Throubi is the restaurant of Andronis Concept, the wellness resort at Imerovigli on the rim of the Santorini caldera. It is the resort’s only dining room, and it describes its own cooking as reimagined Greek Mediterranean: a wellness approach to the food of the region, with ingredients bought from small local producers. Doris Dimou is head chef and sets the kitchen’s direction.
Imerovigli is the high point of the caldera rim, between Fira and Oia. Andronis gave over land there to a working organic garden, on an island where the usual allocation is an infinity pool and another suite, and the restaurant is named for one of the herbs growing in it. Throubi is an aromatic herb with a distinct flavour, used both as a seasoning and as a herbal tea. It grows in sunny places and in the dry, rocky soils the island has.
“In a destination where land is precious, we wanted to dedicate space to something meaningful,” says George Filippidis, the managing director of Andronis. The restaurant serves two sittings a day, from midday to 4pm and from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The resort it belongs to holds 28 suites and villas after renovation, each with a private terrace and infinity pool, and Kallos Spa is on the same ground.
The garden
The Harvest Haven runs in three stops. The Experiential Garden grows Santorini tomatoes, white eggplants and Katsounia cucumbers, with oak trees among them. The herb rows come next: oregano, throubi, thyme and lavender, grown for the kitchen and the bar. A henhouse sits beside the garden and supplies the eggs, and guests can harvest corn from the field and feed the hens. The island’s dry terrain and limited water make this difficult ground to farm, so the garden is tended by traditional methods suited to volcanic soil. The chefs pick each morning and the day’s menus follow from what they take. Beside the restaurant, the resort teaches Greek cooking as a hands-on class.
The table
Dinner is a degustation or an à la carte. The degustation opens with canapés and then a Santorini tomato dressed with verbena and olive. Semi-cured amberjack follows, with citrus, truffle and almond, then scallops with beurre blanc and leek, bread and oil, and Acquarello rice with bottarga and shells. The savoury sequence closes on beef with potato, wild mushrooms and truffle, or fish with fennel, peas and Greek lettuce. Panna cotta with green apple and fennel comes first among the desserts, then caramelised milk with goat milk and seasonal fruits, and mignardises to finish. Pavlina Mylona is pastry chef and runs those last courses.
The à la carte keeps the island in view: celeriac with white chocolate, octopus with fava and capers, dolmadakia of beef with onion and yogurt, crayfish with katsouni cucumber and corn, lamb saddle with Santorini eggplant and cherry. One main course is cauliflower with espresso, peanuts, curry and truffle.
The wine
The cellar runs to roughly 350 wines, and the pairings are set by the restaurant manager, Giota Kemalidou. Santorini Assyrtiko carries the white end of the list, PDO by named grower: Argyros Estate, Domaine Sigalas, Vassaltis Vineyards, Mikra Thira, Karamolegos and Kyanos. The list opens on Champagne, and its rest-of-the-world sections reach Spain, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, South Africa, the United States, Argentina and Chile.
Who is this for
Throubi suits a guest who wants one long dinner to be the evening itself, and who is curious about what grew a few steps from the kitchen. Tables sit on the dining terrace or in the interior hall, and both face the sunset. A party that wants the room to itself takes Panorama, the private dining room turned to the Aegean and the caldera, where a sommelier pairs the wine. Both dining areas are smoke-free.
