Fiore Fine Dining is the gastronomic restaurant of Lesante Cape Resort & Villas, located on the island of Zakynthos in Greece. Executive Chef Aggelos Bakopoulos offers a superbly executed, modern Greek fine dining experience inspired by traditional Greek flavours and sea- and farm-to-table dining. The restaurants occupies a premium seaside location within the resort, ensuring sublime sunset views.

Location

Fiore Fine Dining restaurant is located inside the stunning Lesante Cape Resort & Villas in Zakynthos, Greece. This island is considered as one of the most beautiful islands in Greece and belongs to the Ionian Islands together with Lefkada and Kefalonia. The amazing natural beauty with its dramatic coastline draws many visitors each year, but top resorts and world-class restaurants are quickly becoming one of Zakynthos main attractions as well.

Among these wonderful resorts is Lesante Cape Resort & Villas, located near the historic village of Akrotiri on the Eastern side of the island. This beautiful resort, part of the “Leading Hotels of the World”, was built as a traditional Greek village and opened its doors in 2022. Greek authenticity and traditional Zakynthian architecture are combined with luxurious suites and villas, a bohemian design and all imaginable modern comfort.

The restaurant can be found at one of the most beautiful locations of the hotel. Just next to the hotel’s breath-taking infinity pool, it occupies a separate deck with both a covered and an outdoor section. The location, on the edge of a cliff, offers sublime views of the endless Ionian Sea and the silhouette of Kefaloni island. Especially during sunset, the play of colours provides an unforgettable setting to accompany your meal.

Guests enter Fiore Fine Dining via an outdoor deck with a small herb garden. Tables are spread out inside a covered wooden patio with a glass wall overlooking the pool area on the left side and the ocean just in front. Some tables are also positioned on the outdoor deck, enabling guests to enjoy the evening sun and the Mediterranean breeze. White linen covers the tables and the spacious seats are made out of lush fabrics and thick pillows. Wooden oval-shaped lamps provide dim and atmospheric lighting, but the ocean remains the biggest – and natural – design highlight in the very romantic restaurant.

The Chef & the team

Executive chef Aggelos Bakopoulos is responsible for the restaurant kitchens at Lesante Cape Resort & Villas. The chef was born in Pyrgos and studied gastronomy in Heraklion on the island of Crete. He gained experience at some of Greece’s best restaurants, and worked for five years as the executive chef at Katikies Mykonos and Katikies Santorini. As a chef, Aggelos attaches great importance to discipline, hard work and structure. With his elaborate and refined cooking style, he gained several recognitions and awards. The busy chef is also involved in several other projects such as Panorama restaurant in Stuttgart and Bálza in Cyprus.

At the opening of Lesante Cape Resort & Villas in 2022, Aggelos was asked to become the Executive Chef of the various restaurants. At the resort’s flagship restaurant Fiore Fine Dining, he demonstrates his knowledge of contemporary fine dining, combining Greek flavours with modern cooking techniques. He is assisted by a young, passionate and professional team, both in the kitchen and the dining room. The service is discreet but present and ensures that guests experience a casual, refined and, above all, unforgettable culinary evening. There’s a great wine list with a very nice selection of Greek references, and guests can also ask the sommelier to guide them through the wine menu with a selection of pairing wines.

Gastronomy

The dishes at Fiore Fine Dining prove that Aggelos Bakopoulos masters the art of contemporary, creative gastronomy while respecting his culinary heritage. Greek and often Zakynthian flavours are obtained by using many local ingredients and spices, and traditional dishes are also given their own interpretation. The fish preparation from Corfu “Bourdeto”, for example, is reinvented with tarama, caper, cucumber, a herbs sorbet and a delicious Corfu bourdeto sauce. Farm-to-table dining forms an important aspect of the philosophy at Fiore Fine Dining. Many of the ingredients come straight from Lesante Cape Resort’s own organic “Bostani” farm.

This way, the restaurant remains loyal to the island’s heritage and blends hyper locality with an innovative culinary approach. Guests can choose between a (normal and vegetarian) à la carte menu and a degustation menu. On some nights special menus such as a lobster menu are available as well.

Fresh fish and seafood obviously play a big role in Aggelos’ kitchen, but meat can be found in some of the dishes on the à la carte and the tasting menu as well. The “Sea Carbonara” is a great example of one of the seafood dishes. Mussels, calamari, fennel, grilled greens and bread crumbs combine salty and earthy flavours but also soft and crispy textures. Beluga caviar adds at a luxurious touch. Another great seafood dish is the red shrimp starter, cominbed with pistachio, radish, arugula, lemon and red shrimp’s sauce.

The signature ‘cod bianco’ dish comes with potatoes, seafood and a lemon fish sauce.

In the meat section, we can highly recommend the pigeon main course, which brings together pigeon breast, beetroot, kumquat, foie gras, eel and a delicious spice sauce.

We enjoyed the following menu during our visit:

• Amuse bouche
•  Bonito bourdeto tarama with caper, cucumber, herbs sorbet and Corfu bourdeto sauce
•  Red shrimps pistachio with radish, arugula, lemon and red shrimp’s sauce

•  Scallops beef tongue with celery root, chives, consommé from Zakynthos oil cheese
• Cod bianco, potatoes, lemon fish sauce

•  Sea carbonara mussels: calamari, fennel, grilled greens, bread crumbs and beluga caviar
•  Pigeon beetroots with kumquat, foie gra, eel and a spice sauce
•  Beef sofrito with potato, aioli, parsley and aged vinegar
•  Baklavas pistachio with spices, orange, fig compote and kaimaki ice cream with goat’s milk
•  Mignardises

Why go? 

Chef Aggelos Bakopoulos’ refined, delicious take on the Greek cuisine offers a unique dive into contemporary Greek islands dining scene. The sea-and-farm-to-table dining approach ensures the freshest, most delicious ingredients, which are processed into beautiful looking dishes. Add the fantastic setting at the Lesante Cape Resort and Villas and you know you can expect a dining experience that’s both unique and memorable.