Pelagos Launches New Summer Menus Inspired By ‘Pelagos On Tour, The Cyclades Edition’

Athens, May 31, 2024 – From May 6, Michelin-starred Pelagos at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens launches its third annual ‘Pelagos On Tour’ menu series: a homage to the incredible ingredients of three sun-kissed Cycladic islands.

Following a week-long culinary voyage, acclaimed Head Chef Luca Piscazzi and his team showcase nine ingredients from Sifnos, Santorini and Naxos that tell the story of the islands, their inhabitants, their history, culture and gastronomic heritage. Two exquisite six- and nine-course tasting menus – 'Discovery' and 'Adventure' – are joined this year by a six-course ‘Best Of’ menu honouring three years of the tour, featuring much-loved favourites inspired by previous trips to Crete, Tinos

During this year's Pelagos on Tour, privileged meetings and partnerships with local chefs, small producers and family-owned businesses led to exclusive gastronomic and cultural insights. The result? Sublime summertime menus that celebrate distinctive ingredients and embrace the unique personalities of these very different islands.

"The original mission of Pelagos on Tour was to explore under-the-radar destinations, support small artisan producers, and shine a light on exemplary local products," explains Chef Luca. "This year's Cyclades edition delivered all of these aspects and so much more, including a reminder to cherish life’s simple pleasures – genuine hospitality, the ease of slow living and enjoying nature’s gifts in their purest form."

For each of the new summer menus at Pelagos, diners can experience a full Greek wine pairing as well as the opportunity to discover international labels through the expert insights of Pelagos’ sommeliers. There is also a menu of four cocktails inspired by the Cyclades, including the signature Ariadne: a refreshing nod to Naxos merging Kitron liquor with Aperol, melon and Aegean tonic.   

Three Islands, Nine Ingredients 

From white aubergines endemic to the volcanic terrain of Santorini, to traditionally dry-aged beef from grass-fed Naxos herds, each island visited on Pelagos on Tour, The Cycladic Edition offered up new gastronomic inspiration for Chef Luca's summer menus.

Sifnos capers add a playful piquant twist to TUNA TARTARE via the salty smoothness of caper ice cream; creamy chickpeas are artfully partnered with Romesco sauce and apricot in the LOBSTER; Santorini’s unique white aubergine is the star of WHITE AUBERGINE alongside Madras curry, pork belly, and oyster; DRY AGED BEEF showcases the Naxos specialty meat served with an intriguing combination of tomato consommé, cucumber and sesame. 

Alongside two of the Cycladic dishes, the six-course ‘Best Of’ menu brings back iconic favourites from previous tours. From 2023’s visit to Crete, LAMB features tender meat with wild greens, plums and pita. Hailing from Tinos in 2022, KARIKI CHEESE playfully delivers pumpkin-matured cheese with Kristal caviar in a ceramic pumpkin-shaped dish.

A Cycladic Odyssey 

This summer's island-hopping adventure began in Sifnos at Narlis Farm, where owner Giorgos’ family have been using water-free farming methods for nearly a century. Across the island, chickpeas, sage and capers proved to be the culinary stars, while incredible ceramics and mountain hikes to ancient monasteries were two key cultural highlights.

The next destination was Santorini – the ‘wine island’ – blessed by volcanic soil, Aegean Sea breezes and abundant sunlight. Despite mass tourism, local producers and farmers work tirelessly to preserve the integrity of the island’s produce, including world-renowned Santorini tomatoes, protected with an official designation of origin since 2013. After learning traditional wine-making techniques at Vassaltis Vineyard, the team feasted on fragrant pistachios grown by respected farmer Yiannis on Yiannis Nomikos Estate. 

On Naxos, lush landscapes and verdant mountains formed the backdrop, while visits to small producers including Babounis Cheese, Graviera Pittara, and Olive Oil Cycladi saw the team sampling aromatic Athos cheeses, grass-fed beef, and the finest golden olive nectar. Laidback lunches with the Naxian Experience and Terra Grazia Estate immersed the team in warm Naxos hospitality, local dishes and traditional music.  

Fired up with inspiration, the award-winning Chef Luca – who garnered Pelagos a Michelin star within six months of opening – returned to Athens to craft dishes that tell a story of landscape, passion and craftsmanship.

“I really wanted to explore the link between each island and its inhabitants – their history, culture and gastronomic heritage,” he notes. “Inspiration comes from sampling products in their natural habitat and learning about the culinary traditions behind them from the individuals who know them best. As a result, each dish on our new menus is really a homage to the people behind the flavours, colours and aromas of each key ingredient.”

Find out more about the Pelagos on Tour adventure here.

To experience the Pelagos on Tour tasting menus at Four Seasons Hotel Astir Palace Athens, please contact diningreservations.athens@fourseasons.com & follow the adventure on @pelagosathens