Frannywanny

January flew by so fast for me. With three quick trips to Manila, the entire month went by like a blur but it was a fun and eventful one, I must say. The last trip was my favorite though as I was able to spend every waking hour with family. After all, it was to celebrate Mommy's birthday and we made sure to shower her with all the love that she deserved for days. On her actual birthday, we took her to her favorite restaurant -- Tapenade at Discovery Primea . Mommy can be a very picky eater and for her to rave about a particular restaurant for months on end definitely means something. She first told me about Tapenade  last October but since we had a very hectic schedule then, we were not able to push through with our family dinner at Tapenade . Then, the December holiday came and went, again another failed attempt to visit Tapenade . So, on her birthday, Pan and I made sure that we push through with it and while we miss Paul and my brother in law E who were both busy at work, it...

It's a FACT! I'm a certified foodie and the world knows it! Barely a month ago, I received at least three text messages from random friends and relatives telling me the exact same thing : "hey, there's a new restaurant called Greeka Kouzina . It's along P. Guevarra. What's good there?" The first message made me sat up from my lazy-Sunday-in-bed-while-watching-The-Buzz-position. Just like a news reporter who had just received a juicy scoop, I made a mental note and later on (realizing that my memory is terrible) jotted down the name of the new restaurant in my planner. I got two more messages right after that and I knew I have to give this interesting restaurant a try ASAP! Finally, the day came for me to try Greeka Kouzina . It was perfect timing that my sister set a dinner date with two of our high school friends / neighbors and I'm glad that they were just as eager to try this new restaurant with us. The door opened and a familiar face greet...

It has been a while since I've last visited Cyma , it has been 3 whole years in fact. Still, the memory of the delicious Roka Salata, the salty Lamb Chops and the to-die-for Skolatina still remains clear and vivid in my mind. Remember, I mentioned that I had a heavy lunch prior to visiting Sweet Pea last week ? This was because I joined my colleagues for lunch at Cyma Greek Taverna located at the nearby Shangri-la Plaza Mall and boy, we had a feast! Our lunch started with an order of Saganaki otherwise known as Flaming Cheese . Normally, the entire crew will shout OPA! as this was being served to you but I guess everyone was busy attending to the customers that the dramatic entrance of the flaming cheese somehow disappeared. Still, we enjoyed the crunchy buttery garlic bread and the delicious melted cheese. My only request was an order of Roka Salata . I can't have enough of this mix of fresh arugula and lettuce with candied walnuts, sundried tomatoes and parmesan che...

OPA! I love the sound of this traditional Greek expression that is always heard in celebrations and happy occasions! Today, I had a lot of reasons to say OPA! This began with the mouth-watering Traditional Greek Salad that was served in a rectangular platter. It is a combination of sliced tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, a generous serving of feta cheese, a kalamata olive, capers and the crowning glory of the entire dish -- a juicy seared king scallop. What I did was to slowly cut up the vegetables and cheese and make sure that each bite has a teeny, tiny piece of cucumber, olive, tomato, cheese and scallop. Mmmm.. I love how the scallop meat just glides and melts in my mouth. I love this salad which is a big surprise considering that I am not really a big fan of olive and tomatoes. Another Opa moment came up when we were presented with the 2nd course of our meal. It came in a huge square white platter this time. The chef calls it the Greek Mezze Platter which means appetizer in Greek. Peer...

When I think of Greece... ... I see cute white square concrete houses lined up atop a hill ... I imagine symbols from my ancient history classes and the dream of visiting the Parthenon someday ... I drool over juicy lamp chops marinated in the most flavorful herbs and grilled to perfection ... I look forward to watching men and women shouting OPA! as they fire up a sizzling plate of melted cheese Greece is located in the southeastern part of Europe and consists of a mountainous mainland and numerous islands. Although this is situated at the opposite part of the world from the Philippines, we Filipinos are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the food, tradition and culture of Greece when dining at CYMA . During the Bloggers' Tour around Trinoma, we were able to meet Robby Goco , the Executive Chef of CYMA. Talk about being starstrucked! I finally had the chance to personally chat with the man who heads the powerful kitchen team who makes just the best Roka Salata , Saganaki (Fl...