Mystery Critic

Cyma Greek Restaurant

Overall    Food    Service    Ambience    Value

"...This would be a highly-recommended Greek restaurant if found anywhere in Asia, but in Boracay it's a wild dream to come true!"

OVERALL

    

As the forefather of all Mediterranean food, I've always loved Greek food.  Everywhere I go, if I see a Greek restaurant, I want to go try it (like this really, really cool place in New York City).  But Boracay?  Isn't that a big too much - Tropical, beach, Southasia, and GREEK FOOD?  After reading some very positive reviews, we decided to give it a try.  It turned out to be a great experience and believe it or not, the food actually matches the beach atmosphere quite appropriately!

  

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FOOD 

  

I have never travelled to Greece, but I trust that I can taste the "Greekness" in the food because I've lived in a neighborhood in Canada that has a lot of Greek immigrants.  Cyma is high on the authenticity index, but it's hard to compare it with those Greek joints in US and Canada, probably because of ingredients with the Mediterranean flavor.  Nevertheless, the selection, quality and presentation of the food are high-quality and highly respectable considering where this restaurant is located (I mean, there's not exactly a European supermarket anywhere near!!)

Salad, pasta, and grilled meats are all very nicely done - the right oil is used and the aromas / flavors are well-balanced.  The beef was surprisingly good, which is consistent with my experience with red meat in Greek restaurants.  The grilled whole fish is a DO NOT MISS - as you can see I order it every Greek place I go to because it's the ultimate test for authenticity.  Philippines' great seafood stock helped, but it was perfectly grilled with the right amount of olive oil (i.e. a lot) on it plus light condiments.  This is one dish that is simple yet elegant and satisfying.

   

The "special" dessert was the letdown of the night.  Many around us have ordered the mango flambee so I thought my kids would like the show of setting mangos on fire too.  It's not exactly Greek but how wrong could it go?  Well, it turned out to be pretty bad.  The only thing exactly was - you guessed it - the setting-mango-on-fire part of it!  Overall, I can't say that the food here is top-notch or extraordinary, but it's very good Greek food for being 10000+ miles away from Greece.

  

Just like all other Boracay restaurants, when you see thousands of tourists a day, you hardly get any repeat customer, AND you are probably making a very decent living on this beautiful island, you don't exactly turn into a customer satisfaction advocate.  The wait staff is as laid back as the island; while they do get their job done, they are a bit too relaxed and not really eager to please at all.  Then again, I would absolutely not expect a zealous, high energy waiter in Fisherman Wharf either.

AMBIENCE

Imagine a beautiful white sand beach with turquoise water, getting a massage right on the beach and finish the day with a huge fruit milk shake...  And then Greek food?  The beach is downright gourgeous, and the restaurant has a natural (literally) advantage by being 10 min away from the beach.  I mean, you can't see the beach at all but you can soak yourself in the that beach town laid-back atmosphere.  It's small but very cozy, and decorated in a way that makes you imagine that you might be in the Mediterranean Sea...  Then of course the 90% humidity and your sweat will remind you that you are still in Southasia...

Very simply put, this would be a highly-recommended Greek restaurant if found anywhere in Asia, but in Boracay it's a wild dream to come true!  If you insist on having those beachside P299 "seafood" buffets, or getting ripped off at the so called "dampas", go ahead and contribute to the local economy.  If you want good food in a friendly and comfortable restaurant, you won't go wrong with Cyma.

BTW

I've put so much emphasis on the Boracay outlet that I've almost forgotten about the other ones!  I've had lunch at the Cyma in Shangri-La Plaza and it's pretty much the same (even the lousy mango dessert, very disgraceful).  Definitely worth checking out when you are either there or in Greenbelt!