Opa!

I've always maintained that Metro Manila is a foodie's heaven. One can easily eat out everyday in a different restaurant for an entire year, and I'm not counting branches of the same restaurant or the many holes-in-the-wall found throughout the metro. Cyma is a Greek restaurant that first opened its doors in Boracay Island, which has some of the Philippines' most famous and popular beaches. It now has three branches in Metro Manila: at Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong, Trinoma Mall in Quezon City, and Greenbelt 2 in Makati City. Executive Chef Robby Goco supposedly traveled all over Greece and the Mediterranean sampling and studying the dishes of the region for Cyma. I don't know how authentic the flavors are, but I have to say that I haven't eaten anything in Cyma that didn't taste great. Some dishes I like better than others, of course, but it's more a matter of personal preference than anything about the food itself. I'm a cheese fiend and would also rather have fish and seafood, so I'm not a good judge of meat dishes. I was with a self-confessed carnivore when we had this Paidakia: char-grilled lamb ribs. Cyma's servings are large—even the solo size—so we shared this, after an appetizer of Saganaki: flaming cheese. The lamb was served with Patates Fournou: potatoes marinated in lemon, garlic, oregano and extra-virgin olive oil, roasted, then topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.