What’s Hot in the Syntopia kitchen

“Let us spoil you” is our invitation to every guest on entering the Syntopia’s poolside restaurant, and we mean it. With the creative energies of Executive Chef Nikolaos Stergiou inspiring our menus, breakfast, lunch or dinner is a delicious part of the Syntopia experience. And then there’s of course that special ingredient: ‘the Cretan diet’, with our ever-changing buffet paying tribute to the health-enhancing dishes at the heart of traditional Cretan cuisine.

Chef Stergiou’s philosophy is all about freshness and authenticity, he tells the Syntopia blog: “We source as much as we can locally, to use the amazing local produce that is available in the Rethymno area.”

“Most of our cheeses come from the Amari valley which is famous for its dairy products. So look out for the local graviera and feta on our cheese board. It’s not just about helping small artisanal producers, it’s about serving the best produce,” says Nikolaos.

“All our seafood is sourced locally, and it’s what I enjoy preparing most for our guests – octopus and squid, prawns and shrimps, along with the freshest fish available, these are always a highlight of our menu.”

“We make everything in the Syntopia Kitchen. We don’t buy-in prepared dishes, that’s not the Syntopia way. It’s all about freshness and authenticity.”

While our menus offer a rich variety of international favourites including Italian and Asian influences, traditional Greek and Cretan cuisine is centre stage. Try traditional dishes such as fasolada, Greece’s famed and refreshing bean soup; stifado – tender beef casserole in a rich fresh tomato sauce with baby onions; or sautéed pork tigania with sun-dried tomatoes and anthotiro (Crete’s very own delicious cream cheese); pan-fried squid with horta (sumptuous vitamin-filled wild greens) is another favourite, and for vegetarian options try revithada – a fragrant chickpea soup with peppers and mushrooms, and melitzanopita – a delicate and tasty aubergine pie.

There’s no better way to complete the picture than by dipping into our ‘Greek Wine Yard’ – Syntopia’s specially curated wine list that presents unique local grape varieties like vidiano with its crisp citrus notes, to exquisite reds (kotsifali, mandilari) from the Heraklion region – the area of Crete’s most revered wineries.

A spin around Syntopia’s sumptuous buffet, at breakfast, lunch or dinner, reveals a kaleidoscope of stunning dishes and tastes, not least the mouth-watering desserts (we said ‘Let us spoil you’!) prepared by our very own pastry chef Pericles Stavrakas. Pericles’ sweet delights include a simply irresistible strawberry cheesecake, a ‘to-die-for’ chocolate mousse and trigonakia (crispy filo pastry cones with creamy custard and syrup) – a perfect finale to your Syntopia dining experience.

Let’s leave the last words to Chef Stergiou: “We say to our guests, come, let us spoil you. Our mission is to excite your tastebuds!”