CYMA TAVERNA: MY GREEK GASTRONOMICAL EXPERIENCE

 Good food has a way of bringing joy and a good conversation to any table, and that evening with friends was no exception. Cyma Restaurant in Eastwood Mall was totally jam-packed that Friday night. But I still decided to become a Mystery Diner with three of my friends. That night, I decided to wear a simple faded orange shirt, checkered tokong shorts and paired them with my violet slippers. My hair swept up like as it has always been. I figured I needed to find out how people will react if I wear casual clothing in such high-end type of mall and restaurant setting.

 The minute we arrived, Jenny, one of the staff, welcomed and ushered us into one of the al fresco dining tables of Cyma Taverna. The Eastwood Friday vibe as well as its colorful skyline were all visually arresting, an early indication of what I had anticipated it to be—an evening of great food, good intellectual conversations and simply enjoying my friends’ company.

Spinach and artichoke fondue with pita breads.

We decided to order Spinach and Artichoke Fondue (Php350) as appetizer. We originally ordered for Horiatiki Salata (Php380)—a traditional Greek village summer salad, but then our server named Jerwin, recommended Roka Salata (Share-Php495). Since it was something new for everyone on our table, we had given it a try. And I’m so glad we did because everyone enjoyed it so much. The salad was awesome! It had none of the bitter lettuce or leaves that we usually find in veggie salads. It had my favorite feta cheese, walnuts, dates and another kind of cheese. It tasted so divine that I felt like I could eat that salad forever and not getting tired of it. My 10-year-old nephew Kyle even loved it when he would usually push his plate if he’s asked to eat vegetables, but not this time because he had actually asked for a second helping of Roka Salata!

My highly recommended Roka Salata!

 At Cyma, I kind of broke the usual fine-dining etiquette by doing a scarpetta—an Italian way of eating custom where you show your appreciation of food by wiping your plates clean. In my case, I wiped all the sauce with the pieces of pita breads until all the sauce is gone.

New on the Menu: Leonides Pasta

 For our main dish, we decided to order something new on the menu. We had Leonides Pasta (Share-Php590); it was no meat red sauce pasta with thinly sliced zucchinis and aubergine with feta cheese. We paired that with glasses of lemonade and Cyma house blended iced tea. The taste was okay, there’s nothing really special about it—just a typical pasta dish. However, we had experienced some itch on our throat. Perhaps this is because of the presence of eggplant on the pasta dish. Even our lemonades and iced teas could not put a stop to the itchy sort of after taste on our throats. But still we decided to finish the pasta despite of the itchy experience eating that because we thought it was pretty expensive for a simple pasta dish.

Kataifi with Vanilla Ice Cream

For our desserts, we had Kataifi made from phyllo dough with vanilla ice cream and some sweetened coconut with nuts on them. This one tasted like Filipino favorite “bukayo” with nuts on them. For those who are not familiar with phyllo dough, Kataifi (Php250) looked pretty much like our typical Filipino Pancit Bihon or vermicelli noodles. But it’s actually a kind of dough that can be stretched into thin sheets that’s used in eastern Mediterranean cooking and pastries.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Although I enjoyed tasting kataifi, nothing compares to my joy when I had a spoonful of Cyma’s mint choco chip ice cream (Php145). It tasted just as I wanted it to be, hmm…really excellent! It bursts of the peppermint flavors blended with chocolate goodness of the mini chocolate chips—ahhh! It tastes really heavenly!

Overall, I’d give Cyma on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest)—I’d give it a 7.5. Why? The interiors were good as well as the ambiance although I wish they would have covered their tables with tablecloths, it would’ve been better. Some prices on the menu were a bit steep, just like the simple Leonides Pasta that we had. Even if zucchinis were expensive, still they could’ve given it an alternative. We were quite disappointed with that dish, plus the itchy eggplant part was a total turn-off. It also made us quite sad when we were told that they did not have WiFi at Cyma although it’s written on the restaurant to Like their Facebook fan page, check in their foursquare and follow them on Twitter. And upon opening my WiFi network settings, I saw an Ektos connection (which I later noticed after bill out written on my receipt that it was owned by Ektos Cyma Greek Taverna Corporation). So how come there’s no WiFi service when there’s actually a network? Whatever that means.

I really wish Cyma would be using tablecloths soon to prevent these markings.

To be fair, we had truly enjoyed the Greek dining experience especially the Roka Salata (I would definitely recommend this to my friends!). If there’s a dish I’d surely come back to, Roka Salata would be it.

I would also recommend that Cyma use crostini breads aside from pita on your Spinach and Artichoke fondue. It would be better if you replace the garlic bread with crostini. The crunch of each crostini would certainly add some kick on the fondue. And when you served them, since the breads are supposed to be dipped in the fondue, serve it with a butter knife instead of a spoon. So that if the customers aren’t into dipping their breads, they could just spread the fondue on their breads without much difficulty.

Kyle, Mommy Rica, Ate Norma (in blue) and Moi enjoy the al fresco dining at Cyma.

Cyma had loads of great tasting dishes. Don’t forget to check out other amazing stuff on their menu such as the numerous choices of mezedes, orektika, homemade gyros and souvlakia souvlaki. For sure, there’s something you’ll love and enjoy. To avoid the hassle, peak hours are during lunch and dinner. The place gets packed with customers that you need to wait from 10 to 20 minutes. Even the receptionist had to help in serving the guests. Once you get there, I highly recommend that you try al fresco dining at their Eastwood branch.

Cyma branches are located in Eastwood Mall, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center, Greenbelt 2 and Boracay Island.

Security Blanket thanks Cyma Restaurant, Ms. Bea Reyes, and our server Jerwin.

