- [Mark] The flavor of
that lamb is just bursting. I'm willing to put my bet, if I bite right here it'll
just slide right off the bone. Now that is pure joy, pure lamb joy. (intense music) I hope you're having an amazing day. It's Mark Wiens and I am in
the beautiful little town of Chania, which is on the
island of Crete in Greece. This is a place I've
always wanted to visit. I'm excited to be here. Today we're going to explore Chania. I'm going to give you a full food tour. We're going to eat some
incredible local Cretan food and Greek food. And then we're going to do
some sight-seeing around Chania so stay tuned. This is going to be a day
of food and sight-seeing, of the amazing town of Chania in Crete. On our way first to go
eat an extremely popular local breakfast, which is just outside of the old city. But one of the joys of being in Chania is just exploring the old town. These are actually the old
walls, but then if you walk, there's so many cool places. And it has so much
character, it's so charming. It's just absolutely
beautiful to just get lost in the network of old lanes
and alleys within the old town. (intense music) One of the best things
you can possibly start your day with in Crete is bougatsa, an incredible Greek breakfast pastry that will surely satisfy all
of your melted cheese dreams. This is filo? - [Baker] Yes. - [Mark] Okay. - [Baker] You see how thin it is. - [Mark] Yeah, it's very very. And is it olive oil? - [Baker] Yes. - [Mark] Wow, okay. They have the shop back here
where the kitchen is here where the uncle is cooking. And he's the one, he's
the chef of the bougatsa. And his son walked me over here. It's a different shop hidden
back in the alley here whereas the storefront is the cafe. And so he makes the bougatsa so delicately and so beautifully. And just takes his time to take that filo and make it extremely paper thin. You can actually see through it. It's so thin that it's translucent. And then he adds on another type of dough and then folds it up. And then he adds on a handful of the ... - [Baker] Mizithra. - [Mark] Mizithra. - [Baker] Mizithra. - They told me that it's a
mixture of sheep and goat cheese and it's a very popular
type of cheese in Crete made in Chania. And that's really all there is to it. And there's also a lot of olive oil, which is very famous in Crete as well. And so he uses olive oil
to make these pastries. Then they bake in these ovens right here until golden perfection. And then they transport
them over to the storefront to serve them. Thank you very much. (man speaking in foreign language) So you can either order your bougatsa here plain with no sugar or cinnamon. Or they'll add the sugar for you. Or they'll serve the sugar and cinnamon on the side for you even. You can add as much as you want. So I decided to go for no sugar at first. Then I might add a
little bit as I taste it. Look at that ratio of
cheese to filo dough. It's just a couple layers of thin filo. And then you've got just a
heap of oozing, melting cheese in the middle there. That is beautiful. Oh that is amazing. Oh that cheese is really sharp and a little bit sour. And then you've got just the
very thin layer of the filo which is crispy. And right now with no sugar
on it it's not sweet at all. It's just like a giant cheese pastry. Oh this is the real deal right here. And the coffee has just arrived. That is the perfect accompaniment to a mound of melted cheese in
the morning for breakfast. (chuckling) Oh it's nice and stout. Oh yeah, that is just a must. And they go so well together. They're so complementary. To be honest, I'm so satisfied
with no sugar or cinnamon that I just want to eat the whole thing. I like this but I will try a little bit with the cinnamon and sugar. Because I think the majority of people do. Okay, I do see the attraction in that. It is really good. It really transforms it into, almost like a French toast
tasting type of thing, but full of cheese. I'm more of a savory kind of guy so I like the straight cheese pastry. That was just nothing short of incredible. That is possibly the best way
to get your morning started in Chania, Crete. (groovy music) Conveniently located,
literally just down the road from where we just at that cafe is another legendary place
to eat gyro souvlaki, which is called Oasis. And this is, the owner is a
really friendly jolly man. He has been telling me
that they've been open for over 50 years. And you walk into this little place. It's just a little hole
in the wall style place. You walk in here and immediately your nose just gets overwhelmed
by that sensational aroma of oregano. And then you look at the
gyro, which is the revolving hunk of meat, which is pork. It slow moves on that spit. You see it's just caked
in oregano and some herbs. And then as soon as you order
one, he grabs a hot pita. He adds in some tomatoes
and onions and tzatziki. And then adds in the meat. And then adds in a handful of seasonings. Sprinkles on some salt and some I think some chili powder. And then he wraps it up
into a handheld treat. It's hot and fresh. Okay I cannot wait to try it. Thank you. Like this. Okay, wow. And they have some seats on the inside. And it's just a classic, classic. You can smell the history in
there along with the oregano. But I like these random
high chairs out here on the side of the sidewalk. Oh it's so hot and fresh. You gotta come take a close up look at what's all in here though. A handheld beauty, all
