Chef Robby Goco Goes Back to the Basics of Greek Cuisine at Elaia

Elaia by Cyma
13 V. Belarmino Street, Barangay Bucal, Silang, Cavite City
Contact number: 0917-163-7287
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elaiabycyma
Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Monday to Thursday); 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Friday to Sunday)

(SPOT.ph) If Chef Robby Goco were a Greek god crafting his own culinary pantheon, each of his Mediterranean restaurants would play a distinct role in the family tree. Cyma is best described as the city-dweller who captures the essence of quintessential Mediterranean cuisine with classic dishes like souvlaki and moussaka on the menu; SOUV! by Cyma, on the other hand, is its trendier, more progressive sibling that uses unorthodox ingredients such as quinoa and couscous—the "younger sister who traveled abroad and came back with a tattoo and a funny-sounding accent," as Goco describes.

Entering Cyma Group of Restaurants with the wisdom of age and the patience of tradition is Elaia (pronounced eh-le-yah), a Greek word translating to "olive." The newcomer is best personified as an old lady (lola) taking her sweet time cooking meals with a bottle of the finest olive oil, somewhere in colder Northern Greece where it is as if time moves slower than the rest of the world. 

Elaia captures the same essence: a quaint open-air restaurant in the countryside where a cool breeze freely moves through its space and surrounding trees, a kitchen where patience is just as valued as the ingredients themselves. An octopus cooked for eight hours? A lamb roasted for six? Pork marinated for a full day? These are just some of the low and slow-cooked dishes you can find in this new Greek restaurant in Silang, Cavite.

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A taste of Northern Greece at Elaia

As Goco puts it, this new concept is about "going back to the basics" and what could be more basic than having the best ingredients? Lest we forget: A great dish heavily relies on the quality of the ingredients used—and this rings true for most cuisines, but most especially for Greek cuisine wherein freshness of the produce makes or breaks the dish.

"If you cannot get the proper tomato, it's not gonna taste right. If you can't get the proper cucumber, it's not gonna be the same," Goco tells about the secret to creating great Greek dishes. "80% of the job is to bring the ingredients—to make sure it's the best, and it's delivered properly, and it's handled properly."

A great example is that Elaia personally flies in the EVOO from Greece and brings it Elaia's kitchen for it to be used in every dish on the menu. There's also a flaky salt from Pangasinan made especially for Elaia to partner with salads; pepper is sourced from Alfonso, Cavite.

When it comes to the greens, Goco locally sources the lettuce, herbs, and other crops nearby that they use for the ladera (vegetable dish cooked in olive oil) like the Stewed Okra (P295), Green Beans (P295), Spinach Rice (P295), Rice-Stuffed Peppers (P295), and Baked Stuffed Eggplant (P295). Elaia even sells some of the ingredients by the restaurant's entrance should you want to make your own Greek salad at home.

What to try at Elaia in Cavite

There's the Dip Sampler (P895) for starters—a little bit of every dip on the Ealaia menu, from the Hummus (chickpeas), Tzatziki (greek yogurt), Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant), and Tirokafteri (creamy feta). And hey, you might not be a salad person, but not ordering a salad at Elaia might as well be a crime. You won't go wrong with the Greek salads, but for something more palatable for those who don't like plain salads, the Roasted Grapes with Arugula (P595/small and P965/large) is a great choice. This has crisp and sweet arugula, sweet and tangy roasted grapes, crunchy walnuts, goat cheese with an earthy taste, and red onions for zing.

Then you've got Elaia's phyllo pies, which boast of homemade phyllo sheets. There's the Spanakopita (P450) for fans of the spinach-cream cheese combination, the Mushroom Pie (P560) which has button, enoki, and oyster mushrooms mixed with cheese, and the Keratopita (P560) that has shredded braised beef in red wine and then mixed with white cheese.

The most unassuming plate of Seafood Elaia (P790/small and P1,400/large) is there to win you over with the simplicity of al-dente aglio olio topped with fresh and huge clams, mussels, squid, and shrimp. The Octopus Stew (P900) is another great seafood dish featuring a gigantic tentacle slow-cooked in red wine for eight hours, served in a bed of rice pilaf.

Elaia has a charcoal-grilled Pork Belly (P950/two pieces, P1,400/four pieces) if you want meat variety. Goco compares this to the well-loved chicken inasal, but this one gets its tenderness and flavor from being marinated Greek-style with paprika, lime, and coriander roots. This pairs well with a glass of Elaia White Sangria (P295), which has pinot grigio wine plus olive-infused gin, muscat grape, lemon, and soda.

Yes, even the dessert has EVOO too. Our recommendations are the EVOO Cake (P280) which is an EVOO and orange pound cake topped with whipped honey, and the Frozen Yogurt (P180) which uses Cyma's signature frozen yogurt (it might just make you question your favorite froyo brand!). This creamy frozen dessert can be topped with a simple EVOO and Sea Salt or Honey combo, or one of their more complex toppings: Baklava Cheesecake, Orange Saffron, Maple-EVOO Caramel, Date Syrup, or our recommendation, the Cherries Bordeaux.

How to book a table at Elaia

Elaia by Cyma is at 13 V. Belarmino Street, Barangay Bucal, Silang, Cavite City. You can place a reservation by contacting them at 0917-163-7287.

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