Varoulko Santorini is housed within the Grace Hotel one of the island’s most upmarket hotels. The hotel is directly opposite the ancient fortress of Skaros and has amazing views of the caldera.
The walk to the hotel is just as picturesque as the dinner itself.
The restaurant is led by the Michelin star Chef Lefteris Lazarou. The menu is heavily focused on seafood and produce drawing from the locality with the brilliance of Lazarou’s culinary flair.
The Hotel and Bar
We arrive early and decide to have a drink at the bar before we are seated. The views are stunning, and the poolside location is just the tonic we need to whet our appetites.
The Restaurant
The service is friendly, and we are given an amazing table with stunning views over the caldera for the sunset. It is a beautiful start to the evening.
The Wine
Nerantzi, Rissos, Cabernet Koniaros
I opt for a Cabernet Koniaros blend from Northern Greece. It’s a dry red which would dance well with the lamb and probably not quite the pairing for the seafood dishes, but it is a great standalone wine and perfect for the evening. On the nose there are nice spice medley of cinnamon and pepper with hints of vanilla and cherries. On the palate its beautiful red fruits with notes of chocolate creeping in. The wine has robust tannins which perfectly balances the fruit.
Olives and Bread
Some olives, olive oil and dips are brought out with some charred bread. We avoid filling up on the bread and olives given we have nine courses ahead of us.
The Coral Tasting Menu
We opt for the Coral tasting menu which offers nine courses of expertly crafted dishes.
I. Welcome
The first dish is an amuse bouche of crayfish ravioli in fennel sauce. A bite full of crayfish with a nice soft ravioli casing and well-seasoned fennel sauce. A perfect burst of flavour.
II. Crayfish Tartare
The sorbet is sweet with a hint of bitterness of the cucumber’s natural flavour. There is citrus and spice which naturally and effortlessly fuses with the sweet natural salinity of the crayfish.
III. Crispy Sea Bream
This dish is eclectic simplicity. The beautiful sea bream is covered with a thin sourdough crisp. There is an assortment of pea puree, carrot jam, smoked eggplant mousse, tomato jam and prosciutto chips which provide additional streaks of beautiful flavours which are medley of flavours which work well with the sea bream. A masterpiece.
The views are amazing as the sun makes its way down the horizon and the sunset approaches.
IV. Calamari
This is about simple flavours from the heart of Grecian cuisine. There is the basil pesto, tomato, naxos potato crisps and the calamari which tossed through it and the tomato puree base which is flavourful and adds lovely textural contrast to the dish.
The sunset approaches with all its radiance and majesty over the caldera.
V. Red Mullet
The red mullet is stuffed with vegetables (a mix of primarily carrot and mushrooms others) on base of string beans and string bean purée and red mullet sauce. The dish has the beautiful strong natural flavours of mullet which assert themselves with the mild balance of the string beans. The mushrooms add an earthiness to the dish and the red mullet sauce is rich and keeps the mullet at the forefront of the dish.
VI. Truffle Cappuccino
A little mini course is brought out. It’s a cappuccino of truffle, milk, topinambur (artichoke root). There is a strength of the truffle, but the mildness of the other ingredients provides lovely balance and makes it a wonderful dish.
IX. Rack of Lamb
The dish is move away from seafood, but with a traditional cornerstone of Grecian cuisine; lamb. The lamb is slow cooked in olives, mushrooms and thyme which forms the glaze which coats the lamb. There mushrooms are topped on the lamb and there is a smoked aubergine purée, sweet pepper coulis to round out the dish. The dish is rich, with a tango of the olives, mushrooms and lamb intertwined and balanced with the smoky aubergine and the sweet tang of the pepper coulis. It’s a dream.
VIII. Dessert
We have a choice for dessert.
I opt for the Strawberry which is strawberry sorbet with a lemongrass cream on a waffle tart. There is also a white chocolate cased strawberry jam, basil cream and pistachio financier. It’s a nicely balanced dish of flavours; the bite of lemon grass, the sweetness of strawberries and textures; crunch, jam, ice and cream.
My wife has the praline dessert which has caramel cream in middle, a praline soft base, praline ice cream and coffee cream. It looks lovely and she attests that it was a stunning dessert.
IX. Mignardises
We finish with a pineapple and vanilla jelly and chocolate and cinnamon bites.
Even at night the view is so beautiful especially the glow of the pool.
Overall
When I review restaurants, I do not publish a score just a narrative with only one exception, if a restaurant has received the perfect 10 / 10 score.
In assessing the Restaurant, all elements of the service, the ambience, the location, the wine list, the culinary execution and produce are looked at and it was hard to find a fault. What stood out at Varoulko Santorini was the culinary flair. More than the produce, the service or any other factor (and those were all first class), it was the creative design of the dishes. The views over the caldera and the sunset were spectacular and an unforgettable experience, I don’t think there was any doubt what the score would be.
So here it is: Varoulko Santorini 10/10.