Fresh, Modern, and Progressive Greek Cuisine at Souv! by Cyma

Pioneer, trailblazer, and innovator, just some of the words you can use to describe Chef Robby Goco. And Chef Robby Goco is at it again with his latest dining concept...

Traditional Greek flavors are given a refreshing and modern spin by Chef Robby Goco in his newest concept restaurant, Souv! by Cyma. Described by Chef Robby Goco as "progressive" Greek cuisine, Souv! by Cyma highlights the pillars of Greek cuisine with the use of good fat, healthy grains, beneficial fibers, low sugar and a healthy dose of carbs with the five staple ingredients of Greek cooking with salt, pepper, olive oil, oregano, and lemon to bring out the natural flavors of each ingredient. Read on for a tasty peek at Chef Robby Goco's latest innovative dining concept.

Chef Robby Goco (L) explained that the restaurant's name is inspired by the Greek cooking method of roasting, Souvlaki or Souva. Spit-fired meats make up the core of Souv! by Cyma's menu with its souvlaki meats from the rotisserie including chicken, pork, and lamb. If you're looking for that #everydaygreek fix, this is the place.

Inside Souv! by Cyma, the familiar Greek-inspired colors with soothing shades of blues and pristine whites combine with vibrant splashes of festive colors for a distinct and modern vibe. Loyal customers of Cyma will find this comforting, with the addition of bright colors suggesting a bolder approach to flavors while retaining the familiar notes that made Cyma one of the metro's favorite Greek restaurants (for more on Chef Robby's pioneering Greek restaurant Cyma, see one my blog's earliest post, The Lamb Gyro at Cyma Greek Taverna from way back in 2012, and his other dining concept innovation, Green Pastures on my posts Green Pastures: Going Green at The Fort and Bright Starts: Breakfast at Green Pastures). There is a subtle modern feel to Souv! by Cyma, and that's precisely what Chef Robby Goco set out to do with his reinterpretation of classic and traditional Greek cuisine using the freshest and finest authentic ingredients. From Greek kefalotiri cheese to bottarga cured in-house, you can expect rich flavors with that progressive spin by Chef Robby Goco at Souv! by Cyma. 

The modern and casual vibe at Souv! by Cyma is further enhanced by the colorful tiles of the tables topped with equally colorful cups and utensils. Even the sturdy old-school enamel-lined dishes complement this vibe. There is that layer of fun that adds to one's dining experience at Souv! by Cyma, and it gets better with the arrival of their signature appetizers...

At Souv! by Cyma, you'll find a wide selection of tasty appetizers, or mezzes, served with crisp freshly baked grilled bread. From traditional Greek classics to modern and inventive twists, Souv! by Cyma's tasty mezzes are more than enough reasons to visit Chef Robby Goco's newest concept restaurant at The Fort.

Start with the Strapatsada (P 280), a unique Greek twist to scrambled eggs topped with cherry tomato confit, creamy feta cheese, and Greek oregano served with grilled bread. The delicate yet rich flavors of the eggs are layered with complex notes from the tart tomato confit and sharpness of the feta cheese tempered by the oregano for balanced flavors. It's simple and comforting flavors like this that makes Souv! by Cyma a welcome addition to The Fort's emerging culinary scene.

The Cheese Saganaki (P 480) features fried Kefalotiri, a salty white cheese with peppered fig jam and drizzled with honey sesame combining both sweet and salty notes in a seamless blend. Simply dip the bread and repeat.

The Clams and Spinach Fonduta (P 530) is a tasty Greek-style fondue with creamy cheese and fresh clams and spinach, another light yet flavorful starter. The briny notes of the clams and the cheese come together perfectly with the grilled bread or warm pita. Perfect starts. And there's more...

The Sticky Chicken Wings (P 495) offer both bold flavors and textural contrasts with its sticky glaze served with pickled onions and harissa yogurt. Each bite delivers the sweetness of honey and the tart notes of lemon capped by the aromatic and mildly bitter notes of oregano. Drawing inspiration from childhood favorites, Chef Robby Goco reinvents another popular dish with a modern Greek touch. And it works. Another piece? Yes, please...

The Greek Nachos (P 525) is another tasty starter from Souv! by Cyma, with layered Tzatziki, Melitzanosalata, and Hummus, three of their signature mezzes in one dish topped with Greek pico de gallo, kalamata olives, feta, and Greek oregano served with warm pita. All the Greek flavors you love, but there's more...

The Grilled Sous Vide Octopus (P 295) is another must-try appetizer at Souv! by Cyma, with a perfectly grilled tender and juicy octopus laid on ladolemono, a traditional Greek vinaigrette, served with a refreshing side of parsley salad.

The fresh and briny sweetness of the grilled octopus come through, capped by subtle smoky notes and hints of paprika and Greek oregano kicked up by the vibrant flavors of the parsley salad.

Slice a piece of the tender octopus and lay it on the pita, top it with some parsley salad and enjoy...

The Baked Feta (P 370) adds yet another flavorful spin to the usual feta cheese dish, baked for richer and bolder flavors topped with cherry tomato confit, onions, bell peppers, Greek oregano and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. The layers of distinct notes are complex, but yet everything seems to fit with its balanced flavors. And that's just for starters. How about a salad?

Souv! by Cyma also offers a wide range of refreshing salads, from the Greek Spring Salad to the signature Cyma Roka Salata, but here's a tasty and healthy duo from Chef Robby Goco that's both creative and different, starting with the Cranberry Grains Salad (P 490 Small/P 690 Large), with puy lentils, bulgur, parsley, cilantro, red onions, capers, and cranberries draped in a cumin honey yogurt dressing...

