GASTRONOMY - KAPSALIANA VILLAGE

Discover our new

gastronomic identity

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Kapsaliana Village Hotel Taste
A wholesome yet delectable Mediterranean cuisine, blending a deep appreciation and extensive knowledge of Cretan cooking with an eye to the future. In fact, as our Cretan ancestors, we are passionate about great food and sharing it with friends; so under the inspirational command of our culinary team, vegetables from our garden and locally sourced materials from select, small producers are transformed into enticing gastronomic bombs, that tantalize even the world’s most discerning palates. You are cordially invited to join us on a most memorable culinary journey lasting from morning until late at night.

Our Chef Nikos Thomas has recreated the restaurant dishes, completely renewing the hotel cuisine, from breakfast and snacks to lunch and dinner. The award-winning chef was thrilled with the local ingredients, the freshness from the trees, vineyards, indigenous and ancient grains, old and modern varieties of vegetables of our orchard and finally came up with a gourmet concept of the traditional Cretan cuisine.

DINING

The main restaurant area at Kapsaliana Village Hotel.

Breakfast:
“Eat breakfast like an Emperor”. True to the old adage, at Kapsaliana Village hotel each day starts with a sumptuous buffet on the outdoor area of the restaurant with traditional & local delicacies. Featuring an array of seasonal fruits and freshly squeezed juices; authentic Cretan honey; homemade granola and nut pots, preserves and jams; freshly baked bread; an assortment of the trademark local cheeses-like Cretan ricotta and gruyere; eggs and cold cuts including apaki and syglino. The breakfast menu is enriched with à la carte recipes of free-range eggs in variation.
Lunch:
Discover unique flavours and tastes offering casual comfort in the form of organic, wholesome food. Savoury or sweet dishes and delicious snacks, prepared with abundant love and the freshest local ingredients-from small regional farms or our very own vegetable and botanical garden– will give you ample sustenance throughout the day.
More traditional options include stamnagathi (the “king” of Cretan greens), askolimpri (golden thistle), fennel, verbena and sautéed salads (tsigarista) that come straight from the roots of the authentic gastronomy of Rethymno and become impressive dishes.
Dinner:
Dinner is an inimitable, fine dining, all senses experience that suits with the high expectations of your holidays. The a la carte menu features delicious Cretan recipes with a contemporary, fine twist. Those aficionados with fine dining who have tasted our Chef’s cuisine say that the tomato with urchin and chickpeas with marrow and crayfish will make history.

Extra Dinner Options:

Daily Specials & Chef Inspirations: Every evening is a unique and memorable dining experience as the fine dining dinner menu is enriched with traditional dishes and creative plates of our Chef.
Degustation Nights
Wine Pairing Menu
Pre-Dessert Cheese Trailers

Easy living

Easy Living

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POOL & SNACK BAR
The pool bar at Kapsaliana Village hotel serves light contemporary dishes, including seasonal snacks and organically grown salads, colourful cocktails, fresh juices, real coffee and other delightful concoctions, for a bit of sustenance prior, after or in between laps at the pool.
LEMONIES – Cocktail Bar
Named after the blooming lemon trees surrounding this cosy spot. Our ‘Lemonies Cocktail Bar’ creates a romantic yet relaxed ambiance where you may enjoy a refreshing sunset drink. Pick your favourite spirits together with a light savory snack before dinner.
Aperitivo Corners
Picture a luscious orchard and nothing but the Cretan sea and olive trees stretching infinitely before you. Now imagine yourself basking in the panoramic vistas while having an aperitif before dinner or a night cup soon after. At Kapsaliana Village hotel we have carved some intimate, candlelit corners along the communal terraces, for the incurably romantic.

GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES

Gastronomic

EXPERIENCES

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PERIVOLI – A Farm to Table Experience
Our team at Kapsaliana Village Hotel invites our guests to our organic garden and open-air kitchen for a two-hour lesson, followed of course by a delicious feast with smells of firewood and Cretan cuisine. Let’s start with a tour at the orchard, filled with fresh vegetables, leafy greens, edible colourful flowers, Mediterranean fruits, Cretan olives, as well as aromatic culinary herbs and spices.
After you immerse yourself in the instructions and learn Cretan techniques, such as how to make real dough, you are ready for various cooking methods: how to prepare appetizers and cook with rosemary, sage, oregano, Greek savouries and condiments. A hands-on experience during which you may prepare a gastronomic Cretan menu varying according to the season. Enjoy authentic recipes cherished by Cretan households and passed on from generation to generation.
At the end of each lesson, you will have cooked tasteful dishes with impressive presentation! Now it’s time to sit back and savour your meal with some of the best Cretan wines.
Olive Oil Tasting
Live the ultimate experience in our historic olive grove which dates back to 1763. The Old Olive Mill at Kapsaliana Village Hotel used to belong to the historic Arkadi Monastery, was a ‘source of life’ for more than 200 years and the reason Kapsaliana village was built.
At the first part of the tasting session, get a deeper insight into olive oil history, production, practices and unravel how this oily treasure gets to the bottle.
Hosted inside the ‘monastic’ area of our museum, our guests may sip like professional tasters’ different varieties of olive oil with little blue glasses, like votive candle-holders. During the session, learn to appreciate the aromas of olive oil. Find out whether it leaves you with a peppery sensation, a nutty, or a buttery flavour. Recognize what qualities make it perfect in a manner of appearance and tasting balance. Swirl and smell the scents: grass, cinnamon or tropical fruits?
The second part is what makes Olive Oil tasting at Kapsaliana Village such a unique experience. A short food pairing course where Cretan dishes are served with different exquisite olive oils. Discover in practice what a different does it make to blend a Cretan EVOO with sweet or savor dishes and how to match them best.
Traditional Bread Making
A deeply embedded tradition as no Greek meal is ever complete without some freshly baked ‘psomi’ (i.e. bread). At the open-air kitchen of ‘Perivoli’, our Baker Chef holds hands-on seminars around the old stone wood oven. Whether it’s a traditional bread recipe, sweet cake and/or savory ‘kritsinia’ bites, all delicious secrets are ready to unveil. Flour, salt, water and yeast are not the only ingredients – add local flavors, herbs and spices and give an even more appetizing twist. Prepare the dough, sift the flour, knead and then it’s time to bake! At the end of the session, take the time to taste your freshly homemade bread accompanied with Cretan bites.
Private Dinner
When the summer sun comes along there’s nothing quite like holding a private dinner on the terrace of your room, a courtyard, a veranda of our hotel, inside the olive oil mill museum or a spot under the lemon trees. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion with your better half or you just wish to spoil yourselves and your loved ones, our acclaimed Chef is happy to serve you a fabulous candlelit dinner at your private suite. How cozy and intimate to enjoy a tailor made al fresco dining experience? Just savor the moment and let our discreet service take care of everything else.
Picnic
Would you like to go on an excursion on the Cretan mountains or spend an entire day at the beach? Our team will prepare you a delicious picnic basket full of snacks and refreshing drinks. Our “Menu” combines simplicity with unique and distinctive tastes.

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