Sunset in Troulaki

On the way to Herronisos in the location Trullaki, is located tavern Sunset. From here you can undoubtedly enjoy not only its most impressive sunset Sifnos, but perhaps also the only one, because all the villages of Sifnos (Apollonia, Artemonas, Kastro, Vathi, Platy Gialos) face the West.

The tavern was first built by Yiannis Atsonios with his wife Kleonikis in 1993, and I remember it when I was going to Herronissos, from the then dirt road, two small rooms and a veranda with a view to the west. The years passed, the asphalt was built, the tavern grew and acquired a closed room and a large terrace.

I visited it this year (2022) following many recommendations from friends and acquaintances and I was impressed because the location was indeed unique, but also the food very interesting. A marriage of traditional Sifne cuisine from the hands of Kleoniki and the most sought after recipes from her son, Giorgos Atsonio.

We spoke to Giorgos, a modest and talented cook, and learned his story:

«I was born in Sifnos in 1993 when my parents opened the Sunset in Troulaki. I studied cooking at the public schools of Piraeus and did my internship at the "Red Cross" hospital. Since then I have worked successively at Cayenne in Apollonia, the Secret Garden in Chalandri, in 2018 in Fiskardo in Kefalonia, then in 2019 I worked at the Drakaki restaurant in Apollonia in Sifnos and in 2021 I worked at Omega 3, in Platy Gyalos in Sifnos, near George Samoilis and Pavlos Tsigoulis. After the death of my father in 2022 I took over our family tavern, and my goal is to marry the family Sifne menu of my parents with what I have learned during my years of apprenticeship with great chefs».

We tried and enjoyed the salty kadaifi with pastourma and mizithra, veal tail with Cretan sioufikta spaghetti, local sirloin steaks, juicy and delicious ribs, fava beans married with fried capers, eggplant salad and the wonderful caper salad, chickpea meatballs, halloumi with roasted tomato and other local or more sophisticated (black Angus pickles). A balance of local dishes and some more gourmet ones. Don't forget that in the shops frequented by the locals, and which work winter and summer, the local cuisine that is cooked in households, does not arouse the interest for a local to travel and eat in a tavern, because some novelties arouse the interest!

Ο George Atsonios, a 29-year-old lad, fell into the deep end, but I'm sure, with the help of his mother, Cleonikis and his brothers, Flora and Katerina who help him, will write a great story in the culinary history of Sifnos.