Super Late Lunch at Cyma

Ok, I've been out of the hospital for almost two weeks now. Yet, I still find myself being poked, prodded and examined by doctors. I have one more test to go and one more ultrasound and then hopefully, it will put an answer to whatever ails me. Fortunately, looks like nothing serious.

Anyway, after being put on impromptu fasting for six hours to get a blood test, I was extremely irritable and hungry come 3:00 p.m. I was desperately craving for some good food. Cyma is my fuel of choice. I ordered the Mozzarella - Saganaki (flaming cheese) since I just loveeeeet to bits. Some salad, and my favorite Cyma dish, the Swordfish Souvlaki. Halfway through the Saganaki, I was already full but still greedy from being deprived of food for six hours. Ha ha ha.







Cyma, the absolute sosyal comfort food. Go ahead, indulge, I know you want to :-)

Cyma, Alabang Town Center

Last Saturday, hubby and I spent the whole day in bed (it’s not what you think!!!). We’ve been catching up on sleep and spent most of the afternoon spending quality time in dreamland. I didn’t think it was humanly possible to sleep that long, but we did it. We only woke up for a quick breakfast and a quick lunch. Come dinner time, we couldn’t see straight, ha ha ha. When I counted, we slept for almost 16 hours total.

Hubby and I had a late dinner date at Cyma, in Alabang Town Center. Cyma is one of my favorite restaurants. The first time we had a meal at Cyma's was in Boracay. I am glad that they branched out here in Manila and had set shop in Alabang, just a few minutes drive from where we live. In case you were wondering, no, we don’t live in Ayala Alabang……… yet! ha ha ha

Since we couldn’t see straight from hunger and burned all our energy snoring away, we ordered a LOT of food. The waiters were wondering if we had company coming.

I love the Saganaki, a flaming cheese dish. Saganaki uses a traditional Greek cheese called Kefalograviera. The cheese is placed in a sizzling plate and then flambed. A healthy greeting of “Opa!” from the waiters usually come with every order, but hubby said no “opa” please. The Saganaki was so good, a bit salty but good nonetheless.





For appetizers, we had the Pikilia, Mezedes Combination, a sampling of Tzatziki (greek yoghurt, cucumber and garlic), Melitzanosalata (freshly roasted eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, lemon and olive oil), Hummus (chickpea, tahini and garlic dip) and Taramosalata (a Greek caviar of salted fish roe). I liked the hummus the best. Although, the taramosalata in the middle (the pink one) was nice too. The sampler is served with 16 wedges of whole-wheat pita bread.



We also ordered a new entry in the salad menu, the Tonnos Salata, coriander crusted seared ahi tuna with mixed greens, feta cheese, onions, roasted bell peppers, green beans and a few other things. I particularly didn’t like this one. The tuna was too big and a bit overwhelming. Bite-sized sushi-grade tuna would have made it more appetizing. The herb dressing also didn’t compliment the tuna and was a bit malansa (fishy) instead of fresh-tasting, like sushi on a salad. The Salad itself was nice and tangy, the serving huge. Despite the nice greens, I don’t recommend this salad at all. The Caesar’s Salad or the Greek Salad is a much better choice.



Hubby ordered a Gyro of pork and beef, with tomatoes, tzatsiki and vegetables wrapped in whole-wheat pita bread. I remember they used to wrap this using a thin white pita bread, which is much more appetizing and not too heavy. Hubby finished only half of this (surprise, surprise). The filling was still good though. Ladies, if you are on a date, this may not be the daintiest thing on the menu.



I ordered the Roka Pasta, sauteed arugula and spaghetti with olive oil, pine nuts, grated parmesan cheese and fresh tomatoes. I wasn’t able to eat this at all since I was too stuffed and didn’t have the space in my tummy. I ended up eating it the following day. It was good too and could be easily duplicated at home.



For dessert, we had the dessert sampler called a Glyka Sampler, which has the Greek yoghurt called Yia Ourti Me Meli with mountain honey and pistachio nuts, I liked this, but hubby said it was too sour and not fit for dessert (when it was served like an ice cream when we dined in Cyma previously, he was singing a different tune, he he he). The dessert sampler also comes with Galakto Boureko, creamy semolina custard in phyllo pastry with orange and lemon zest syrup, much like a Brazo de Mercedes but lighter, less sweet and zestier. Hubby and I liked this dessert. Next, they had the Ryzo Galo, traditional creamy rice pudding with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This is my second favorite of the four. My favorite of course is the Baklava, layered phyllo with walnuts and orange heavy syrup. Cyma Alabang’s version is much thicker than what we usually order in Boracay but it was equally nice, but less makunat.



