We all have that itch; the itch for a quick drive to a new place. A drive that is not that long, but significant enough to enjoy your car and have a new experience. Recently, we had the very special opportunity to test the BMW M3 Competition xDrive Touring, and we had heard of a new place by an old player in the restaurant scene: Elaia by Cyma, located in Silang, Cavite.
For those who don’t know, Cyma was one of the OG Greek restaurants, a staple of places like Greenbelt, and it made dining a fun experience. It was good then, but does it hold up when it ventures outside the metro and evolve into a more experiential venue? Can Elaia make for a good Resto Run? Read on to find out.
Elaia is located in Silang, Cavite, which is about in the ‘Goldilocks’ range of distances for an impromptu road trip—it’s just right. The drive is about 45km from Metro Manila and involves a quick jaunt through SLEX and CALAX before exiting into some tighter provincial roads. The drive from the metro takes about two hours on a typical weekend.
It’s a great balance of highways and windy roads, with the only issue being some tighter two-way provincial roads upon exiting CALAX. Cars parked on the side of the road, especially on blind corners, make for a somewhat stressful provincial drive. The roads leading up to the restaurant can also be a bit bumpy with some potholes, but nothing even a sports wagon couldn’t handle.
The parking out front of the restaurant has 22 slots, which is more than enough for most days, even weekends. It is generally easy to park, with ample space for maneuvering.
While the parking lot is composed of compacted dirt, the stones are small enough not to pose much risk for people walking. That being said, if you have mobility issues, it would be best to be dropped off near the entrance already, as the lot may pose a challenge for wheelchair users.
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The restaurant itself is very pretty from a first glance, with a nice, homey design that looks like a vacation home rather than a restaurant. A highlight would be the wonderfully arranged outdoor area in the back. It makes for a great brunch-date spot, with a very green view overlooking some fields. If you do decide to sit out back, do note that certain seats are completely exposed to the sun around the center of the patio area. We would have loved to have sat there to soak in the ambience, but it was way too hot with the midday sun bearing down on us.
Sitting inside, there is no air-conditioning, but that really isn’t much of an issue, as when the doors are open at the front and back, there is a strong cooling breeze making its way through the restaurant.
We were a bit disappointed by the menu, as we had thought this would be a bit more special than just Cyma food, but it was more or less just that.
We ordered sharing dishes, including a salad, the hummus (as you would when eating Greek), a mushroom pie, charcoal-grilled beef ribs, and, since we were hungry, some lamb ribs as the pièce de résistance.
The greens in the salad and the sides were amazing, the vegetables tasted fresh, and they had a good, balanced dressing on everything.
The hummus was decent, but a bit too salty for our taste; it could definitely do with some adjusting. The mushroom pie, although very generous with the mushrooms, lacked seasoning, and was quite oily—it’s something that can be skipped.
The meats were cooked with a smoky charcoal taste grilled into them. Overall, we were happy, but the beef tasted a bit malansa, which was nothing compared to how malansa the lamb was. While we know this was part and parcel for lamb, it is worth pointing out, because some people are very sensitive to this kind of smell or taste in their meat. Both cuts of meat were a bit too fatty, but we still very much enjoyed the grilled meats that were served. Between the two, we would pick the lamb in a heartbeat.
We spent quite a bit on this trip, but we could chalk this up to ordering two separate meat dishes. The price ranged from about P1,500 per person to a high of P3,000, should you want to order grilled meat for each person or a pair of people. The price seemed a bit high for us, given the quality of the food we tried. Portions were decently sized, but we just wish the food seemed better value for money for what was essentially Cyma in Silang.
Elaia is a decent restaurant with the plus side of being near Tagaytay without being in Tagaytay (and the traffic that entails). The drive is fun, but we do hope that the food quality and seasoning get better, since it isn’t the cheapest option in the area.
So, is it worth the drive? While the venue is nice and romantic (especially the outdoor patio), the food is the letdown here. There are better and more affordable options nearby, but at the very least, food quality is the one thing that is temporary and can be fixed with some feedback and some application of continuous improvement.
Score: 7/10
Travel time from Manila: 1.5 to 2 hours
Budget: P1,500 to P3,000 per person
Website: Elaia by Cyma
Reservations: +639171637287
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