kea retreat
there seems to be no end to summer on the small island of kea.
sun washes over its quiet coves and rugged hills even in the closing days of september, when the OMA team make landfall from the morning ferry from Athens. they are destined for a particular, hidden gem nestled amid this wild beauty: lygaria at the kea retreat, a place of endless culinary inspiration and such raw beauty that we wanted our senior members to see it for themselves.
kea retreat is a farm and sanctuary that aims to return people to slower lifestyles, close to nature. whilst the architecture alone could keep us returning for years, it is its onsite restaurant, lygaria, that our team has crossed the aegean especially for on this occasion.
run by brothers uri and yoni, lygaria is truly revolutionising greek cuisine. working with the land and sea and creatively shifting the dial on responsible cooking, the menu is at once simple and honest, whilst remaining wildly innovative. special attention is paid to seafood sourced right on their doorstep, as well as herbs and vegetables grown at the retreat, or around the island.
it’s hard not to mention the entire menu here, but particularly inspiring were the local prawns with apricot emulsion, the mackerel en croute, and the sardines with oregano ‘ladolemono’. the dry aged grouper, and the mussel flatbread, both won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
sadly, mainland called. after a quick swim, the team raced back to catch the evening ferry. a flight back to london was waiting. and whilst leaving the cycladic sunshine for autumnal skies back home never gets any easier, the chance to recreate some of that island magic back in OMA’s kitchen was a big consolation.
until next summer.
