Jasmine

Η Hydra, the heroic island of shipowners who offered more than anyone else in the Greek Revolution of 1821, in the early 19th century was a large settlement with 30.000 inhabitants and a fleet of more than 80 sailboats that threshed across the Mediterranean transporting Russian grain.

The settlement of the island, despite all the disasters and development, has been maintained to this day in excellent condition and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Foreigners, but also Greeks, visit the island, to admire the beauty of the settlement, with the majestic mansions with their hewn stones dominating, the windmills, the narrow streets with their cobbled streets that are accessible only by people, mules and others cargo animals (as Hydra is one of the only places in the world where there are no cars), which intensifies its picturesqueness.

One of the two most important roads of Hydra - which used to be torrents, and now have become beautiful cobblestones, and which of course are impassable five times a year as they become rushing rivers - is the road that leads to the island's cemetery, and higher , the place where most of his donkeys rest. On this road to the edge of the settlement at the height of a huge pine tree, he decided George Saitis to set up his tavern, the “Jasmine".

From a young age in the profession, George apprenticed to his father who was initially a ship cook and then had the famous tavern Remenzo, next to the hostel Orloff and the hotel Idrousa (former Xenia). Then George followed his course in Greece and abroad, working as a cook and 2019 decided to set up his professional nest opposite his house.

What wins you over in Jasmine is the order and the pastry in the kitchen, which while it is a humble tavern, its equipment in appliances, cold rooms and stainless steel counters are reminiscent of advanced restaurants.

Within two years, George became famous for his meat and his unique cooking and the whole island has something to say about his ribs and steaks.

I tried, among other things, a pork "tomachok", with well-cooked crunchy fats and juicy and rich juices of its meat. All local meats, stable steaks, come from Argolida by a regular butcher, as well as the lambs and pork that every Friday-Saturday-Sunday enter the spit.

Other dishes are lamb in oil paste, kontosouvli, boned skewered chicken, village sausages and minced beef burgers. The meat Accompanied by typical Greek but delicious appetizers, zucchini chips, tzatziki, real potatoes, peppers cooked on the embers and from cooked dishes pastitsia, moussakades, giouvarlakia, soutzoukaki, but also mutton with reddish and reddish brownish

On the outskirts of cosmopolitan and touristy Hydra, in a quiet neighborhood, the George Saitis and the most noble Matina in the service, they will offer you Jasmine in a popular and unpretentious atmosphere, meats that are hard to forget.