Cyma Greek Taverna Outs New Menu on their 10th Anniversary

Chef Robby Goco the Head Chef of popular Cyma Greek Taverna

I've been a fan of CYMA ever since I've set my eyes on them in Eastwood Mall. It made me grow appreciation about a dish that I haven't even felt that I had a connection with as I grew only fond of Spanish, American and Filipino. I've been quite adventurous when I became a foodie a few years ago so when I got to dine here, I was so surprised about the real, no fuss food they served on the table. It was like going to another country, something that I welcomed a lot. So when the opportunity to celebrate with them on their 10th year came, I was like "Mama Mia!" excited!

It was my first time to also meet Chef Robby. He explained to us that this celebration was also going to be an introduction to brand new items on their menu that would update, bring forth authentic Greek food designed to delight the Filipino customers. Yeap, same organic and home grown ingredients adjusted to our palate. Some of the freshest food on the table sounds so right to me. Chef Robby defines this as "Progressive Greek".

This is part of the Krii Vegetarian Sampler Mezedes. I think it kinda signifies spring/harvest but I'd probably just connect it with what's available in Greece. The roasted peppers, the slices of watermelon, mixed with tad salty feta cheese, it's fresh and lovely. You can treat this much like antipasti which is common in the region. This plate comes with Beet Root + mashed garlic potatoes and Rice wrapped in edible leaves.

This is what they called Dakos. It's simple crusty bread topped with roasted tomatoes, feta, salty capers, oregano, onions and extra virgin olive oil. It's like the Italian brushcetta with the difference of the capers so you get salty bits when you bite into it. It wasn't heavy at all. It was fresh and pleasing, I had seconds.

This is the Mezedes Tis Oras. It's scallops, shrimp, squid, clambs, and octopus in one plate. I know it was a mouthful because women on my table didn't hold back. They went and ate almost the entire other side of this plate so I had to angle it from the other side for photos ha-ha!

Saganaki with Figs sounded something that would come from Japan, but no. This is the Fried kefalotiri with peppered fig jam and EVOO toast. It's sweet, has got tons of cheese melted and dined good on the crusty bread with it. Just spread it and you'll get that sweet-salty combo make you beg for more.

The Watercress Salad was done good. It was fresh, I didn't see any wilted pieces, plus I love the chunks of bleu cheese, sweet pears and walnuts as it was covered in a light summer herb vinaigrette.

This was actually surprising. You see those purple pieces mixed in? Those are calamari. This one's called Fried Calamari and Black Rice Salad. It's a mixture of pungent parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, walnuts in pomegranate dressing. It was sweet, salty and tangy, which people at the table loved! I thought it was a little too busy, but it actually worked.

The minute this came out of the kitchen and into our table, they mentioned it's Roasted Alaskan King Crab Legs and I was just like whoa! I am still puzzled how they even source this. I am glad though that it's available. Lemon, Garlic, Pepper and herb butter. You don't need to be complicated, just simple earthy ingredients, not to spoil what already is good meat from the sea.

Whole Saranggani Sea Bass. This simple dish of roasted fish from the region is salted, peppered, charcoal grilled, sprinkled with Greek Oregano, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, ladolemono and grilled lemons. Sweet, simple, something that's served with fish parts and doesn't even bother diners. It's something that greeks and pinoys are probably used to. Pretty healthy.

My personal favorite served the whole day was this. This is Moussaka. They roast Japanese eggplants, layer it with pork, beef, and Greek Bechamel sauce. I love the warm fuzzy feeling it gives me, like comfort food thats a tad more greasy... and you won't mind at all. Spread it on top of bread, bam!

I had to make you take a look at that in all angles. This is what they call Kreatika. It's a full meat platter, a surf and turf kind of thing, that's got lamb, pork chops, beef rib, prawns in caper butter, Greek Chimichurri, salad and freshly made pita bread. Oh how the gods and goddesses of Greece connived in making this protein loving dish for me! This just hits the spot!

CYMA Greek Taverna is bringing you more items on the menu together with the well loved items you've already had in the last 10 years. They have so far brought to the table some really good items which you'll find quite simple, cooked simple, but well thought out in terms of flavor. If you're into Greek food, or just simple heart meals, try to visit their branches in Greenbelt 2, Trinoma Mall, Eastwood Mall, Ayala Center - Cebu, Boracay, Robinsons Place - Manila, or Robinsons Magnolia. I just celebrated my Mom's birthday there a few weeks ago and the new dishes are faring out well. I've seen them in other tables. 