those thin strips of pork. You can see how much oregano is in there. That's tzatziki. And it's warm, it's hot, it's fresh. The onions, the chili powder. Okay, I can't talk any longer. Wow, give it a little squish to get all those ingredients mingling. You can taste the garlic in that tzatziki. And just like you can smell the oregano, you can really taste the oregano in there. You've got the fresh onions
and the fresh tomatoes. Those strips of slow-cooked
pork and the pita is just hot and fresh and fluffy. You're gonna get some
tzatziki and some sauce on your lips and you don't
want that to go to waste. This is something you've got
to try when you're in Chania. And that pork is nice and tender, too. And it's literally just caked in oregano. - Okay? - [Mark] Thank you very much. Really good. Thank you, thank you. Amazing, thank you. - Bye bye. - [Mark] Bye bye. That went down very very easily. And not only, it's actually, he serves what's called a gyro pita. So it's gyro, which is the round of meat, the revolving round of
meat within a pita bread. And not only was that just
absolutely insanely incredible, you will love it, but the owner's friendliness and kindness will really blow you away, too. And that's really what eating
and traveling is all about, is meeting so many people who
are passionate about food. (horse feet clip-clopping) Next up this food tour and
sight-seeing tour of Chania is continuing. We're going to go,
which is actually again, right across the street,
and this is the old market. This is a really calm and
really nice, pleasant market to visit. They have all sorts of
traditional Cretan ingredients that you can buy here, from vegetables. They have some specialty
Cretan cheese shops where you can buy your cheese,
you can buy Cretan honey. You can buy Cretan spices
like lots of oregano. But then they also have
a mix of souvenir shops and clothes shops and then
a couple of restaurants and cafes that you can try
within the market, too. But I like how it's open air. It's covered, but it's very
spacious, it's open air. This market has lots of
history to it in Chania. And this is a great place
to wander and to stroll and especially you and I as food lovers. It's a great place to introduce yourself to the different gourmet
delicacies that Crete has to offer. - [Man] This is lamb
with lettuce, lemon sauce and white wine. Traditional tripe. For lamb, very very good. The lamb. - [Mark] Oh yeah, I'll have lamb soup. Next up on this Cretan
food tour in Chania, we're stopping at a restaurant. They serve traditional Cretan food here. And they say that all the food is prepared with local meats and vegetables and lots of Cretan virgin olive oil. And this is the type of place that I love. They cook all the dishes fresh. And they display all the
dishes here in the cabinet that you can pick and choose from, all the different Cretan stews and different dishes of the day. This is authentic,
traditional Cretan food. Everything looks outstanding. They have a lot of lamb
dishes, a lot of meat. Everything looks like they've
been slow-cooked for hours to brew all those flavors together. And I got a couple of dishes that I'm so excited to try right now. I gotta move in directly
for this lamb soup because it's just, he served
it just hot and piping. There are pieces of lamb here. I got some ribs and some
chunks and then on the bottom is the pasta. And this is a traditional
lamb soup, Cretan style. So let me just taste that soup. But he told me I could
garnish with chili flakes, which I absolutely will. Oh, oh yeah. You can taste it, that's lamb. That's some real lamb right there. And then it has a tomato-y flavor broth. A salty, tomato-y broth. That will be awesome with some citrus and some chilies in it. Oh yes, please. Chili flakes. And hit that with that lime, squeeze in that citrus. Yeah I'm not sure what
type of citrus this is. It looks like a cross
between a lemon and a lime. Okay and I have to go in
directly for that lamb. Oh, look at that, look at that cap. That cap of meat. Okay this sort of needs to be picked up. And scoop over, okay, perfect. Oh, there's nothing better than going in for a bite
of meat and coming out with just a completely clean bone. When I saw the lamb stomach
stew, I had to go for it. This is a well-known dish in Crete. And you can see these are
little pads of stew right here. This thing is quite a interesting, oh wow, that's like the
entire, oh look at that. It's like, okay, I don't
really know what that is. But you can see it's kind
of an olive oil stew. I think there's some herbs
in there, maybe oregano. And then there's a zucchini
over here on the side. But this appears like it's been stewed for a very very long time. You can see the different textures. I'll go in for two different
types of the stomach. I'm a huge lover of tripe, I love tripe. But sometimes depending on how it's cooked it can be either tender or
rubbery or very rubbery. This is really tender. Like your first bite you do
have a little bit of bounce. Your teeth bounce off the tripe. But then after that,
it just sinks into it. It's very very tender. You can taste those little textural, they're kinda like sponges, but kinda like pieces of
towel at the same time. Get this with some chili flakes going on. The chili is not really very spicy. You could eat it by the spoonful. And then for this bite
I'll grab a piece of bread. Break bread, dip right into that sauce. You always gotta go
with the soft side down so you can absorb as much of
that goodness as possible. And I will scoop up a few
pieces of the tripe as well, the stomach. Oh, oh that is a, that
is a dish right there. The last dish I got is an eggplant, which has been stuffed with feta cheese. Oh and more things, too. There are more things in here, too. Oh ... Looks like some peppers and some carrots and all sorts of things. I didn't even barely touch
