Through the better part of the past twenty years I have been eating at local tavernas in any of which I have yet to have been served a bad meal. This must add up to a total of thousands of meals and, inevitably, there were occasional elements of meals which have been less than first-class. Overall though I stand by my initial claim that food served hereabouts is generally fresh, well-presented and full-flavoured. Menus however are tediously uniform; the menu of one taverna offers very much the same fare as the next.
'Tales of the Olive', a small taverna on the square at Petalidi, Messinias, is a sanctury from this sea of uniformity. Owner / chef Mr Panagiotis has obviosly been taught his trade way beyond the borders of Messinia; he is both expert at finding first-class ingredients for the dishes he prepares and at preparing and cooking them.
Last Sunday, in the company of four chums, I enjoyed there four hours of slow food at its very best.
