Who's hungry?
What's up, Hive! I'll take a break from writing about my travels to Zambales and switch things up a bit. This time, I'll be sharing a gem of a restaurant here in Cebu City (Philippines). It's called My Greek Tavera and you guessed it, it's a Greek restaurant.
I decided to post this in the FoodBank Community because I feel like Foodies Bee Hive is flooded with cooking posts and I wanted to find another community that focuses on featuring restaurants.
The place
I have friends who hit me up with spontaneous invites for dinners and drinks and my visit to My Greek Taverna was one of those spontaneous dinners.
The restaurant is located in Paseo Saturnino, Cebu City. It's only been open for a few months but they have other branches around the city. I quickly agreed to this dinner because Ivana, one of my friends, said she'd be paying for it. Who wouldn't say yes to a free dinner, right?
The restaurant captured the whitewashed aesthetic of coastal Greek houses. The interior was well-lit and I liked the hanging lamps on each table. I also liked the blue lights in their bar area. White and blue reminds me of Santorini.
The Art
If the name of the restaurant and the interior didn't give off a Greek vibe, then the mural artwork would surely do the trick. Near the entrance, there was a painting of a Greek woman. On a wall beside a table, there was a painting of a Spartan warrior. The hallway to their comfort room had a painting of a Greek alley adorned with flowers. There was also a door mounted on a wall with blue paint around it.
What caught my attention were the plates on their walls. They were in different sizes, textures, and shades of blue. They gave the place a homey and calming vibe.
The Food
After ordering our food, the waitress laid out our table. The plate was blue, of course. I expected to find the same plate on the wall but it wasn't there. It would be weird seeing the plate you're eating to be mounted on the wall. Or is it?
Kim, my other friend who was with us, ordered a Greek salad. It had Feta Cheese, olives, cucumber, and vinaigrette-garlic dressing. Ivana, on the other hand, had sardine pasta. For our side dish, we ordered lemon potatoes.
I had their baba ganoush paired with pita bread. I've never had baba ganoush before. The Philippines doesn't have a lot of dishes that feature savory dips as the main star. So I didn't know what to expect. I just found out now that baba ganoush is made from roasted eggplant. That was why it was so filling. And it was perfect with the pita. The olive oil in the dip complemented well the mildly soft bread. I thought I wouldn't be full because my meal didn't have rice but I was extremely satisfied with my food.
The Drinks
After our dinner, my friends ordered cocktails. This was one of the reasons why Ivana invited us there. She liked their cocktails. I didn't order drinks because I was driving that night. I think they had tequila sunrise because their drinks were orange and had a slice of orange fruit. But I can't really be sure. I'm not an expert on cocktails. We spent the rest of the night catching up and making plans for beach trip that never comes true. Drawing, as we say here in the Philippines because the travel plans never leave the drawing boards.
That's it! This post just made me hungry and crave some hummus. 😋 I didn't know Greek food could be that good and satisfying. I'll look forward to being able to taste authentic food in Greece someday. How about you? Do you like Greek food? Have you been to Greece and tried the food there?
See you in the next post. Cheers!