You get to see Greece in dining tables in Manila. You get the freshest ingredients, it also gets cooked right. CYMA just reeks of good food in the next 10 years. You should get your family to experience it soon. Opa!

For more information about their artists:

CYMA Greek Taverna

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http://www.cymarestaurants.com/

Taters Snack League: New Burgers + More Snacks On Their Menu!

You might have passed this counter countless times and never even bother checking out what they had to offer. I'm bringin out my guns and tell you point blank, there's more to this awesome spot than your favorite Popcorns and Sodas. I sat down and took time out a few of their products which I hope you'll eventually try and get to know too. Listen up! Step right up and play ball! This place is called Taters!

The Interiors

 The tables and chairs are simple. Nothing fancy, and they have banquettes for those who want a more cozy spot. Colors are all red-orange with trims of black and silver. It's reminiscent of a 50's or 60's cafe without the usual pancakes and coffee in the mix. 

Prices are still affordable but more on the medium range. I understand the owner probably chose quality over anything else because Ana Tanchangco, the lady owns business says her philosophy is not to serve anything that she wouldn't feed to her family. I totally agree on this! Taters Enterprises says most of the stores are franchised but they have percentage of ownership and have plans of expanding. They want to venture out of cinemas. So if you see a branch like the one in Bacolod Northpoint,  it is more of a fast food rather than a grab and go place like the ones in Manila. They also have full sandwiches with "supreme" tag and when they open more stores soon, it will probably follow this concept.

The Food

This particular branch I visited didn't have popcorns on the counter. They actually have other items on the menu and that's what I wanted to see in this particular instance. I wasn't disappointed =)

Upon ordering I saw this small game kiosk which is part of their GameON Summer Olympics promo where they give out prizes and food items on top of what you order.

Churkey Quarter Pounder - It's a quarter pound of Chicken and Turkey meat made into a patty on top of tomatoes, lettuce and smothered with mustard and ketchup. I immediately took a bite because I was really hungry. The bun was soft and the patty was juicy. The deal is, this one's pretty healthy because its got none of those saturated fat that most beef patties have.

Tater chips with White Cheese - Not your ordinary potato chips, this one can get so crispy which I absolutely love. Plus, you can opt for 4 other different flavors that they have in store. Barbecue is a close second, but really who doesn't love white cheese? :) They also have Tortilla, tofu chips and more tater chips if you prefer that.

Tuna Mushroom Burger - I can't seem to pinpoint which meat this was from but was totally surprised that it's made from Tuna and Mushrooms. I guess the mushrooms made the patty a tad more meaty. They also have tomatoes and lettuce under the patty but have a couple of tablespoons of barbecue sauce on top.

They also have plans of releasing ALL BEEF Hotdogs which will come out in June. All flavors will be inspired by American states like New York, Philly etc. which in my books is a smart choice. This Filipino owned store (since 1994 when they opened their Glorietta branch) wants to keep you and your movie watching habit + mall time a pretty pleasurable one. I also got a surprise from the crew because they gave out huge chocolate coins on top of what I ordered.

And it tastes pretty good!

You can also choose how big or small your drinks are so you can mix and match with your favorite burger or sandwich. So the next thing to do is just drag your family and friends to one of their branches. They've got two in Eastwood so just take your pick. Weather lunch or dinner, it's all good in Tater's. You should take a second look next time you drop by the store and think of buying just the popcorn... they definitely have more!

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Komrad Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen

When I hear KOMRAD in my time it'll be something that a Russian would probably say but I got schooled a few days ago with a restaurant with the same name nearby my place in Quezon City. This hustling, bustling side of town located at the northern end of Tomas Morato is just promising. Il Terrazzo, aside from being a great party venue has a lot of restaurants on its belt and on the second floor you can find a regional Chinese restaurant that visibly sparks ideology with Mao Tse-tung and the whole cultural revolution. We won't tackle Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang or every region in China but we will probably get to experience Hunan and Sichuan in this spot. This is Komrad Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen. Are you ready?

The Interior

The interior is quite reminiscent of a revolution memorabilia store since all the picture frames, artworks like this one and the wall treatments depict that particular era where Mao reigned. I saw their branch in Eastwood and this particular one in Il Terrazzo felt a little bigger than the latter. Maybe it's because of some glass panels on the front and the table placements that they had in this store that made the difference. I like the fact that they are keeping within their theme and not making this a hodgepodge of anything Chinese that it becomes plain eclectic. 