Despite the Tonnos Salata, I still recommend Cyma, whenever you are in ATC (Alabang Town Center). Great eats and great service.

One Rainy Afternoon, Part 1 (Mano's Greek Taverna)

It was a wonderful cold day today. Hubby and I had an impromptu trip to Tagaytay. SLEX from Alabang to Calamba has been finished for quite a while. Going to Tagaytay is now a more pleasant drive. It took just about 45 minutes to get to our first destination, Mano's Greek Taverna. We pass it all the time when we are in the area, why not try it out?



Mano's is mom and pop type of restaurant. The interior is decorated in blue and white, not surprisingly made to feel like you're in a hole in the wall somewhere in Greece. I've never been, so, I'm not an expert :-)

We started our mid afternoon snack with an order of tzatziki, a greek yoghurt dip with cucumbers, garlic and dill. We also ordered some pita bread to go with it. The tzatziki was nice, quite garlicky yet refreshing. Be sure to brush you teeth after. The garlic's a bit strong.



Hubby ordered the Greek Tomato Soup with spaghetti noodles. This is probably the simplest soup that I've had in a restaurant. The flavor is uncomplicated. For us, it tasted like boiled tomatoes with noodles. I wouldn't probably order this again. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great either.



Since it was our mid-afternoon snack time, we ordered some Beef Gyros (the waitress called it Shawarma). The beef was tender and mildly flavored. I particularly didn't like the soft potatoes inside. I've always had gyros with fried potatoes inside so it was a new experience to have mushy potatoes instead. I kinda miss a bit of the crunch and the saltiness.



For dessert, hubby ordered Baklava, a pastry made with multiple layers of filo dough, pistachio, and butter, butter, butter. We were surprised when we got this dessert, the filo was only on top and at the bottom, like a pie. This is probably so that you can get more of the filling. Personally, the carb addict in me, prefer to have the filling sandwiched alternately with multiple layers of filo.



I was a little disappointed with Mano's. I had read some pretty good reviews about it and was expecting some phenomenal food. In fairness, the food wasn't bad, it was just ordinary tasting overall.

If you're willing to spend a bit more dough, I would recommend to dine at Mati's (in Rockwell) or at Cyma (Boracay, Greenbelt and Trinoma) for Greek cuisine. The food is so much better.

Cyma Estiatorio.......OPA!

Hubby and I love Greek food. Our favorite by far is a quaint little hole in the wall restaurant in Boracay called Cyma. We had dined there last year and we fell in love with the food.

I found out that they have a new branch that opened in Greenbelt. We were so excited to dine there last weekend because it brings back memories of our Boracay trip.

For appetizers or "Mezedes", which in Greek means "something soft and delicate", we ordered the Pikilia Mezedes, a sampling of four delicious dips, served with sixteen wedges of warm whole wheat pita bread:



Melitsanosolata, freshly roasted eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, wit lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
Tsatsiki, a classic cucumber, garlic and Greek yogurt dip.
Htipiti, creamed feta with a hint of spicy peppers and extra virgin olive oil. I was surprised that hubby liked this one, normally, he doesn't like feta nor anything spicy.
Hummous, chickpea, tahini and garlic. Among the dips, this one is the biggest winner in terms of taste.

Since the Pikilia was quite filling, hubby and I shared a single main course. We agreed on Swordfish Souvlaki (skewer) and for extra P75 you get a side of Family Style Greek Salad of mixed greens, red cabbage, tomatoes, capers, cucumbers, feta cheese, pine nuts and black olives in traditional Greek vinaigrette. Yummy and healthy.



The Swordfish Souvlaki is by far one of the the best fish dish that I've ever tasted. The fish was very fresh and succulent and not malansa at all and there's no fishy after taste (which is great when you're having a date). The skewered vegetables are perfect foil for the fish. I has asked the waiter what was the marinade used for the fish. It was salt, pepper olive oil and some tomato sauce. The souvlaki comes with a yogurt dipping sauce. Frankly, the fish was great even without the dipping sauce.

For dessert, hubby ordered the home made chocomint ice cream served with honey and walnuts. I personally don't like the combination of chocolate and mint but hubby loves it. So, this one's a winner too.



If you order the crepes, they will flambe it in front of you and all the waiters will shout OPA! (A Greek term for "love of life")

Cyma, a must try.