Step inside Koumkan, Athens’ new bar of moody glamour and whimsy

In the 1950s and 60s, Athens’ society swans gathered in a club in the old-moneyed Kifisia quarter, their pastime of choice, endless rounds of koum kan, a devilish Greek version of rummy. At the turn of this century, the venue was absorbed into the Karim Rashid-designed Semiramis Hotel as a restaurant and bar, from which it recently emerged from a tip-to-toe refurbishment by New York-based design studio, Manhattan Projects.

Koumkan, Athens

The makeover breathes new life into Koumkan by creating dramatically staged room sets. Each space is dressed to the nines in a palette that is at turns expensively moody and at others stylishly whimsical, its entirety, the designers say, is meant to evoke the vibe of an inter-war bar in Milan or Vienna. The tone is set at the entrance where a staircase encased in travertine descends from the street level into a pink-hued foyer, its bijou proportions cleverly disguised by floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls.

From this relatively austere entry, Manhattan Projects turn up the dial as it unfolds a sequence of spaces saturated in colour and textures. A darkly moody bar with all the feels of Batman’s lair is swathed in green marble from Tinos, 1960s stainless steel sconces and a futuristic, horizontal chandelier.

This opens out into a vast, cave-like space, its soaring ceiling exaggerated by four metre-high chandeliers of glass rods and mirrored panels that cast dizzying reflections and light – an effect Manhattan Projects describes as an ‘inside-out disco ball’. Framed by Iranian pink travertine, the elongated banana-shaped banquettes, meanwhile, are swathed in a light pink fabric produced by a local artisan who also supplies material to the Vatican and local Orthodox churches.

Against such an exuberant setting, the kitchen works hard to keep up with an eclectic menu touched with French, American, Italian and Japanese influences. Current crowdpleasers include buttermilk fried chicken served up with lime mayonnaise and Oscietra, Petrossian salmon crudo, a brioche of truffled grilled cheese, and a juicy slab of Chateaubriand draped with a yakiniku sauce.

Post-prandial treats range from a knickerbocker of ice cream and marshmallow, and Sacher torte, to lavish cocktails – think Negronis arriving at the table with buttered caramel popcorn, and spritzes with cherry soda – the latter best enjoyed either by the pool just beyond the restaurant, or back in the bar where live DJs obligingly keep the good times spinning till dawn.

Koumkan is located at Semiramis Hotel, Char. Trikoupi 48, Kifisia 145 62, Athen, Greece; koumkan.com