"Hamburg Fine Dining Society" goes to Stavanger! Restaurant Akropolis!

Restaurant 5, 23/08-10

It was a rainy Monday evening in Stavanger. I was walking around randomly downtown, looking for a place to eat dinner. The rain forced me into zipping up my jacket. It was a bit windy too.. Not very pleasant at all. But a man must eat! So I ignored the rain, and stubbornly continued my lonely pursuit for a decent restaurant. Just when I was beginning to consider the possibility of just grabbing some fast food I saw an old familiar place! The Greek restaurant Akropolis! I had been there once before, 2-3 years ago, together with my friends Ellen and Preben, and remembered the wonderful lunch I had there then! I didn't hesitate for a second, but rushed towards the restaurant with great haste!

Inside the restaurant I saw many formally dressed people occupying most of the tables. They were probably in town for the annual ONS conference, the biggest oil conference in Norway. A couple of very busy looking waiters were running around while carrying an impressive number of plates in their hands. One of them noticed the new arrival, and lead me to a small table under the stairway.. I felt a bit like I was stuffed into a box. Very limited space to move arms and legs. Fortunately, the waiter returned shortly after, and asked if I wanted a table on the second floor. I replied: "Yes, I would very much like that"

The meals in the menu all sounded very exotic and unfamiliar to me, and I didn't understand much of it. It was like Greek to me! (Sorry, I had to..) Specialities like Minotauros, El Greka, Gyros and Calamari all sounded tempting, but I chose to go for a slightly less exotic meal, namely Moussaka! Moussaka has become quite common the last few years, and you can buy boxes of easy-to-make Moussaka in the store. However, I cannot recall ever eating a "real" Moussaka. Only the cheap, easy ones.

The Moussaka was very tasty! It consists of minced meat on top of a bed of potatoes and aubergines, topped with white sauce. It looks like Lasagne in many ways, but has got a different taste. A fresh salad with tzatziki accompanied the meal. The Moussaka itself has got a mild taste, so I was relieved to discover that the red onion in the salad added some punch and craziness to the overall experience. I was very satisfied in the end!

My major complaint about restaurant Akropolis is that the first floor is only 1,95 meters high.. So I have to move around very awkwardly in order not to bump my head into things. But It's a bit charming somehow as well. Most Greeks are probably not as tall as me anyway.