I was walking down Veikou in Athens, wondering where in Koukaki I should have lunch, when I ran into Niobe, a friend of Marilena’s who works at Lacandona. I awkwardly told her, as you do when you don’t really know what else to tell acquaintances that pop up in front of you in the street, that I was hungry. “Why don’t you visit Peas, that tiny new place on Falirou? They’re vegan!”, she suggested. “Actually I got a pita from there half an hour ago. I just saw him, but say hi to George for me anyway!”

That’s exactly what I did. It was hard for me to choose between the tofu/tempeh/seitan pitas and the raw vegan tart, but I finally opted for the latter: the blended and layered cashews, zucchini, sun-dried tomato and basil formed a creamy, modestly-sized yet surprisingly filling slice.

Vegan has become a worldwide trend, so it’s rather more expensive to eat out at dedicated places such as this one than it is to have the less glamourous, more ‘traditional’, but just as meat-and-dairy-free dishes that are still the hearty cornerstones of the Greek cuisine, like dolmadakia, gemista or assorted bean dishes like gigantes. Unless you can really splash out the dough (and I don’t mean make homemade seitan), vegan food of this calibre is not something to be enjoyed every day.

Nevertheless, Peas’ cheerful and passionate team, their delicious treats and the super-minimalist decor left me with positive energy and a clearer mind.