If you see on the photos above they also got mirrors lining the back wall which made the view wider. It looks like they painstakingly invested in the interiors so the food goes along with this theme.

Murals of the last emperor, some random old man eating a bow of rice, some revolutionary soldiers and an old couple had their photos setup on a large wall without them putting too much on it because they hold back and it won't look cluttered. Minimum effort but quite a grand look right?

The ceiling had it's own share of Mao memorabilia too. This happened all throughout the store and it looked like popart. The lights also added that old Chinese restaurant vibe. Although some of the walls looked bare (not painted) the overall feel was presented well. It wouldn't be a place you'd be ashamed to take your family to on Sundays and everyday lunch/dinner. This isn't fine dining but the place sticked to its theme and worked it!

The Food

Hunan Steamed Fish Head (P 455.00) - It was a light and not that spicy even if there's actually chili on the ingredients. I guess they had the bell pepper kind but this was something good to share.

Stir Fried Fookien Noodles (P 255.00) - Savory noodles loaded with a variety of seafood hand tossed in a wok cooked "stir fry" style. It was something I'd like to have with the other fried items in the menu. I couldn't help eat this even if I was allergic to seafood. The noodles still had some bite to it and a little chewy which I absolutely adore!

Sichuan Pata Tim (P 225.00) - Totally different from what we have in the Philippines, their version of Pata Tim is more close to braised pork and is actually not sweet/tangy. This one had that soft pork falling off the bone and is almost like they meant to have it with just plain bell pepper to flavor the small amount of broth on the bottom. If you are the adventurous type then this is perfect for you!

Sauteed Kenya Beans with Minced Pork and Tofu (P 198.00) - Now I don't know why this particular country came into the mix but this dish was quite a stunner if taken as an appetizer. The spicy kick and crunchy string beans just made me happy to have it with steaming white rice. The minced pork and tofu added volume and made this an even better pair for beer and everything else in between!

Sichuan Mixed Seafood with Pig's Blood (P 385.00) - Glistening in red shiny oil is this mixed seafood dish that's got small pigs blood blocks hand tossed over a wok in high heat. I thought it was going to be super spicy since there were a lot of seeds seen on top but it wasn't that spicy for me. There's a slight kick that you can only feel later on but it wasn't that overwhelming enough to judge this as too spicy, it was just right! :)

Birthday Noodles (P 225.00) - Well as you can see they were not able to hold back on tasting this one even before we took a photo of it. I love my birthday noodles, it symbolizes long life. Their version though didn't have quail eggs on it but it was good nonetheless.

Sichuan Fried Eggplant with Pork Strips (P 198.00) - if you love something crunchy and have more texture in your meal this is definitely a must buy. I think I loved this even more than the mains. This is one of my favorites on the menu because its tasty, not too salty and very crunchy. Don't order this for takeout though because you might lose the crunch.

Xiao Long Bao (P 164.00) - They've got one of the best dimsum on their menu and if you say Xiao Long Bao, I'm there. That hot broth oozing out of the soft dimsum covering must have been meticulously hand made and the taste is just absolutely yummy, its got that tangy oriental bite from the black vinegar and shards of ginger. I'll definitely come back for more of that!

Mango Sago - I didn't get to see the price of this on the menu and they probably have this just on recommendations but this thick, creamy concoction of the fruit, sago and whole cream just made it the perfect dessert to end the meal. This is a must try item so make sure you ask for it!

Buchi - Served fresh and hot off the oil is this sesame seed laden balls of crunchy, chewy flour and sweet mung bean dessert item that is a staple in almost every Chinese restaurant. It's so different when you get it hot like this so try it on if you still have space left in your stomach after all that yummy food!

KOMRAD's Signature Red Iced Tea -  It's a little sour from that hint of lime that came with this iced tea. You'll probably see people order this with their meals quite often because its served cold and fresh plus its perfect for the hot items on the menu.

There's more to Chinese food that we'll ever know. KOMRAD is the best authentic regional Chinese food you'll ever have in the Philippines so if you're up to it, check out their branches at the Eastwood Mall and I'll Terrazzo. Food is well researched and prepared, surely it's something you'd wanna have other than plain chop suey. :)

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Komrad Mao's Hunan and Sichuan Kitchen