Greeka Kouzina

From the moment I arrived in Manila last September, several of my friends kept mentioning "this little Greek place along P. Guevarra".  If it hadn't been for them, I never would have known about this out-of-the-way place.  Well, out of the way for me, at least.

The first time I went with friends, it was pretty late at night, close to their closing time and the place wasn't full at all.  We'd just come from a massage (I miss massages!) and wanted to have a light snack.  The above hummus was pretty ordinary so I didn't eat a lot of it.

Ah, the Fig Roka Salata, familiar from Cyma's menu.  It was delicious!  The last time I was at Cyma, the food had been a little too oily so I hadn't returned since, so I was happy that this version tasted fresh and not overly dressed.

Moussaka is always my must order in a Greek restaurant, so I was happy that this was available as a side order.  The size was perfect for the three of us since we didn't want to eat too much.

Arni Lemonato

Our waitress insisted we try their house specialty, and boy were we glad we listened to her.  The Arni Lemonato (Roast Lamb) is falling off the bone tender.  They roast it for 5 hours and the flavor is so intense.

.

And lastly, dessert!  My impression of baklava is that it's a super sweet flaky pastry, but Greeka Kouzina's version is surprisingly restrained.  Yes, it's still sweet, but there are other flavors that make it more complex.  It's served warm withwhat I initially thought was vanilla ice cream, but was pleasantly surprised to realize was a thick tangy yogurt.  Yum!

I enjoyed the meal so much that I brought my parents and younger brother there the very next night for a repeat.

Greeka Kouzina
285 Units 4&5, P. Guevarra Street,
San Juan, Metro Manila


Tel. (+632) 624-5974

Wildflour Bakery + Cafe

One of the reasons I love going back to visit Manila is getting to try all the new restaurants that have opened since I was last there.  I heard a lot about Wildflour so I dragged my parents there for lunch.  I didn't feel like bringing my big camera with me so these are all Instagram photos.  

This was the Wildflour donut that was supposed to come with hazelnut hot chocolate.  There was definitely no hot chocolate included  with the dish, but somehow I didn't realize it till now, so I wasn't able to complain.

Roasted Garlic Knot

The roasted garlic knot was my dad's favorite dish.  I didn't get to try it but he was extremely satisfied and said he would go back just for this.

Breakfast Sandwich

I think there was a bit of confusion when I ordered this sandwich.  That day they had a bacon and egg sandwich on the menu board, as well as a breakfast sandwich on the printed menu.  The descriptions were similar with minor differences.  I ordered the sandwich on the printed menu but asked that the chutney be switched to mango from pineapple and that the egg be chili friend.  I received almost exactly what I ordered except my egg wasn't chili fried.  Oh, well, they tried.  I didn't mind so much because oh my god the sandwich was sooo good!  It was the perfect size for me (don't you just hate sandwiches that are so big ingredients fall out when you try to bring it to your mouth for a bite?) and I wanted to keep eating even after it was gone.    

Foie gras mousse + port wine gelee, toasted brioche

And then of course, whenever I see foie gras on the menu I have to order it.  I know we already had too much food but I couldn't resist.  And you know what?  It was really good!  So far everything I've had has tasted right and I have no complaints.

Pastel de Tres Leches

Ah, dessert.  Usually the best part of a meal for me, but not this time.  After enjoying the savories so much, this was a big letdown.  The best tres leches I've had was in a little place in Puerto Rico, and I've been trying to recapture that taste ever since.  This one was a bit bland.

Warm sticky icky bun

Since I was so impressed by the quality of the food, I asked my friend Daphne to join me for breakfast one morning before I had to leave.  I'm usually not a morning person, so it says a lot about the food that I woke up early for it!

Scrambled eggs on toast, sausage gravy

I'm very picky when it comes to scrambled eggs.  I like them creamy and soft, and very few places do it to my liking, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find the perfect scrambled eggs at Wildflour.  Just look at that photo!  I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the same day!

When I go back to Manila, despite the slight service hiccups, I am definitely going back to Wildflour.  there are still so many dishes to try!

Wildflour Café + Bakery
G/F, Net Lima Bldg,
4th Ave. corner 26th Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Tel. (+632) 856-7600