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.