Gordon Rates

Have you already checked out one of the hottest and most awesome Michelin guide restaurants in Athens? I did, for my New Year’s brunch on January 1st, and it was !

Mental note to come here during a warmer season, because I can see myself get lost in conversations and laughter at the table outside on the pedestrian street, with good wine and excellent food. Spoiler alert, I still sat outside just because I could not wait for that warm season to come!

Let’s just say that the service here is the best I have experienced in Athens, and would also be among the best in London, Paris, and other foodie destinations. The courtesy, the smiles, the attention to detail, it’s just something else here. And the sommelier is a true professional, who is well-versed in Greek as well as other European wines and sparkling wines.

Almost as if we listen to what Gordon says, my companion and I decided to share our dishes, and went for the onion soup and beef tartare - simple and filling for a post-party meal. Oh, and bread, because dooh, gluten is life.

The onion soup is not your typical onion soup, with no usual cheese “hat” on top, but it was super delicious, and I cannot recommend it enough after a mini hangover… Beef tartare was amazing, especially the sauce that is added to it. For bread, I love that we were given 3 slices when it was two of us - nothing better than a little family feud to start the year with, over the second slice!

Turns out, as always, we had left room for dessert and chose the baked Alaska, which was probably one of the best desserts I have had in a while. The strawberry jam inside it was an additional taste bomb in our mouths.

I have to say, really made it a great start to the year, so I will go big - it’s a 10! Don’t make me change my mind and give each of us a second slice of bread next time!

First things first, and it would be awful if the first thing I tested was not a burger… So, here it is, the first review of 2025 - .burger!

Not too much seating in this place, but don’t worry if it is crowded, as there are multiple stairs to sit on in the area, including the beautiful scenery of Church of Spyridon - makes the meal more epic.

Now, when it comes to ordering, call me burger maxi, because I went all in - triple smash cheeseburger and triple smash Wagyu burger. You would think this account belongs to Luka Doncic with the way I collect these triple doubles!

Given I had a long walk over here (burning those calories before the meal, not after, Einstein move), I REALLY needed to check out the bathrooms. It was a pretty good idea to do it before the meal, because there is no way I would be able to squeeze through that narrow staircase after those burgers. Another thing to mention, if the sign above the toilet is not your kick in the butt to go and have an awesome 2025, I don’t know what is.

Yes, the burgers. While you would look insane for ordering a regular 3x-patty burger, it’s a different thing for smashed burgers, although you still want to be careful. These things are massive, and I beg you to not make the same mistake as I did - DO NOT open the entire wrapping, but rather keep it wrapped and eat it then, because I unwrapped, and on the first bite the entire burger slid out the back. The Wagyu experience was interesting, because the first bites were like “hmm, maybe Wagyu meat is not one for burgers”, but by the end of the burger I actually loved it. Although, maybe a bit too much truffle… The cheeseburger was nice, with the right amount of sauce, and again, be careful with three patties, as it is not a job for a small stomach!

Overall, I left very impressed, as this is definitely not your ordinary burger, and I love how the menu is not filled with a gazillion versions of burgers, giving me a headache than the morning after an ouzo party. Pretty democratic price wise as well, as the triple smash cheeseburger was only €10.

Ratings are cool, so let’s go with 9 to .burger, and you are a serious (k)nob if you don’t come to eat here!

Labrīt, dārgie draugi!

Šodien vēlējos jums sniegt jauku apskatu par vienu varen gardu beķereju, kuru atklāju šajā drūmajā pašizolācijas laikā.

Netālu no Rīgas centra atrodas beķereja Evo un Sieva, kuri cep gardāko siera kūku! Viņi jau kādu liku strādā tikai uz piegādēm, un par cik tas ir tieši tas, kas man šobrīd der, es ņēmu un pasūtiju...

Kūciņa atbrauca laikā, un lai apmierinātu jauko veselības speciālistu prātus, tā bija bezkontakta - kūciņa tika iestumta pa vārtiņu apakšu, un tad es tai aizgāju pakaļ.

Nu bet kūka... Mamma mia, cik tā ir sierīga! Mana mīļāka daļa šajā kūkā ir garoziņa, kura ir ļoti salda, un aiziet uz augšu ar mazu līkumiņu, kas nozīmē more garoziņa Gordonam. Un šokolāde lieliski papildina pašu kūku kā arī odziņu kopgaršu. Mana eksperta acs arī uzreiz pēc pirmā kumosiņa saprata, ka siera un mitruma attiecība ir perfektā 2:1 attiecībā!

Tātad draugi, ja pašizolācijā vēlamies gardu siera kūku, droši prasam man kontaktinfo, un es noteikti palīdzēšu kūciņai maigi paslīdēt arī zem jūsu vārtiņiem.

Gordons tagad dosies paskriet, lai atbrīvotu vietu nākamajam gabaliņam!

Dedziniet fondjū nevis dvēseli. ❤️

Hello, my friends and fans - oh, have I missed you!

Today we will take a look at a very interesting doner place in London. As you might know, social distancing is at it's finest, therefore even I have to take new measures in testing food around town, which is why I had a little help from Uber Eats.

Last week I was thinking about what to order on the app, and given that one thing I truly miss from Latvia is a quality doner place, I chose the following - GDK UK!

At first, I was slightly confused about the products that are available which quite weirdly also included a doner quesadilla (mix of cultures, I guess). Eventually, I decided to to go with a mixed doner, which included beef and chicken, along with salad and three different sauces.

Literally waiting while glued to the screen and watching the little scooter move down the map from the doner place in Angel, my doner was with me in about 25 minutes. Shoutout to the great delivery guy, who even brought the order up to my apartment and left it outside the door.

So, the unpacking started, and I quickly realised that the thing is just huge (that's what she said, I know). I have had a couple of bad experiences of doners in London before, and you have not seen them because I am really ashamed of myself that I even bought something there, and still want that business to go on, even though with my follower-base I would be able to bring down the house, hahaha.

The meat was literally falling out of this one, that's how much of it was there. What I should mention though, is that there was a lot more beef than chicken, I would say it was a ratio of about 80-20. The salad is stuffed right at the bottom with sauces, so you only reach that once you have slammed all the meat down your throat. Also, what's wrong with the bread? I was waiting for real pitta bread, while this one easily reminds me of a toasted white loaf?

The doner was alright, and maybe it should be the way it was served, as every doner place have their own way of making it, however, one thing that they all should keep in mind, is the quality of meat. I did not feel as if the beef in this one is good - tasted a tiny bit like cardboard...

Hope that the next doner place I try will bring me back into my fantasies of what a real doner should taste like, or I am gonna start putting some measures in place - don't mess with a man (or a woman, you have no idea who I am) who is desperate for a good doner.

GDK UK receives 6/10 points from Gordon, you can deffo do better guys.

See you next time!