Funky Greek Granita

On returning to Athens, Georgianna and Nikos started up a private chef business, which in 2009 evolved into their dream restaurant Funky Gourmet. Nestled in a neo-classical building located in the Keramikos area of Athens, it is managed and also owned by Argyro Hiliadaki who formerly studied art conservation in London and worked prior at Benaki Museum for over a decade. The restaurant’s main dining area in the minimalist modern style is glass-clad with panoramic views of the neighborhood and can seat 30 with a private dining space for another 16 on the ground floor. In 2012, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star, gaining a second star in 2014 along with international recognition as a prominent avant-garde Greek restaurant. In June 2014, the duo co-founded the laid-back, casual dining restaurant OPSO with Alex and Andreas Labridis in London and in September 2018 launched Pitta Bun, a Modern Greek street food project, in Carnaby, London. Georgianna was honored as the Best Female Chef in Greece 2017 and 4th Best Female Chef in the World according to The Best Chef Awards 2017.

According to the chefs it gives Greek cuisine an avant-garde makeover while retaining “memories of the food we would eat as we were growing up, the flavors and scents, all given a modern and innovative perspective, where food is seen as a form of art, a means of expressing feelings. It’s a gastronomic experience that touches all the senses”.

Carefully designed degustation menus are inspired by unique local products and seasonality to create an extraordinary culinary experience. The chefs’ signature dish is a Greek salad granita in which the traditional ingredients of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions and feta cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, are mixed together, distilled, frozen and then spun to create the texture of white snow. Although the eyes see powdery snow, the flavor and aromas are distinctly those of the traditional salad and it is eaten with a miniature shovel instead of a fork. A favorite starter is the Chef Patrons’ take on a Greek picnic complete with miniature picnic basket, bread, aioli, Greek meatball with lemon sauce, cashew nuts with edible wrap, a sandwich and boiled egg artfully positioned on a picnic cloth with real stones. The restaurant’s menu contains many surprising and exciting combinations, such as Greek bottarga, salted and cured fish roe, combined with white chocolate for a real taste explosion or “bread, butter and honey at -196°C” prepared with liquid nitrogen to get small frozen pieces topped with honey. Each menu also has a wine pairing chosen by a hugely knowledgeable sommelier, with many of the excellent wines coming from Greece.

Georgianna Hiliadaki was born in Athens. After completing her studies in European Relations and Italian at the University of Reading in the UK, her passion for cooking drove her to New York where she attended the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. It was there that she met Nikos Roussos, also from Athens, who had worked in the family silversmith business and studied business administration prior to cooking. The two chefs graduated from the ICE in 2003 with a degree in culinary arts and restaurant management. Both then worked in various restaurants in Greece as well as abroad.

On returning to Athens, Georgianna and Nikos started up a private chef business, which in 2009 evolved into their dream restaurant Funky Gourmet. Nestled in a neo-classical building located in the Keramikos area of Athens, it is managed and also owned by Argyro Hiliadaki who formerly studied art conservation in London and worked prior at Benaki Museum for over a decade. The restaurant’s main dining area in the minimalist modern style is glass-clad with panoramic views of the neighborhood and can seat 30 with a private dining space for another 16 on the ground floor. In 2012, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star, gaining a second star in 2014 along with international recognition as a prominent avant-garde Greek restaurant. In June 2014, the duo co-founded the laid-back, casual dining restaurant OPSO with Alex and Andreas Labridis in London and in September 2018 launched Pitta Bun, a Modern Greek street food project, in Carnaby, London. Georgianna was honored as the Best Female Chef in Greece 2017 and 4th Best Female Chef in the World according to The Best Chef Awards 2017.

Funky Gourmet - funky by name, funky by nature - is renowned for Greek food reimagined with cutting-edge techniques. According to the chefs it gives Greek cuisine an avant-garde makeover while retaining “memories of the food we would eat as we were growing up, the flavors and scents, all given a modern and innovative perspective, where food is seen as a form of art, a means of expressing feelings. It’s a gastronomic experience that touches all the senses”.

Carefully designed degustation menus are inspired by unique local products and seasonality to create an extraordinary culinary experience. The chefs’ signature dish is a Greek salad granita in which the traditional ingredients of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions and feta cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, are mixed together, distilled, frozen and then spun to create the texture of white snow. Although the eyes see powdery snow, the flavor and aromas are distinctly those of the traditional salad and it is eaten with a miniature shovel instead of a fork. A favorite starter is the Chef Patrons’ take on a Greek picnic complete with miniature picnic basket, bread, aioli, Greek meatball with lemon sauce, cashew nuts with edible wrap, a sandwich and boiled egg artfully positioned on a picnic cloth with real stones. The restaurant’s menu contains many surprising and exciting combinations, such as Greek bottarga, salted and cured fish roe, combined with white chocolate for a real taste explosion or “bread, butter and honey at -196°C” prepared with liquid nitrogen to get small frozen pieces topped with honey. Each menu also has a wine pairing chosen by a hugely knowledgeable sommelier, with many of the excellent wines coming from Greece.