Kebur: A Hole-in-the-Wall Mediterranean Food Joint

It's really just a small dingy place, but don't judge the food based it.

You wouldn't think of it at first, given its seclusion from all the bustle and hustle of the city. It's actually a place where you had to really walk a few miles before reaching this hole in the wall Mediterranean food joint. No jeepney plies by the street where Kebur is located. Another downside is that Kebur only opens daily in the late afternoon starting at 6PM until about 12 midnight.  But no worries, I'd have to say it's all worth it once you get a taste of Kebur's word-by-mouth famously made Pita Pie. 

Kebur had other delightfully Mediterranean dishes on their menu such as Keema, Keema rice, Shawarma, Kebab and they also had our Filipino favorites such as Tapsilog (stir-fry marinated Beef strips, fried rice and fried egg), Sisig (sizzling pork ears), Ilocano's Dinakdakan (pork masks and ears with mayonnaise and calamansi or Philippine lemon), among many others. But their Pita Pie remains at the top of the list. It's really affordable for P40 each pie. It tastes like shawarma with a little bit of twists on it. It had loads of cheddar cheese to begin with and you had a choice of hot sauce or white yoghurt to dredge it with. I personally recommend the yoghurt, although if you're the type who go for an extra kick, then having it with hot sauce will surely give you that chili flavor you're looking for. 

My low resolution mobile camera couldn't capture the lighted menu.

Kebur's Best-seller on the menu: Mouthwatering Pita Pie!

I personally liked Kebur's Pita Pie. It's crispy up to the last bite. I could wolfed down an entire pita bread for all I care! It's rich in flavor and had this creamy goodness of the white yoghurt. I tried it with the hot sauce, and it's extremely hot! It's like having tabasco sauce on my pita bread. Just to give you an idea how enjoyed I was while munching on my pita bread, eating this reminds me of pizza with shawarma toppings and yoghurt dip. I must have been to heaven eating this yummy pita bread. 

Their other Best-seller: Shawarma with yoghurt dip

My family loved Kebur's Shawarma.  Its juicy and meaty plus it's really delicious. In fact, if you're planning to visit this joint, you had to make sure to come really early as both Shawarma and Pita Pie sells like hotcakes.  Most people flock to Kebur's for take out of their Pita Pie and Shawarma.  Aside from that, Kebur is basically a small bar, so expect that they are also serving alcoholic drink. Kebur is such a small place that it gets really packed even outside especially on a Friday or on weekends. 

We were told that Kebur's owned by a former overseas Filipino worker who used to work in the Middle East. His fascination and love for Mediterranean food had given him an idea to put up a mini-bar cum food joint where he could savor and enjoy his favorite food even without leaving the country. He also made it a point to keep the foods on his menu affordable because he wants to share his love for Mediterranean food to the masses. 

If you're adventurous when it comes to food and a certified carnivore, Kebur's the best place to go. It promises good food without emptying your wallet. 

Kebur's is located on 20th Avenue in Cubao Quezon City (going to Boni Serrano Avenue from P. Tuazon). 

It is open daily from 6PM-12MN. 

Richmonde Hotel's Great Array of Food

They were sooo goood to look at that I didn't want to eat at first. Sumptuous buffet meals were specially created by Richmonde Hotel's resident chef Bienvenido B. Chavez. Luscious array of chocolate bars and cakes abound. Chocolate is mostly everyone's favorite comfort food, especially the kids and kids-at-heart. We were fortunate to indulge in the richest dessert concoctions with the wide selection of sweets and delicacies expertly created by Chef Bien. It was a haven for those with sweet tooth, a dizzying display of pralines, cream puffs with caramel glazed, cookies, cakes, fudge, chocolate gateaux--its got almost everything you'll ever wanted from the house of Hansel and Gretel. 

Chocolate bars in circle with cherry on top!

Sweet treats are made of these.

 Meanwhile, those who have been hankering for an epicurean feast need not to go farther as chef Bien also offers those with insatiable appetites to be pleased with an overload of their favorite meals from appetizers to desserts. Diners like us were able to fill our hungry stomach with perfectly tasty herbed chicken with salmon, grilled pork medallions, fish dijon laced fillets, and my personal favorite--baked cheesy croissant bars in Japanese sauce! It tasted just right--flaky like any croissant biscuit, crunchy and chewy with its baked and slightly burned  gruyere cheese.  I swear, I kept coming back for more of these goodies.

Chicken and salmon galore in herbed sauce. 

Porkloin medallion.

Fish fillet in dijon sauced. 

 To make dining guests more pleasurable, fettucinne alfredo was also served for those craving for Italian cuisines. There were also a salad bar where you can create your own salad or D-I-Y salad bar, choose your own lettuce: arugula, iceberg, romaine and top it with cheese, nuts, hams, fruits, veggies and cold cuts. Their ham and potato salad is one of the best I've ever tasted!

Curly in a row: Fettucinne Alfredo in its finest!

My fave of all: Baked Crostinni in Gruyere cheese

Mediterranean dishes were also served with chickpeas, hummus, pita breads, rotis among others, giving vegetarians another reason to be happy.  The foods were not only well presented but also deliciously good. I'd definitely recommend this to my friends and family. Eating here at Richmonde Hotel is truly a great experience for us. With a friendly and helpful staff too, I see myself coming back again next time.  

Mediterranean foods in a row.

Ham, cheese and potato salad. Hmm, tempting!

Hummus with lemons and herbs in a cup. 

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this blog post. I had a lot of fun dining at this hotel that I thought sharing them on my food blog won't hurt. You guys should try it eating there yourself to see what I mean. 

xoxo,