Bill & Coo’s Gastronomy Project in Mykonos

 

When and how did the old school practice of simply “having dinner” graduate to being a “dining experience”? Are exceptional food, warm service and a great atmosphere simply no longer enough?

Many restaurants now claim to be providing gastronomic experiences in an attempt to add some vavavoom to a tired routine. The phrase has been overused, and now carries with it connotations of hammed up theatrics, panpipes, cabaret and Heston Blumenthal.

And so, as a natural cynic who loves great food, I was both sceptical of and intrigued by Mykonos hotel Bill and Coo’s Gastronomy Project, which claims to be an “interactive sensory experience”. Intrigue ended up overpowering scepticism in the end you’ll be pleased to hear, and we booked ourselves in for an 8pm table.

The approach leading up to the hotel is steep and beautifully-lit, and on arrival we we were ushered to the infinity pool area for a warm-up cocktail. As far as experiences go, enjoying an expertly-made old fashioned and a pleasant chat with the barman who made it on a mild, peaceful evening with commanding views across the Aegean makes for a pretty good start.

We were seated soon after 8pm in a restaurant of minimalist, classic Greek design. Complementing that was a generous helping of genuinely welcoming Greek hospitality, as our hosts got us settled in and talked us through the wine list and ambitious sounding tasting menu inspired by traditional, delicious-sounding Greek fare.

First up was a delicate array of amuse-bouches, featuring a conceptual Myconian salad involving a large cherry tomato filled with ricotta, served with sorel and a morsel of bread and honey, all presented in what looked like a large mussel shell. Along with this came a crispy green rice cracker with marinated snapper, and a warm quail’s egg, drizzled with truffle oil and wrapped in kataifi pastry, served in a little nest within a sculpted egg shell. So far, so fancy – but this, I knew, was to be a marathon, not a sprint. Wowed as I was, I knew there was plenty more to come.

After some warm bread with flax and pumpkin seeds splashed with olive oil from a herb brush, it was time for the starter. I should say that this was all being washed down by glasses of different and excellent, minerally Greek white wines, of which there is wide selection.

There were two parts to the starter. First, handmade ravioli stuffed with sea urchin and drizzled with squid ink. It was served in a prawn bisque and topped with pine nuts, fennel and artichoke puree, and fresh sea urchin all assembled inside a sea urchin shell. Yes, sea urchins have shells, and yes, sea urchin is delicious. The second part was crayfish done two ways – crayfish tempura with citrus gel, and crayfish tartar with coriander and edible flowers.

 

It was around about this point that my cynicism disappeared fully and I realised the whole Gastronomy Project name was wholly justified. This was an experimental, modern, exciting series of exquisite looking dishes, which, quite frankly, were blowing my mind.

Next up was the main event. A powerful right hook in the form of black cod with nori seaweed crisp, served with clams, mussels and an egg and lemon sauce. This was quickly followed by the haymaker: lobster cooked in butter and cognac, with couscous and a butter and cognac foam.

You’d be forgiven for reading all this with an internal voice in the style of the Masterchef voiceover. It was that elaborate, and that good.

A little palate cleanser of lime sorbet with Muscat and comfit of grapefruit and gold leaf prepared us for the final course: dark chocolate sphere with hazelnut praline, raspberry puree and cassis; coconut mousse with fresh coconut and mango flakes. I chose to enjoy this namelaka – as I later discovered it was called – with a fiery Metaxa brandy, which led me to show my true gratitude to our waiter for this experience by standing up and embracing him. But I think I would have done that Metaxa or no Metaxa.

Because this really was a dining experience. From the sensational welcome and gorgeous surroundings to the staggering array of imaginative dishes, this was the sort of full-on experience I’m unlikely to forget, and, for the record, goes down as one of the best meals I’ve ever had.