The new Culinary Executive Chef Mr . Simos Zervas, his team of Chefs and cooks take the cuisine to another level.
As a Professional Travel Guide Writer, a Food Critic and Seafood lover, when I am out travelling my dream is to find the best restaurants serving what the local fishermen are catching, and I found all these, at both the Eleon and Barbouni restaurants of the Romanos. Find below how I comment on the dining experience I had in Romanos.



The atmosphere was perfect, intimate and glass-clinkingly busy at the same time. The staff were the right balance of friendly and attentive. We chose the tasting menu of Local Mezze dishes and its array of delights brought to us including a number of appetizers, Grouper fillet, Sea bass from the Aegean Sea, Orzo with shrimps, "Hulopites" Navarino Icons, and some stunning desserts which are not neglected, and the wine list does great justice to the 'fruits of the sea'. We did not even notice the two-hours-plus sit away as it was a great meal .


TRADITIONAL CUISINE: Inspired by Greece’s rich culinary heritage the cuisine is presented with a modern flair, complemented by fine wines from all parts of the country. During lunch, enjoy freshly caught fish, local mezze dishes, and fresh salads from locally grown vegetables.
Private Barbeque pits for your friends and families are also available for tasty meat, fish and vegetables cooked the way of your preference.



MENU: Dishes change weekly based on market availability and the produce of the Costa Navarino organic Farm that is also within the resort. As for the catch of the day, this is actually a matter of luck. It has to do on what the catch is and how lucky the fishermen are. Vegetables and herbs are seasonal and are produced within the resort as well.

A Trip of Tastes starts with a good wine of an elegant taste. Our sommelier Mr . Kentikelenis was of great help to us, especially with the choice of the wines.



WELCOMING STARTERS: A glass of ‘1827 Rose Syrah champagne of excellent taste, and homemade baked bread rolls. A fine porcelain dish with three partitions included a tasty dip, delicious olives and virgin olive oil. What an excellent way to start!

THE “MEZZE” STARTERS & APETIZERS”

SALADS: We had the Greek Salad for €18.00. Refreshing and colorful and the Cretan dakos for €15.00, a popular dish I come across in restaurants quite often lately. The dakos dish is tastefully inspiring.

The Messinian edible pot for €22.00 is another dish not to be missed. Flavorsome and superb. You have to see it to understand what it is all about….simply order it.  

Out of the list of starters we had the Grilled Octopus. Juicy and tender and smelled sea from a distance . €18.00.

BEVERAGE: To complement our meal the sommelier recommended the appropriate pairing wines. For our appetizers the Kotyle Chardonnay. €30.00 - (€7.50 glass) A balanced wine with tight structure, golden in color, full & velvety, fruity aftertaste.

We paired the Grouper fillet and Sea bass with a wine coming from Santorini, -the Assyrtiko Athiri Sigalas for €32.00. A yellow dry wine, refreshing acidity with a delightful after-taste.

The Grouper fillet (€30.00) and the Sea bass dish (€27.00) were both tender and succulent. The flavor of freshness was totally blocked in the fish. The taste was great and I highly recommend both as I can’t tell which was better.



If you love pasta you will love both the following dishes. Count in the Orzo with shrimp dish (langoustine) and “Hulopites” Navarino Icons for €25 .00 and €26.00 respectively. The latter was from the daily catch, topped with fresh wild fennel pesto from the farm. What a delight!

Both are dishes relying on much more than sparklingly fresh seafood, and it is a triumph in the art of pasta making: just right degree of bite and creaminess and wonderful flavor and textures. The taste in both was heavenly.



DESSERT: Finally don’t leave without trying at least one of the three yummy desserts of the restaurant.

I was for something light and Manos, our sommelier recommended the Almond milk Panacotta for €17.00, and the Red berries soup (€15.00). I loved both as neither of the two were overwhelmingly sweet. Instead the Panacotta had an awesome smooth flavor while the Berry soup, flavored with Visanto & spices, crispy strawberry fresh fruits with mint and ‘masticha’ ice cream had a totally exotic superb yummy flavor .

We accompanied dessert with Tsipouro Navarino -€5.50.



TIPS:  Eleon accepts only guests who are older than 8 years. Private BBQ pits upon request. Prices are very competitive when compared to same 5* category resorts in Europe.



IN ALL: From the style and ambience, the elegant surroundings, to the delivery of unparalleled service, dedication to detail, makes every ‘Eleon’ experience one to be cherished. I would recommend it to anyone with a Taste for the Good Life!