it with my spoon and fork and it just completely fell apart. And you've got some cheese here. Look at how just completely
soft that eggplant is. Okay I'm gonna have a piece, make sure I get some
of that cheese with it. And mix it up, oh here we go. Oh that's hot. That's right out of the oven. That is so juicy. Oh that's like a crazy juicy eggplant. And it just melts in your mouth. All the food is good. This soup is outstanding. And I already ate that
other piece of lamb. But I just have to show you
the tenderness of this lamb. It's just, it's just
mind-blowingly tender. Watch, watch. Oh. That is a beautiful sight. That is a happy happy soup. The tripe is also outstanding,
but I have to be honest, I have no idea what this is. Let me rehydrate it with some of that oil. What could this be? I'm honestly not sure. This is some kind of
tube but it looks wrapped at the same time. Um I guess we just kinda break into this. Oh it's so tender. Oh and look at that. Yeah, it's just wrapped up. I think this is a bite that
needs an extra hit of chili. And by the way, I'm loving how
they love chili here as well. It's the perfect complement. Oh yeah, it's tender. It has the same texture as
the other pieces of tripe. But without the padding. Oh, oh as you keep on tasting it, though, oh, okay, you can taste a little
bit of the entrail remains, if you know what I mean. And as I keep on chewing,
the more I can taste kind of some natural particles. Like maybe some fibers
of grass within that. That's a bit of an
adventurous bit right there. I think that's a special piece. Just finished with that meal. That was some incredibly good Cretan food. This is a place that you can come. It's right within the
market in Chania town. And you can get some
authentic Cretan food. Okay I'm starting to get
a little bit full now. I think it's time to
walk around a little bit. (motorcycle engine revving) Old town Crete is just a fantastic
place to explore on foot. You can walk around the narrow alleys. And there's something you can
discover everywhere you walk. And we're navigating our
way over to a church now. (traditional Greek music) Church is called Agio Nikolaos. And it's right within the old town. It kind of has a fortress-like
appearance to it. They don't allow any photos
or videos on the inside so you'll have to come
see it for yourself. But the inside is also really spectacular. It's colorful, there
are beautiful paintings and pieces of artwork. And I also really like
the floor inside as well. (traditional Greek music) One of the places that you
will inevitably come to explore is the central promenade, right within the old town of Chania. And it's kind of the
central part of old town. It's the place where now you'll
find a lot of restaurants and cafes that surround the water. But it's really extremely picturesque. It's a great place to take a morning or afternoon stroll, especially. And the water, what impresses
me is just how clean and clear the water is. I'm gonna keep on walking
along the promenade and try to make my way to the lighthouse. And on my way to the lighthouse, though, I'm passing through the
old Venetian harbor, now home to some really incredible yachts. It's actually quite a long walk. You need to walk all the way around, past the arsenal, past all the docks, all the ship docks, the yacht docks, to be able to reach the
base of the lighthouse. I finally made it to the base
of the lighthouse barricade, which creates the docks
and the calm water. And there's quite amazing views from here 'cause you can see the
shore and the old town. And that's the arsenal back
there and all the boats. But the lighthouse is a ways up ahead. (intense music) The lighthouse itself is beautiful but the views of Chania, the old town and the mountains in the
background is spectacular. And you can do a little
bit of rock hopping to get to the other
side of the light house. It's just on a base of rocks. The view is spectacular. And look at the lighthouse above me. Oh, I'm getting the sea breeze. You can see islands and just
the rugged peaks of Crete. Oh man, this is fantastic. That sea breeze is amazing. (waves crashing) (intense music) I had a little bit of a rest
after going to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was well worth the visit. You get some amazing
views when you walk out to the lighthouse. Highly recommended. And we are now walking. It's going to be a little bit of a walk, but we wanted to enjoy
the evening on our way to a seafood restaurant
about two and half kilometers up the coast. (waves crashing) The walk so far has been beautiful. We're coming up on another swimming beach. And I think the restaurant
that we're going to is right over there, like
before the cliff starts. Getting closer to seafood. (traditional Greek music) Along with the seafood, part of the reason that this restaurant is so well-known is because it's right along
the water, the beautiful water, and also along the beautiful
abandoned buildings, which sets the atmosphere. So they set the tables
out right on the beach, right on the water. And we are arriving right now. We made it to the restaurant. This place has so much character. It's a really cool place and
it's a really popular place. And so that's part of
the reason we got here a little earlier than most
people would eat dinner. But most of the tables,
like all of these tables here on the shore are all reserved. So there was just three tables up here that are not reserved. So Ying and I got a table up here. But I'm not complaining at all. The view is still
