Dreams Beach Bar, Katelios

Last month my husband reached the milestone age of 50. Having been together now for 32 years we have seen and been through a lot together, and so for his special birthday I took him to the Greek island of Kefalonia.

The choice of island was because as teenagers and newly weds we used to travel through the Greek islands together visiting remote places, and this continued until our children were born, when the practicalities and expenses ...
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We decided to choose an island we had never been to before and Kefalonia seemed like the perfect choice. Only 3 hours from the UK by plane, an unspoilt island with an eventful history, including earthquake and war, lies in the shadows of Zante, quietly resting in the aftermath of a past full of turmoil. In 1953 the island was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake, and there was so much loss of life, this came so quickly after ... more

Last month my husband reached the milestone age of 50. Having been together now for 32 years we have seen and been through a lot together, and so for his special birthday I took him to the Greek island of Kefalonia.

The choice of island was because as teenagers and newly weds we used to travel through the Greek islands together visiting remote places, and this continued until our children were born, when the practicalities and expenses put an end to these expeditions for a few years.

We decided to choose an island we had never been to before and Kefalonia seemed like the perfect choice. Only 3 hours from the UK by plane, an unspoilt island with an eventful history, including earthquake and war, lies in the shadows of Zante, quietly resting in the aftermath of a past full of turmoil. In 1953 the island was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake, and there was so much loss of life, this came so quickly after a decade which had seen so much adversity and the heartache of war which claimed so many lives.

So the Kefalonia which remains now is a land which has low rise buildings because the threat of earthquake is always there, and this adds to the charm of the place because you are not going to see high rise hotels here or tourism on mass.

This history and culture has meant there are so many family run tavernas to seek out, and the one I chose to take hubby to for his birthday lunch caught my eye because it seemed ethnic and attractive.

The village of Katelios where we stayed is tucked away in the south of the island, and is really a quiet place with a backdrop of hills and olive groves, where majestic trees stand proud against the sprinkling of tourism which hugs the coast along the beach which stretches for miles. Turtles lay their eggs in the beaches along this coastline, and it is possible to walk all the way to the town of Scala along the shore if you are energetic.

If you visit Katelios there are lots of little tavernas clustered together along the beach front, but walk to the left in the direction of Scala onto the glorious St Barbaras beach, and you will see a little blue taverna called "Dreams" nestling alone up a short dusty track.

It is painted blue and white and the name appealed to me because it reminded me of the film Shirley Valentine where "dreams come true". Hubby saw the funny side of this and so we decided to venture there for his birthday lunch. It was the kind of place we used to go to when we were really young -simple tavernas in remote places serving Greek food at a cheap price.

The taverna is run by a lovely couple Panayis and Kristina. Kristina is English and her mother and father moved over shortly after the taverna opened in 2006 to help with the running of the business.

I absolutely loved this place. A family of Greek cats and kittens, tubbier than the average, languished on the walls lapping up the sunshine in between playing and jumping in and around the brightly coloured blue and white tables. A canopy covered the restaurant providing lots of welcome shade from the searing mid day heat, and the view from the taverna towards the sea was beautiful, with nothing obscuring your view all the way down to the water's edge. Lovely ceramic pots bursting with sun loving intensely dark red geraniums were placed around the fringes of the eating area which was a lovely touch.

This taverna with its blue and white chairs and rustic dining, really reminded me of visits to the Cyclades where the architecture is sparkling azure blue and white in every direction on islands such as Santorini. Kefalonia itself doesn't have this type of colouring being heavily influenced by Venetian architecture, so it really stands out on the landscape as a blue beacon, which certainly beckoned me to make this a lunchtime companion.

The taverna is bustling at lunchtime with a mixture of tourist, locals and ex pats and it is advisable to visit slightly later in the day if you want to eat in seclusion. A trip more towards 1.30 will afford this and a table will be guaranteed for you by then. There are only a few tables so it is a good idea to wait.

What you will get in this taverna is incredible service, excellent prices and a menu which bridges the gap between Greek cooking and English delights you might be missing back home! There are always specials which are clearly marked on a board, and there is a well stocked bar with all manner of drinks you could want.

If you like a fry up you can have the Greek version with giant Greek beans and special Greek fried potatoes, and if you enjoy desserts you will be in heaven as the daily specials are to die for. I had seen a St Clements Cheesecake and knew that I would be heading for that.

Prior to our birthday visit we had been to the taverna for a drink where beer is absolutely dirt cheap. Amstel and Mythos are 2 Euros which is amazing value.

So I chose Greek salad and hubby had a Leek tart, the veggie special, which also came with a lovely salad and we had some local red wine. My salad came in a giant bowl and was brimming with every kind of salad ingredient, the portions were incredible. Hubby said the tart melted in his mouth and the hours soon passed as we were in no hurry to vacate our table at all.

In fact as we sat there many ex pats came and went sharing a word or two with Kristina. The family dog fresh from his walk came back and sat in the entrance to the taverna, on his side lapping up the intense heat for a few minutes, before returning to his water bowl to hydrate himself. He looked like the cat that had the cream, and rightly so for this spot is a picturesque oasis in which to enjoy perfect food served with warmth -ultimate Greek hospitality.

As lunchtime passed into the afternoon and the pitcher of wine poured its last drops into our glasses, the dessert menu called us. We chose The St Clements Cheesecake and The Banoffee Pie intending to share and try each others. Both were out of this world -I have not had desserts so lovely anywhere, and this was a perfect ending to a meal which was so enjoyed by both of us. The total bill was less than £25 (27.50 Euros) and it was faultless in every aspect.

There was so much choice on the menu and you could have selected anything, and I think they would have cooked it for you if they had it in.

After saying our thanks and goodbyes we wandered onto the beach and walked through deserted waves and onto the rocks to watch the ebb and fall of the tide.

A perfect meal in a perfect place and a special thank you to a taverna which marked a special day in my husband's life.

Summary: A place where lunch goes on for hours and where the atmosphere and the hospitality can't be faulted.

This review is also posted by myself on Dooyoo under my user name there Machair1. 

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