Mati? Sounds Greek (and delicious) to me!

So you decide to put up a genuine Greek restaurant here in Manila. You have the resources to send your chef trainor to Greece, to get first-hand exposure to the cuisine, the ingredients and variations therein. But you don’t enroll him in some culinary school or apprentice him to some renowned Greek chef. For some quarters, that sounds like a recipe for disaster (pun intended). But for first cousins, Geni and Yorgos Psinakis, that’s exactly what they did not want to do. Instead, they sent the person for training with their more than 70-year-old family cook.

As Geni explains, "She didn’t speak a word of English, but they communicated; and for us, the essence of what we were trying to bring here to Manila is that aspect of Greek cuisine that makes one feel at home. All the recipes and dishes are what you would find at our ancestral home outside Athens. With the Greeks, so much revolves around eating. We don’t gorge, but dining is always a long drawn-out affair. Dining can take over three hours, with several dishes coming out of the kitchen, with wines and spirits coming into play. It’s food that’s at the center of Greek socializing."

Located at the Power Plant Strip at Rockwell, Mati is the new eatery that has people gushing over the food, interiors and ambience. It’s casual, it’s hip. It’s excellent Greek home-cooking brought into a setting that has patrons lingering long past dining hours. As Yorgos laughingly avers, "While we close the kitchen at midnight, it’s two or three in the morning before we’re closing the doors. The Greek music is different enough so people notice, but not obtrusive so it kills conversation. The wine list is very special as are the special Greek spirits we’ve carefully selected. Very soon, we may even bring in the special plates that we can smash on the floor, dance and step over."

For Geni and Yorgos, this is the fulfillment of a pipe dream they’ve long had. Of mixed parentage, Geni is a member of the illustrious Lopez clan. Steve and Presy Psinakis are her parents, and while she grew up in Europe, the United States and here, it’s Manila that’s home to her now. She and Yorgos wanted to finally bring a little bit of "true" Greece to this town.

"For a lot of Filipinos, Greek food is moussaka, salad with feta cheese, baklava and no more," says Geni. "We want to display the variety that actually exists, and that’s why Mati was conceptualized. The regional differences, the various uses of eggplant, they’re all here."

For Yorgos, just as crucial to the food was the culture. "Mati literally means ‘eye’ but it’s also used to refer to an amulet that’s supposed to ward off the evil eye. In the Mediterranean, there’s the belief that if you envy or admire someone, you can unwillingly transmit bad energy to them. Like if you desire some women, that want can cause her to trip, stumble, get into an accident. So, this amulet protects you from those things. It’s very characteristic of Greek culture and that’s why we incorporated it as our name and in our logo.

"Furthermore, in the mid ’90s, when the studies were made on global culinary habits, it was established that the Mediterranean diet, specifically the Greek one, was one of the healthiest and had the lowest incidence of coronary-related deaths. This was attributed to the generous use of olive oil, lentils and fava beans, the select use of meats, like lamb, and how all of these are prepared and cooked. If the ingredients were not available, if we could not source an appropriate substitute locally or import the genuine article, we did not include the dish in the menu. Like we had fava beans sourced locally but they were of a different quality, so we imported what we use in the kitchen," Yorgos adds.

And try them you must. The mezedes (starters) are highlighted by the fava (pureed fava beans), tzatziki (yoghurt, cucumber and garlic dip) and melitzanosalata (smoked eggplant dip). The zucchini-cheese croquettes (kolokythokeftedes) and the spinach-feta filos (spanakopita) are great, as well. In fact, in true Greek tradition, the trick is to order an assortment and share. The Mati Salata, made with arugula, romaine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, topped with parmesan shavings and walnuts, makes for a wonderful intermezzo. Among the main courses, don’t miss out on the paidakia; it’s grilled lambchops that leave you licking the bone. Thanks to the Greek preparation, the gamey aspect of lamb, that some people are put off by, is absent. And leave space for the desserts – the loukumades (honey puffs) – may give you hallucinogenic visions of your dentist; but what a trip! Gives new meaning to the term sweet tooth.

Archie Rodriguez, of CPK and Tequila Joe’s fame, was brought on board as an operations consultant.

"As Geni and I are good friends, it was exciting to help bring this to fruition. Yorgos and Geni were so conscientious on getting everything right, they even brought in Greek bottled water that’s packaged real attractively," says Archie.

For the interiors, Mati has Dan Lichauco as architect, Miguel Rosales for the interior design and Judith Cervantes did the frescoes on the walls. This, for Yorgos, was a very important element of the project.

"Every wall, every object you see has a story. It’s imparting a little bit of Greek culture without screaming it or knocking you over the head with it. The frescoes are Santorini-based (the islands) on one side and Knossos-inspired on the other. In the cabinets, there are objects that provide a cultural and artistic quick-tour of Greece. There’s a disc of Knossos, one of the first calendars; there are objects that are Byzantine, pre-Cyladic, from the Ottoman occupation, and so on. But they are all discreet. We want you to notice them yourself and if curious, just ask," he explains.

I then joke Yorgos and Geni that they probably had to ransack their homes to furnish this restaurant. Smilingly, they admit that these objects had been in their families for years. As to whether the waiters were now equipped to answer the curious patrons, Yorgos laughs and says, "That’s in the works. For now, they call me, and that’s why I have to be here all the time."

For reservations, call 897-MATI (897-62-84). It’s hearty eating, and thanks to Yorgos’ assertion, it’s hearty in the sense that it’s plentiful and it’s good for your heart. What more could we ask for?