MANILA, Philippines – Greek food may be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with it, but it doesn’t have to be – at least, this is the premise of chef Robby Goco’s new restaurant, Souv by Cyma, which opened earlier this July at Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

It’s a great place for a pre-game, considering its offering of P500 wine bottles and its proximity to the Fort Strip, which has many of BGC’s popular clubs and bars.

More importantly, there’s the food, which chef Robby describes as “Everyday Greek:” simple food served fast, designed to be part of the diners’ everyday routines. The prices may be a bit steep for the average diner to make it a daily habit, but the flavors are certainly something to make repeat returns for.

Indeed, there’s nothing overly complicated or exotic about the food at Souv, despite the menu items going by Greek names (which are explained in descriptions anyway). The flavors are familiar, comforting even, with just the right touch of novelty.

The restaurant’s lunch options include various combinations of chicken, pork, lamb, or vegetables served as a wrap, over a salad, or with quinoa or brown rice. They also come with side dishes that range from salads, soups, or oregano and feta fries. Lunch options range in price from P420 to P595, depending on the meat and the type of dish.

The lamb yiouvetsi (P850) – lamb baked to perfect tenderness and served with orzo – is filling and hearty but not too heavy. It has a paella-esque taste, though the meaty flavor of the lamb makes the dish an entirely different experience. 

The grilled whole fish topped with clams is another main dish that is worth a try. The dish features boneless and butterflied shallow-water sea bass (P1,100), or lapu-lapu (grouper, P1,300), topped with clams.

Chef Robby is particularly proud of this dish and for good reason: the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the fish is brought to life by a subtle creamy flavor that, he said, doesn’t come from any butter or cream ingredients, but from the way he emulsifies the dish’s special sauce.

According to Chef Robby, the dish is his original creation, and cannot be found anywhere else. He also said it goes well with any wine.

If you’re taking advantage of the P500 table wine, or any of Souv’s special cocktails, you may want to have it with the clams and spinach fonduta served with grilled bread (P530), or the cheese saganaki, which is fried salty cheese topped with fig jam, and honey sesame (P480). Both dishes are light enough and ideal for sharing.

Greek food is easy to understand and even easier to enjoy at Souv, which may soon be your next daily habit. – Rappler.com

All that Greek food sure looks delicious. Don’t miss out on our other deals on food.