Φανκυ Γκουρμέ Εστιατόριο ΕΠΕ — Restaurant in Athens

Excellent service. The server, Eva, was very meticulous in explaining the dishes and making sure that it was something that we could eat. The only suggestion I’d make is for servers to take notes at this stage, especially when patrons like us request all kinds of substitutions. Not surprisingly, she had to come back to confirm the substitutions and still got some wrong in the end. The sommelier was also very helpful in his recommendations when it turned out that there were too many white wines in the wine pairing to my liking. The dishes were very creative. The Picnic, which comprises of 9 kinds of morsels, was fun to try; however, the dessert, the Red Box, was too strange. It was mostly candy; no cake, no pastry, so not much a dessert. The gimmick of lighting the “fuse” of the chocolate bomb with a lighter provided by the restaurant was unnecessarily dangerous. Nothing went off, so the “bomb” was a misnomer to begin with. What’s more, the bowl was too deep and the “fuse” too short. Each time I tried to light the fuse, I almost burned my hand. Overall speaking, most of the dishes were more style than substance. If you go there just for the show and the experience, you’d like the gimmicks and the presentations. However, you’d be disappointed if you go there to eat. In contrast, Spondi, the other two-Michelin-star restaurant in Athens, offers more dishes of substance in its tasting menu. At least, we felt like we’d eaten something at the end of the meal at Spondi, e.g. decent serving sizes of Lagoustine, red mullet, and wagyu beef instead of morsels smothered by heavy sauces at Funky Gourmet, masking the taste and flavor of the main ingredients. Finally, the booking process was unpleasant and onerous. The reservation team at the restaurant came across as being extremely arrogant and unaccommodating, which was the opposite of the vibe we got in person from the staff. It was very strange and unsettling that when we made the reservation one month in advance (which was as early as the restaurant would allow), we were told that since we didn’t specify the location (i.e. the first floor or the ground floor), there was no guarantee that we’d be seated on the first floor. The message sounded extremely arrogant and insensitive. Isn’t it safe for the restaurant to assume that patrons would want to be seated in the proper dining area when they make a reservation one month in advance, especially when they specify that it will be for a special occasion? One would think that the restaurant would only seat patrons on the ground floor after all the tables on the first floor had been taken, and it was hard to believe that that would be the case one month in advance. Upon follow-up communications, the restaurant repeatedly refused to make the commitment of reserving a table for us on the first floor. I have never experienced anything like that from any restaurant, Michelin...

To start, yes this restaurant is not cheap, but its food is worth the price. The wine pairing is somewhat on the expensive side. Fair enough, all wines were indeed good pairs with the food. But, with the exception of the champagne, the were served in rather small tasting portions and then the price tag was somewhat high.

Well let's focus on the food, and I can only repeat, that review is influenced by the expectations you create by putting two stars on your door. Overall food was inspired and prepared with the highest amount of care. The aromas were clear and respected. The produce were local and seasonal. However, I wish the menu was a bit more grown up. It was playful starters with mild tastes and creamy and crispy textures. Mild flavors and all spoonable mains and half of the menu was desserts. Why not a single dish for knife and teeth? Why such an angst from strong contrasting aromas?

Dishes I will remember: the Greek salad, the cuttlefish Oreo, the sea urchin pasta.

Dishes I would not have missed: the Greek meatball (which was even dry), the passion fruit (a real passion fruit has so much more taste), the soft boiled egg (just too much desserts)

Overall conclusion, sophisticated and skilled cookery, great suppliers, friendly service but all for a rather infantile taste.... sweet,...

As a restaurant, the service is second to none and the food presentation as well as creativity are of the finest quality. The price was acceptable for this beautiful restaurant.

I can only give Funky Gourmet 4 stars (despite how fantastic everything was) because there wasn't anything that wowed us enough to differentiate this as a 2 star Michelin restaurant as opposed to any high class restaurant with good food.

Side note: The neighbourhood looks a little rough and if you don't know where you are going, you won't know where the restaurant is other than seeing the finely dressed doorman. Once you walk through the doors, its an entirely...