Update 4/10/2019: TAPENADE: The Best of TAPENADE Restaurant
TAPENADE is the all-day Mediterranean dining restaurant of the newly opened Discovery Primea in Makati. It is named after the centuries-old Mediterranean recipe of olives, capers, olive oil, and anchovies.
The concept comes from the insight that Filipinos love Mediterranean cuisine as much as Chinese cuisine–if you count the number of Chinese restos vs. the collective number of all Mediterranean restos (including Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, etc.) in Manila.
It’s refreshing to see these newer hotels elevate their restaurant concepts and not just going the usual all-day buffet route.
Here are some tips on having an awesome time at Tapenade…
TAPENADE
Ground Floor, Discovery Primea
6749 Ayala Avenue, Makati City 1226, Philippines
Telephone: +632 955-8888
Website: www.discoveryhotels-resorts.com
Facebook: Discovery Primea Makati
Twitter: @PrimeaMakati
Related Blog Post: A Different Kind of Foodie Staycation @DiscoveryPrimea
Discovery Primea is the coolest place to stay in Makati these days, with an infinity pool overlooking Urdaneta village and the Rockwell skyline.
They offer a full serviced apartment concept until the 16th floor.
(The 17th up to 68th floors are 400sqm residential apartments with a 2-per-floor configuration.)
A very comfortable bed awaits you in a room that feels homey.
The bathroom is spacious and a perfect match for this home away from home.
Tapenade is a high-ceiling casual restaurant located at the ground floor of Discovery Primea. It serves as the all-day dining cafe of Discovery Primea guests but it is also open to the public, especially to the residents around the area and foodies looking for a well-curated restaurant menu.
Tapenade Menu: About Tapenade | Get Started and Share | Soups hot and cold, Mediterranean Salads and Handcrafted Sandwiches | Stone-Baked Pizza from our Brick Oven | Pasta Classics from the Mediterranean | Main Plates, The Mediterranean Grill | Dessert
Drinks Menu: Coffee, Liqueurs, Water, Coffee | Wines by Glass, Juice & Sodas, Teas, Dairy
✮ Stone-Baked Feta Cheese (P460 +10% service charge). Tomatoes, Capers, Greek Metaxa Brandy, Honey.
My favorite is the stone-baked feta cheese soaked in olive oil, tomatoes, and capers, with Greek Metaxa Brandy that gives it that x-factor that goes well with the sweet finish from the honey!
You can enjoy it on top of the thinly-sliced charred bread.
(WARNING: Very addicting! Don’t eat too much or you’ll ruin your appetite for the rest of your meal.)
✮ Moroccan Gambas (P420 +10% service charge). Aromatic Spices, Cilantro, Cherry Tomatoes.
If you like gambas, try this Moroccan version with different aromatic spices, tomatoes, and a touch of lemon.
Croquetas Cremosas (P390 +10% service charge). Chicken-Chorizo, Serrano Ham Croquettes, Six Pieces.
The croquetas are so big, you have to eat them in two bites. They’re soft, creamy, and a bit heavy.
The Salad Room
The Tapenade Salad Room (P620 +10% service charge). Makati’s most comprehensive selection of local and imported salad greens, composed salads, and homemade dressings.
Most foodies come here just to eat in the Salad Room, which offers a complete and healthy selection of vegetables, salad sauces, preserved meats, and oysters.
This is the answer of Discovery Primea to Sofitel’s Cheese Room and a good, healthy buffet concept.
Eat-all-you-can oysters!
These fresh oysters from Aklan are served raw (not your usual baked version).
Homemade Salmon Gravlax, Mediterranean Lentil Salad, Tabbouleh, and Summer Melon, Basil, and Cucumber Salad (with Feta Cheese).
Different salads for the day–Panzanella, Caponata Salad, Mozzarella & Grape Salad, Smoked Chicken Breast.
An extensive selection of local vegetables and imported salad ingredients.
Different types of tomatoes in olive oil. 🙂
It’s so fun to make your own salad!
