba

Milk Fed Lamb (French Trim) – green asparagus & mint cream, orange blossom yoghurt, chartreuse

Kagoshima Wagyu (Mibrasa) – Coeur De Boeuf tomato, Tsukudani, potato, smoked eel

Wild Sea Bass (Dry aged) – Mastika artichoke, smoked pike caviar, kumquat

Yellowtail (Crudo) – marinated heirloom tomatoes, cherries, elderflower, oregano, burrata cream

Three degustation menus ranging from four to eight courses offer comprehensive gustatory journeys through the main menu. On the wine list, Mediterranean coastal countries take precedence, with sought-after labels from Bolgheri to Burgundy and beyond, including singular Greek varieties and vintages.

A warm, intimate interior pays tribute to Greece’s maritime heritage, bringing to mind the curved hull and dining saloon of an opulent cruise ship with high timber-paneled ceilings, polished wood, vintage lamp fixtures and caramel-hued leather banquette seating. Earthen marble floors reference boat sails and braided white rope on the walls mimic dock lines, while white-grey Attican marble and wispy chandeliers add to the restaurant’s understated elegance.

Pelagos is open for dinner to both guests of the Resort and external guests.

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens.