There have been whispers around the island for months about the Greek restaurant Mykonos rumoured to be opening in The Grove on West Bay Road.
Rarely has the launch of a new eatery generated such buzz, yet the combination of Internet entrepreneur Frank Schilling helming the project and sneak peeks of the opulent space being shared over social media has made it a hot topic of conversation.
On Mother’s Day, 14 May, the general public finally had a chance to see if the reality lived up to the hype, when the restaurant officially opened with its full menu available for the first time. According to the Mykonos website, “traditional Greek cuisine meets the flavours of Asia” here, with dishes ranging from mini souvlaki and kolokithokeftedes to sashimi and uramaki rolls.
Design and decor
There is total seating capacity for 320 people, with the venue split between a covered outdoor patio and an indoor air-conditioned dining room and lounge. Trellises of flowers decorate the ceiling and pillars of the patio, which is cooled by giant mobile fans. The latter are quite remarkable, in that they are whisper-quiet and almost blend into the landscape thanks to their dark green colour.
The indoor decor features booths and chairs of blush pink on one side of the room with gold accents throughout, including the cutlery and the standing ice buckets. There is also the lounge/party area with a lit white DJ booth, white furniture, and a back wall dissected by multiple tall, narrow screens in a row playing colourful scenes of palm trees and sailboats – acting like windows to another part of the world.
Speaking of windows, the dining room is flooded with natural light, and what it doesn’t get from the sun, it gains from the designer chandeliers and light installations hanging from the ceiling. From the bar to the flatware, and even the bathrooms with their smart toilets and heated seats, the whole place is an exercise in opulence.
The restaurant was designed by Nitzan Tagansky and Schilling, and the chosen colours are a nod to the wish of Schilling’s former partner Alexandra Lavranos.
So, what first inspired Schilling to open a Greek restaurant in the Cayman Islands, one might wonder? Erick Gutierrez, restaurant manager, said, “He really liked the free and uninhibited forever summer vibe that permeates through Greece, and thought the same music, friend-and-neighbour and food-driven dynamics could work here.”
Unique features
Others in the industry clearly feel he could be onto something, as TV personality and founder of BIRD Bakery, Elizabeth Chambers, has some of her best-selling items in the bakery right next door to the main restaurant. Her signature cupcakes are just some of the delights to be found on display, along with the in-house baked breads and desserts. Customers can also purchase bottles of Ros Solis soda, a specially imported Greek brand that produces intriguing flavours such as ‘Bergamot ‘N Mandarin’.
Gutierrez said there are many other features of the restaurant, beyond its dedicated bakery, that set it apart.
“We have a large indoor charcoal grill and charcoal ovens to let patrons savour barbecue meats and fish over Greek charcoal for a thoroughly authentic and first-of-[its]-kind experience in the region. Our wood-fired pizza oven allows us to experiment with woods from Greece for our pizzas and roast seafood. We import many of our ingredients and wines directly from [there].”
Chef Eirini Lagou runs the kitchen with a complement of Greek supporting chefs, in order to ensure the authenticity of the cuisine, and there is an accompanying cocktail menu as well as a multi-page wine list with some entries that read like the who’s-who of award-winning vintages.
Entertainment
Of course, one cannot think of Mykonos without touching on the social and club vibe of the island when the sun goes down. At the moment, there are local DJs performing on the weekend from that custom-built booth, with plans to schedule in visiting talent every two weeks as the high season approaches.
As of now, the restaurant is open every night of the week, and only Friday-to-Sunday for lunch, but Gutierrez expects to be open every day for lunch as well in the coming weeks.
The place that everyone has been talking about is officially in business. Curious? Time to get yourself to the Greek.
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