Stuffed cabbage rolls filled with shrimp and couscous, finished with avgolemono, the Greek egg-lemon sauce, made from tofu.
The dish has gone viral at Tavernaki, the most talked-about new restaurant in Athens' upscale Kolonaki district.
Chef Adam Kontovas, known for the Athens restaurants Ex Machina and Rock 'n' Roll, opened the restaurant on the ground floor of the St. George Lycabettus hotel.
His partner is veteran restaurateur Giorgos Melissaris, whose venues include Brutus Tavern, Brunello and Brasserie Lorraine. Investors Giannis Morakis, Panos Politis and Takis Didaskalou later joined them.
The name combines the Greek word "taverna" with "aki," the Japanese word for autumn. The menu says the name stands for seasonality, maturity and depth of flavor.
Mr. Kontovas reworks taverna staples with Asian techniques and ingredients. Lamb chops are marinated in galbi, a Korean blend of soy, ginger and fruit.
The pasta with meat sauce is made with ground duck and udon noodles. Pork skewers are prepared as Cantonese char siu and served with smoked eel.
Tyrokafteri, a spicy cheese dip, comes with kimchi, and the Greek salad includes wakame seaweed.
The two-level dining room has candlelit triangular tables, black tiles, warm wood and an open steel kitchen decorated with dried autumn leaves.
It feels like a Tokyo sake bar that wants to be a Greek tavern.
The opening comes amid a dining boom in Greece.
In October, the MICHELIN Guide nearly doubled its Greek selection to 62 restaurants, adding Thessaloniki and Santorini to Athens for the first time.
By Mano Livadaros