Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani

Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani began with the logic of a good delicatessen: taste a slice of pastirma, add a glass of tsipouro, then realise that a table would improve matters. The Sokratous Street restaurant now gives that appetite a handsome neoclassical setting, with marble tables, an open kitchen and a display of cured meats and cheeses at the centre of the room. Order a selection rather than a sequence. Pastirma and soutzouki are essential, followed by Aivali-style meatballs, soutzouki pie, saganaki, smoked fish or chickpeas enriched with cured meat. The flavours travel through Cappadocia and Asia Minor, carried by garlic, fenugreek, paprika, smoke and patient curing. Greek wines, ouzo, tsipouro and beers from small breweries are chosen to keep pace. The restaurant is well known and often busy, but the cooking has more substance than its popularity might imply. Reserve for dinner or arrive early at lunch. Before leaving, inspect the shop across Evripidou Street; taking cheese or charcuterie home is the most sensible response to having ordered too cautiously.