You can do you own plating with these micro-greens.
Choose from your classic salad sauces, different types of vinaigrette, or go with a simple garlic or rosemary oil dressing.
There’s also a substantial selection of breads.
Prosciutto di Parma slices.
Curated selection of cheeses.
Blue cheese!
Dried figs, pecans, and other nuts.
Chorizo Pamplona, Pepperoni meat cuts. (No Jamon Iberico de Bellota?)
A mezze of hummus, pates, and dips.
The Salad room is sulit for its extensive, healthy selection!
Main Dish
Spiced Lamb Kebabs (P620 +10% service charge). Orzo al Pesto, Herb-Yogurt Sauce, Lemon.
The spiced lamb kebabs were highly recommended, but the meat was a bit tough (we weren’t asked on how we wanted our meat to be done). I guess we went on the off day of Chef Luis Chikiamco.
✮ Chicken Tagine (P520 +10% service charge). Green Olives, Lemon Confit, Aromatic Moroccan Sauce.
The chicken was very tender. It’s soaked in Moroccan spices, green olives, and lemon flavors and served in a simple white tajine. I miss the elaborately designed ones.
✮ Greek Shrimp Rissoni (P590 +10% service charge). Tomato, Feta Cheese, Baby Spinach.
This pasta dish is popular because of the unique rissoni, a long fat pasta that looks and feels like a grain of rice. It’s mixed with tomato sauce, bits of feta cheese, and baby spinach and topped with big, fat juicy shrimps!
TWG Moroccan Mint with Honey (P240 +10% service charge)
I like to end my lunch with tea. The Moroccan mint is a good way to clean your palate.
✮ Turkish Coffee (P240 +10% service charge). Unfiltered & poured tableside.
I also recommend the strong Turkish Coffee to keep you awake for your upcoming meetings.
✮ Bomboloni (P290 +10% service charge). Passion Fruit Crema, Sweet Cherry Compote, Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream.
Bomboloni are Italian donuts that you can eat with Passion fruit cream and sweetened cherry compote. Best enjoyed a la mode with ice cream!
✮ Gianduja Cake (P290 +10% service charge). Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse, Crunchy Praline, & Salted Caramel Banana.
Indulge in this nutella-like cake with crunchy pralines and salted caramel! I like how the banana gives it a different flavor profile (best eaten between bites of the cake).
Congrats to the Discovery Primea team for an awesome Tapenade concept!
TAPENADE is a great place for that healthy, power lunch meeting with business partners or foodie friends. I love their Salad Room concept and the well-curated selections on the menu.
I recommend starting with the Stone-baked Feta Cheese and the Salad Room, then following with a few of their meat entrees like the chicken, seafood, or meat dishes. End on a sweet note with the Gianduja Cake! For coffee lovers looking for something new, try the Turkish Coffee.
Budget about P1,000/head.
TAPENADE
Ground Floor, Discovery Primea
6749 Ayala Avenue, Makati City 1226, Philippines
Telephone: +632 955-8888
Website: www.discoveryhotels-resorts.com
Facebook: Discovery Primea Makati
Twitter: @PrimeaMakati
(Tip: Make sure to reserve the tables near the walls for added privacy.)
Discovery Primea Series:
- FLAME: A Burning Passion for Modern European Food with an Asian Twist! @DiscoveryPrimea
- A Different Kind of Foodie Staycation @DiscoveryPrimea
- TAPENADE: Dinner with a Heightened Sense of Celebration! @PrimeaMakati
- TAPENADE: Mediterranean Goodness and The Salad Room at Discovery @PrimeaMakati!
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our meal was courtesy of our friend, Pat. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
P.S. Discovery Primea is just across Glorietta 5. You can cross Ayala Avenue via the underpass.
Syrely a place worth visiting!
I can honestly say i’ve never seen a hotel/restaurant that looks that amazing, what a beautiful place to stay, and your photos are fantastic looks like i found my next location to travel to, and i’m defo going to check out Discovery Primea as a place to stay in.