Hot pasta is also served at lunch, as are Roman specialties like baked tomatoes stuffed with rice and herbs.

As soon as a deconstructed version of a tomato stuffed with rice was placed before me at 48 Restaurant in Athens, I knew I need not have worried.

A fine piece of meat, cooked precisely as ordered, comes with thyme-scented jus, a tomato stuffed with fennel, and a cake of olive-studded couscous.

Inviting recipes include baked tomatoes stuffed with sweet corn and crab, fresh noodles with just-warmed tomato sauce and a savory bread pudding made with tomatoes and cheese.

Consider this interesting offering: a peeled tomato stuffed with fruit and nuts and served with scoops of ice cream and rivers of caramel sauce.

The tomato stuffed with diced tomato, peppers, zucchini, eggplant and anchovy was so delicious we could have devoured an entire platter.

Similarly, a rack of lamb is matched perfectly with cumin-scented turnips - except that a wan roasted tomato stuffed with goat cheese is orphaned on the plate, too.

The big red tomato, as it is listed on the menu, features a rather small tomato stuffed with an unimaginative mix of spinach, sausage and mushrooms.

Try tomato stuffed with shrimps, judd mat gaardebounen - a local speciality of pork, bacon and broad beans - and profiteroles.

We sipped icy beer while waiting for crisp fried squid and plump tomatoes stuffed with herbs and rice, all drizzled with greeny-gold Greek olive oil.