Sunday - What Storm ? That Storm !
Symi is still escaping the threatened storm as we awoke to sunshine and some cloud but very little wind and it remained like that all day.
The Dodekanisos came through at 09:25 whilst we were having breakfast. Being a Sunday we decided to have the walk-in self-service buffet breakfast at the Nireus hotel. For €7 per head you can have as much as you like from the three “stations”. One where there is yoghurt, honey and fruit; another has cold hams, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, etc.; and one where there is hot food that when we visited included a nice thick omelette, very thin and tasty bacon, sliced herby smoked village sausage and fried eggs. There was fruit juice, coffee, tea and a variety of breads and pastries. We availed ourselves of the entire wide variety and sitting at a harbour side table it really was quite excellent.
- Nireus Breakfast Under An Interesting Sky
The Symi taxi boats were running as usual although the Poseidon did not go out. But due to high winds there were none of the usual day boats from Rhodes with only the scheduled Sebeco and Skiadeni coming in. The Port was therefore very quiet as we walked round for our frappé and fresh orange at Cafe Aiglios. We then wandered around the back streets and walked to the new jetty out by the petrol station.
- Yialos From The New Jetty
On the return journey we had a beer & retsina stop in the Yacht Cafe mainly due to the fact that they were showing the Ryder Cup. After watching a few of the early holes we walked round the harbour but couldn’t resist an Elpida’s ouzo & retsina which came again with the spetzofai and the plate of cheese, tomato, cucumber and salami.
- View From The Yacht Cafe
It was about 16:00 by the time we got back to the apartment where that $100,000,000 mega super yacht that we reported upon a coupled of days ago had returned. The skies remained confused and there was a distant rumbling of thunder and then sporadic lightning could be seen out at sea.
We were still undecided about the dinner venue but had got it down to a shortlist of two, Trata or Kaboz, as we walked round to Elpida’s for the pre-dinner usual routine. We had not long sat down at one of the front tables when the thunder and lightning intensified and then the heavens opened. Gradually edging back under the extended awning it came to a point where the rain was so intense that we had to move to a table at the back. The sound of thunder overhead was amplified by the amphitheater of the hills surrounding the island and then a strike of lightning. The lights in the area around the bus stop all went out and the lights in Elpida’s flickered but the main concern amongst a packed taverna was that the football being shown on the TV and the WiFi wouldn’t go down. The rain became very intense and was streaming down all the steps that come down to the harbour side and after about an hour and a half it died down and this allowed D to nip to the ATM next door and then we decided that it was prudent to head towards the apartment rather than further into Yialos and so it was Kaboz for dinner.
We had dined in Kaboz about two years ago and we rated it average but one can never judge on a single visit and if there was an award for most improved restaurant on Symi then Kaboz must be a contender.
Whilst one of the joys of Symi is eating outside on lovely evenings this does mean that we hardly ever see the inside of some of these magnificent buildings and the interior of Kaboz is full of traditional features as well as having an open kitchen where we were able to watch our dinner being prepared and interact, at a distance, with the chef.
- Inside Kaboz
- Looking Out Of Kaboz
We started by sharing the prawns. Four good sized prawns cooked in a mild garlic butter and served with a small salad of shredded cabbage and tomato. The prawns were nicely prepared so that the they only came with the head and the tail, both of which had been loosened, to make eating easier - very nice attention to detail. The accompanying garlic bread was used to wipe the plates clean of the garlic butter. These prawns are up there with those of Tholos.
- Garlic Prawns
E was ecstatic to see Chicken with Prunes on the menu. This was always a favourite of ours in the days of Zyllygos in Chorio and so she ordered without hesitation. D being a pasta-head went for the seafood pasta dish. The chicken was very well cooked with a piece of leg and breast being accompanied by the prunes, some rice and good real chips but not too many. E declared this a triumph.
- Chicken With Prunes
D’s seafood pasta came with the fully array of squid, Symi shrimp, octupus, mussels and prawns all having been cooked well and then flambéed with dramatic effect in the open kitchen before having a mild tomato sauce added; and then being very nicely presented in a bowl of al denté pici, being that flatter spaghetti like pasta that is better at taking on sauce. Excellent.
- Seafood Pasta
A complimentary piece of cake that was soaked in lemon and orange syrup ended one of the best dinners we have had on Symi - hold onto the chef, Kaboz !
The lightning was still dancing over Turkey as we walked the short distance round Hirani to the apartment ending quite a dramatic day in this wonderful place.