Steffi Eats Around Baguio Part 2: My Big Fat Greek Lunch at Lemon and Olives

Despite its multi-floor seating capacity, Lemon and Olives attracts hordes of hungry diners that one should really anticipate a significant waiting time. They do provide seats in the waiting area; and we were fortunate enough to chance upon Lemon and Olives during Halloween so all of its servers were in their spookiest of costumes – so that definitely made the wait a little more entertaining.

ZUCCHINI CHIPS (P170)

Lemon and Olives boasts of a stacked menu with reasonable prices that we were surprised that each dish came in huge serving sizes meant for sharing. We kicked off with the Zucchini Chips – deep fried bite-sized zucchini chips which were a delight to munch on. Well-seasoned on their own, the chips’ flavor profile is enhanced when paired with some tzatziki sauce.

POIKILIA (P360)

We opted for the Poikilia – Lemon and Olives’ take on an appetizer sampler – which came with slices of Greek Village Sausage, Spicy Soutzouki Sausage and Saganaki Cheese. These are paired with bite-sized pita bread and some tzatziki dip which paired amazingly with the spiced and savory sausages! The saganaki cheese – meant to be paired lemon – seemed to be too sophisticated for my taste.

GRILLED OCTOPUS (P270)

The Grilled Octopus came at an insanely reasonable price of P270 – which was why we were surprised that it came in a platter. The tender bite-sized octopus pieces were cooked perfectly; however, I felt that it was in want of more herbs and seasoning.

MANESTRA SOUP (P160)

My sister wanted something to warm her up so she opted to get the Manestra Soup – a tomato-based soup which came with orzo. We all thought that with its price tag, it’d be just a bowl for one; which was why we were shocked when we were served a huge casserole of it!

LAMB CHOPS (Good for 2 – P1390 + Greek Salad)

The absolute star of our meal was the massive Lamb Chops. I actually thought we mistakenly ordered the Good for 4 serving size when we saw how humongous the chops were. Perfectly grilled, perfectly seasoned, meaty and juicy pork chops are laid on a bed of vegetables. This dish is so stellar, it'd be hard to beat.

GREEK SALAD

It’s then paired with your salad of choice, we opted for the Greek Salad which tossed in cheese, tomatoes, walnuts, and cucumbers with their fresh greens and sweetened by fresh pears and honey vinaigrette. It’s quite hard to beat the value and quality of this dish!

OSSO BUCO GIOUVETSI (P550)

Admittedly, I was so full already when the Osso Buco was served – that I didn’t even attempt a single bite of it! So here’s a photo reference of it – one thing noticeable about it is that it’s loaded with cheese and also came with orzo soaked in its meaty sauce.

SOUVLAKI PLATE (P340)

We opted to get a Beef, Pork and Chicken Souvlaki combination plate, which also came loaded with pita bread, fried, and an assortment of dips which included garlic, chili and tzatziki! This dish was what filled me up because Lemon and Olives thoughtfully cut the pita up in bite-sized pieces so I just found myself in a cycle of getting a slice, layering it with the dips and popping them on to my mouth.

MOUSSAKA

Another dish I was too full to even try was the Moussaka – which smelled completely amazing though! It looked like a lusciously saucy moussaka – with beautiful layers of potato, eggplant, ground beef and bechamel!

CLASSIC BAKLAVA (P180) and GREEK YOGURT (P180)

We were so full already but we couldn’t end the meal without having a taste of any of its desserts. Unfortunately, as the restaurant was purely running on generator (since we were still being hit by a typhoon at that time so the power supply in Baguio during our trip was really intermittent); they didn’t serve anything frozen. The only dessert options were the Classic Baklava and Greek Yogurt. Honestly, sticking to the classics was the perfect way to end such an amazing Greek feast. The Baklava boasted of crispy phyllo sheets filled with deliciously fresh walnuts and pistachios, drizzled with a honey zested with some lemon. Pairing it with the Greek Yogurt (which of course, came in a huge bowl instead of a cup), was simply the cherry on top!

Lemon and Olives easily is now my favorite Greek restaurant in the country. Apart from its amazingly reasonable prices, the quality of the food was impressive, and the service of the staff was so efficient and impeccable!

Lemon and Olives

#26 Outlook Drive, Baguio City

Date of Visit: October 31, 2022 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua