A steep winding climb from the town square of Oia leads to the magic of Skala, hugging the sea in this tiny village on the island of Santorini. Verticality is part and parcel to this island where hotels and restaurants seem poised to fall into the ocean. Not Skala. The ambience alone is enough to keep it afloat. And then there’s the food. Trying to assert its own unique identity, Oia’s restaurants tend to localize dishes to differentiate them from Fira’s, their big brother to the south and the capital of this super popular Greek island. Skala makes a strong case for this!
We wondered about some of the intricacies of the very varied menu and Lola, our host, directed us toward some solutions. She suggested an onion pie as a starter, crispy with little pignola nuts and completely off the map of Fira’s restaurants. The Skala salad was very much in the vein of the fabulous Greek standard but again unique with fresh rocket and slabs of feta. Anyone that’s ever had a Greek meal knows that their seafood is always the freshest and most delicious. That said, ordering the sea breem seemed a no brainer; it arrived whole and ready for plunder. I don’t think I can remember a better tasting fish. Lamb with peppers and tomatoes provided a wonderful contrast, again, lamb being the bonafide popularity winner when it comes to meat in Greece.
As we finished our last morsels, the sea breezes coming off the Aegean kicked up. What could be better than this? Dessert, maybe? My advice is not to miss the chocolate walnut cake with fresh fig ice cream and the ekmek kataifi, a Greek specialty in the sweets area. It will remind you of a sweetened flan in a coconut crust. We couldn’t resist trying one of the famous Santorini wines, this one a red dessert variety from the Sigalas Winery – a true taste of Santorini.
PS: It’s always nice to arrive at a restaurant where the “reserved” sign is prominently placed on the table … a sure sign of professionalism in a restaurant. Skala delivered!
Skala
Odos Nikolaos Nomikos
Oia, Santorini
22 860 71-362
www.travel-to-santorini.com