spectacular and the food, well, I came here mostly for
the food, rather than the view, but the view is fantastic. It's so quiet over here. It's among deserted, abandoned buildings. And the water is calm and just
lapping against the rocks. And this is fantastic. Hi. We're all here to eat some seafood. (traditional Greek music) The first round of food has all arrived. They brought us a big plate
of bread topped with oregano. And then we got some fried fresh squid. This is one of the classic
things that you have to eat when you are in Crete. It's called dakos. And then I also got some mussels. And also I had to go for
a plate of fried zucchini. This all looks and smells spectacular. Wow, that melts in your mouth. That's like eggplant but even like mushier and more dissolving. Next up I gotta try the dakos. It is a rusk which is a
crunchy piece of bread on the bottom topped
with a tomato herb puree and then Cretan cheese. And this is a huge dakos. Oh wow, I think you have
to go in with your spoon and everything. And that bread just
absorbs all that tomato. Look at that. Mmm. That's a wonderfully simple combination. It's like a sponge. At first it's crunchy
but then it just absorbs all of that tomato juice. And then you've got the
salted cheese on top. You've got the oregano. And I like that it's really
really refreshing, served cool. Next up for the mussels
which have been cooked in olive oil. You can see there's a pool
of olive oil at the bottom. And I'm gonna just go ahead
and squeeze on that lemon because I know it needs it. This is what it needs. And this guy right here. There's some parsley on top. Oh, look at that. Let me pull him, oh you can feel how
juicy it is immediately. Oh. Those aren't like huge mussels,
but they are hugely juicy. It's like absolutely pure. You can taste a hint of that olive oil and then just that lemon
that I squeezed on top. Scoop some of that olive
oil into this shell with that mussel and eat
it altogether in one. Oh that's gonna be a juicy one. Oh with that olive oil soup at the bottom. Oh that's extraordinary. It's mostly all just because
of those fresh mussels. I think the squid has just
been very lightly breaded or battered and then deep-fried. Oh, mussel just fell onto the plate. Okay, we can detach the head. I'll go in for this body section. Oh you can see some of
those eggs squishing out. That's insanely tender. And its like, those eggs in
there, they're like butter. Oh that just melts in your mouth. And because it has eggs
in it, it literally gushes with a buttery consistency in your mouth. Oh yeah. (man speaking indistinctly to Mark) We're usually from US but from Thailand. - [Man] You're from which city? - [Mark] Bangkok. - [Cook] The stomach, the
liver, we don't clean it. We leave everything inside. It's like pate. - [Mark] One of the best
things about this restaurant is the fresh fish. It's just straight out. - I like the way you carry your son. - Oh thank you very much. - Very clever. - Thank you. This is an amazing place. And you can go in there, they have the fresh catch of the day. You can choose your fish. So we just got two different
fish to try for this meal. (traditional Greek music) That is a crazy good mussel. Just finished with those appetizers and now just taking a little stroll and enjoying the sunset views. Such a fantastic place. And right now, now that
the sun is going down, it's becoming even better and
quieter and more peaceful, now the sun is not so hot and intense. Thank you. I was going back and forth about deciding which fish to order. But the owner finally talked
me into ordering two fish. Both of them kinda small in
size so that we could taste. He said they're completely
different textures and different tastes, so
we had to get them both. Say hello to this guy. He looks fantastic, look at that sauce. Okay I'm gonna dig into the cod first. He said this is the softest
fish you'll ever have. Okay, oh, and just look at that flakiness. It does look unbelievably
soft and melt-in-your mouth. Oh yeah, that is indeed one
of the most tender fish. The texture is just amazing. It's so soft, it's so juicy. You can tell that it's cod. It's almost like the
texture of crab, almost. Okay and next up for the other fish, which, I think, locally,
it's called skaros. Mmm. It's more of that kinda drier texture, kinda flakier, a little bit stringier, as opposed to the cod. Both are incredibly different in texture. And I think that is olive oil
sauce that they've put over it that makes it juicier and
really fragrant as well. And I'll take some of the fish as well. Wow. I think the cod is the winner. Okay, one of the benefits
of eating this fish that the owner told me is
that they keep the liver in it and you eat the liver, and eggs too. Mmm, oh that is insanely creamy. Oh that's like fish pudding. Just made it back to the
house after an amazing dinner. The sunset with the water and
those old abandoned buildings really made for a serene environment. The food was also outstanding. Those two fish at the end were awesome. And it's been an amazing
day in Chania, Crete. Everything we did, all the restaurants, I'll leave them in the
description box below so you can check them all out. And I wanna say a big thank
you for watching this video. Please remember to give it a
thumbs up if you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear from you
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more food and travel videos. Thank you for watching
this Greek food in Crete, Chania Crete food tour. And I'll see you on the next video.
