Obeid was accused of failing to disclose a family interest in the cafes while lobbying to have the leases renewed without a tender process taking place, to the financial benefit of his family.
Instead it's a land inhabited by continental-style bars and cafes, with a cuisine that's largely Asian, Mediterranean or Japanese and a decor dictated by Ikea-chic.
There are now 13 cafes around the country, with plans for many more, according to the project's co-director Sam Joseph, who started a cafe of his own in Bristol called Skipchen.
The centre of the compact walled town is full of gorgeous boutiques and unusual jewellery stores (in case gifts are in order), pretty cafes with flower-filled gardens (should the Mediterranean sun make an appearance) and tiny bars with plenty of private nooks and crannies.
Already one million tourists have arrived – spilling out of archaeological sites and the narrow alleyways of the picturesque Plaka district beneath the Acropolis, piling into restaurants and cafes and cramming the stores that sell the fodder of every classic Greek holiday: sandals, statues, T-shirts and bags.
But walk away from the cafes churning out chalga (Bulgaria's dubious gift to pop music), and as the buildings thin out there is no one but yoga enthusiasts and naked men playing chess.
Patnem's beachside cafes all serve a similar mix of east and supposedly west: chai and something resembling cappuccino; curry and something similar to pizza.
Laptops and mobile phones had been hacked, and internet cafes installed and bugged.
The economy has improved; there has been a proliferation of cafes and restaurants to cope with the increased tourism.
There are lots of cool cafes such as Deus (on the corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards, us.deuscustoms.com), which also houses a motorbike showroom and florist, and it's still off the beaten path with a real local scene.
Fittingly, Newcastle's splendid art-deco cinema, The Tyneside also has several good cafes.
