Arkoudaina Garden

In the village of Archontiki, a few kilometers outside of Rethymno, near Episkopi beach, there is a Garden. A Garden which is a little different than any other. This is the Arkoudaina garden. The modest sign out of this traditional Cretan restaurant doesn't prepare you for what's going to come along.

The strange name of this restaurant comes from goddess Diana, whose worship was widespread in the island, from the Dorian settlers. Artemis (Diana) was the bear-goddess that also gave her name to the village. We should not forget that the Acropolis (fortifications) of ancient Rethymno was dedicated to her.
For now, two things impressed me in “Arkoudaina”, the love and the colours. Everything is made in hand. The painted tables in colorful drawings, different in each table, the traditional stove in the center, dictamus and sage leaves inside it. Finally the house itself looks like a child's drawing.

As far as the food is concerned, I find the term “traditional Cretan food” a little unfair. True, all the ingredients are familiar, but the recipes are modern and personal. We ordered a green salad, which contained everything from greenery to apple and pomegranate, eggs in staka (pork fat), siglino (smoked pork), and for main dish we got beef with spaghetti and vegetables, and pancetta (pork steak) in honey and fruit sauce. For drinks we got Rethymnian beer since no Coke is served.

Closing, it was a nice experience, with good food, good atmosphere and a lot of classical music in the radio. Its worth the drive...