...and the Salata Kinoa (P 480 Small/P 680 Large), a gluten-free salad with Lollo Verde, quinoa, arugula, pine nuts, sulatanas, shaved kefalotiri, and grated walnuts drizzled with Dijon herb dressing. Healthy food just tasted a whole lot better.

From 10 am to 5 pm daily, Souv! by Cyma offers a wide selection of tasty and filling lunch options where you can choose from roast chicken, pork, and lamb or even a vegan option served as a wrap, salad, or in a bowl with your choice of side. Diners can customize their lunch for vegan, paleo, or gluten-free preferences. Each lunch set is guaranteed to be served in just five minutes, just what you need for a quick and tasty bite before heading back to the office.

Located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City, a bustling commercial and business district, these innovative and tasty lunch sets were created based on insights from their predominantly office-based weekday customers. Simply choose from chicken, pork, lamb or a vegetarian option, and have it served in a wrap with whole wheat or traditional pita, a salad with kale and romaine, or a bowl with quinoa, brown rice, and spinach. Then pair it with a hearty side like Oregano and Feta Fries, Juicy Potatoes, Spring Salad, Summer Salad, Lahanosalata, or Clam Saffron Avgolemono Soup and you've got a winning and complete meal served in five minutes. That day, we sampled three variations of Souv! by Cyma's Best for Lunch sets, starting with the Lamb Bowl with harissa yogurt, pickled cucumber, pickled radish, pickled red onion, fresh sprouts, and mizitra on quinoa (P 595) and served with the Clam Saffron Avgolemono Soup (P 180), a hearty meal in itself. The savory richness of the tender and juicy lamb is counterbalanced by the sharp notes of the pickled vegetables with the fresh greens adding both texture and flavor. And that bowl of Clam Saffron Avgolemono completes the dish.

The Pork Wrap (P 520) offers juicy spit-fired pork with minted tzatziki, cherry tomatoes, pickled red onions, pickled cucumber, sprouts and feta in a traditional pita wrap paired with crisp Oregano and Feta Fries (P 180) for another satisfying lunch at Souv! by Cyma.

The Chicken Salad (P 530) with juicy roasted chicken drizzled with Greek ranch dressing, fennel, orange, pickled red onions, sprouts and mizitra is another light yet filling and healthy lunch option, paired with Juicy Potatoes (P 180). Wrap, Salad, or Bowl, have it your way for lunch at Souv! by Cyma.

Not to be missed are Souv! by Cyma's comforting pasta dishes, including some of your favorites from Cyma like the Cyma Greek Clams, Tomato Roka, Pastisada with braised beef shank, Prawns and Shellfish Makaronada, and the Solomos with salmon. But you'll also find fresh and new dishes exclusive to Souv! by Cyma, like the Seafood Yiouvetsi (P 850) with orzo, a short-cut and grain-like pasta topped with squid, shrimps, mussels, and clams in a rich saffron broth. The soft and moist orzo absorbs all the flavors of the different ingredients of the dish, bursting with the richness of saffron and seafood with every bite.

The Avgotaracho (P 410 Small/P 630 Large) is a tasty tuna roe pasta with chickpeas, tomatoes and breadcrumbs topped with garden-fresh herbs. At Souv! by Cyma, Chef Robby Goco salts and cures their own tuna roe, or bottarga, and this dish highlights the delicate yet flavorful notes of the dried fish roe in an elegant yet rustic pasta dish.

Time for Souv! by Cyma's signature mains. And here's the beef. The Angus Beef Short Rib (P 1,050) is a hefty bone-in slab of braised and grilled beef served with gremolata, a chopped herb condiment with lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and anchovy. Braised for hours before grilling, the short rib is fork-tender with bold beefy notes.

So tender, you can slice the beef clean off the bone with little or no effort. This one's a personal favorite.

And if you want to go all-out at Souv! by Cyma, Chef Robby Goco has just the dish for you. The impressive Meat Platter (P 950) with chicken, pork, and lamb served with garlic yogurt sauce, warm pita, juicy potatoes, pickles and Greek-style coleslaw or Lahanosalata is a feast good for two. You can opt for All Chicken (P 750), All Pork (P 970) or All Lamb (P 1,150), a combination of two spit-fired meats (P 1,050) or go all the way with all three roasted meats fresh from the grill. The tender spit-fired meats deliver a savory richness followed by subtle smoky hints, just perfect.

Another impressive dish at Souv! by Cyma is the Lavraki (P 1,100), a whole shallow-water sea bass draped in a creamy extra virgin olive oil lemon sauce with a bechamel-like consistency topped with clams. The delicate and clean notes of the white fish are complemented by the rich EVOO  lemon sauce. This one's another personal favorite. You can also opt for fresh Lapu-Lapu or grouper (P 1,300).

Cap your Greek feast with homemade Frozen Greek Yogurt (P 150) made fresh daily at Souv! by Cyma. Choose from Bukidnon Wild Flower Honey, Crumbled Baklava & Honey, Fig Jam, Carrot Orange Jam, and EVOO & Sea Salt. From starters to salads, pasta dishes to mains and dessert, Souv! by Cyma is all set to become yet another winning concept from Chef Robby Goco.

Souv! by Cyma is located at the ground Floor of Net Park Building, 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City or call 0949-481-9621 for inquiries and more information.

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