Ikos Oceania: Eating at Anaya

Experience with us the meals we had at Anaya restaurant at Ikos Oceania in Halkidiki, Greece.

The very first night of our Ikos stay, we spent eating at Anaya. The Asian-inspired menu was full of adventurous dishes that I won’t normally be able to try due to a variety of allergies.

Ikos was wonderful in catering for dietary requirements and as long as I have informed them ahead of time what I wanted to eat, the sky was the limit. It was so good that we managed to book another night here!

First dining experience

During our first visit, we were seated outside, overlooking the ocean. Although it was around 19:30, the sun was still blazing and it was still around 33 degrees! We were wearing sunglasses and sweat was dripping off our freshly showered faces. Not the most elegant picture I could paint, but it was the true reality. We visited in the middle of an extreme and unseasonal heatwave and despite the sun’s flames licking over the ocean, the service was impeccable.

We settled on a Greek red wine to kick off the night. It was very light at fruity and went well with the dishes we chose. My hubby received some impressive looking prawn crackers with sweet chilli dip and me, allergy queen, had some edamame beans as an amuse bouche. It was paired with rock salt which provided an added crunch. My starter was four vegetable gyozas with a truffle-ponzu dipping sauce. This sauce was straight out of heaven. My mouth still tingles (in a good way!) when I think of it. My hubby really wanted to have the chicken satay, but this only came as a mains. Since he was already eyeing out a different dish for his mains, the waiter suggested that they could just make him a small portion of chicken satay that he could have as a starter instead. This was perfect!

For my mains I ordered duck with stir-fried vegetables. It came with a bowl of seasoned jasmine rice sprinkled with nigella seeds. My tastebuds tingled all over! This was so delicious: full of umami flavours with the duck cooked perfectly and the vegetables a delightful al dente. My hubby had the Thai red curry for his mains and he absolutely loved it.

We were surprised when we wanted to order dessert; the waiter really took his time bringing us the menu. Little did we know he was stalling us a little as the restaurant had a wonderful surprise for us… We received the most beautiful and utterly delicious chocolate mousse cake in the shape of a heart, with ‘Happy Honeymoon’ written in glittery white chocolate paired with a whole bottle of pink champagne. We were so surprised and utterly delighted! It was such a lovely gesture from Ikos following my hubby’s email to them upon booking (read about that here: A Greek Odyssey: Experience Ikos Oceania in Halkidiki). We never had a honeymoon and finally had the opportunity to have it now. This was such a wonderful surprise.

Second dining experience

We absolutely loved it here at this restaurant. So much so, we booked it for our second to last night as well. Due to my allergies, I had to let them know in advance what I wanted and they will prepare it for me to exclude any allergens. As per the arrangement, I texted my order to the Whatsapp number provided and asked if it was possible for me to try the spring rolls and the Pad Thai. I received a phone call to say that despite their best efforts, the chef wasn’t happy with the taste of the spring rolls and that they are unable to serve it to me. They asked if I wanted an alternative and I was more than happy to have the gyoza again as it was just so very delicious. As we arrived, the staff greeted us like we were old friends. They were incredibly attentive from the word ‘go’ and since we were the only people in this section, we received the very best service. When the starters arrived I was so surprised that the duck spring rolls was placed on the table along with the gyozas. The chef wanted to give it one more go and this time he was very happy with the result – as was I; it was very delicious! The truffle ponzu dressing appeared once more and I was over the moon. I mentioned my delight to the waitress who then returned with another portion of the dressing for me to dip my edamame beans in! What a treat.

This time round we could order dessert and we both went for the mango custard with lychee sorbet. All my favourite fruit flavours on one plate. It was the perfect finish.

Wasps

On a non-food related point. At some point between the pink champagne and the starters, we were plagued with a multitude of wasps. Our waitress brought over some coffee grounds that she lit on fire and placed it on our table. Like magic the wasps disappeared! By the end of the evening the staff came to say goodbye, giving us each a hug and making us promise to return again. I’m hoping that we can make good on that promise soon.

Have you had a good restaurant experience? Share with me in the comments!

Do you want to read about my other Ikos experiences, then click on one of these posts: