by Ana Marie “Alu” Aran, FoodfindsAsia.com |
Several international and local food campaigns like Meatless Mondays, Mindful Eating and Slow Food Movement coupled with the tireless efforts of Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines (SOAP) and the Dept. of Agriculture (DOA) have successfully propelled people to start living a healthier lifestyle. While food binging remains to be acceptable on special occasions, people seem to be more mindful of what they put in their stomach and where they spend their money. With the increase in demand, the availability of organic and fresh produce has multiplied and continues to make significant progress.
Located in the bustling financial district of Makati, Discovery Primea opened their new restaurant Tapenade with “fresh” and “healthy” on their mind. Tapenade offers unique Mediterranean-inspired cuisine such as Greek Shrimp Rissoni, Chicken Tagine, Ravioli di Brasato, Stone-Baked Feta Cheese, and Ratatouille Provencale among other dishes. Hotel General Manager Chef David Pardo de Ayala and Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco are both exceptionally proud of their dishes, confirming even the authenticity and freshness of their ingredients.
Tapenade also features a Salad Room. The Salad Room boasts of a selection of breads, nuts and cheese spreads (spotted Malagos pineapple goat cheese from Davao), bountiful servings of Prosciutto, fresh greens (Lollo Rossa, Batavia, Mesclun, Butterhead lettuce, micro greens, etc) with ten to twelve types of dressings from herb to Champagne and Sherry vinaigrette, salads (tabouleh, gravlax, summer fruits, couscous, etc) and the main highlight of sweet, fresh oysters harvested from Aklan. The Salad Room (at P680 net) gives a lot of satisfaction to “green” eaters as well as oyster fanatics. A must visit!
Another worthy feature in Tapenade is their brick oven. Located at one side of the restaurant, facing the dining area, the oven gives a visual assurance of heavenly breads and smoky, crunchy, and chewy pizza. All breads are baked fresh daily
Tapenade is not your usual big buffet hotel restaurant. What it offers is a restaurant that is responsive and attuned to the growing segment of health and wellness patrons. Fresh and green is the new currency.
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Tapenade
Discovery Primea Hotel
6749 Ayala Ave., Makati
Tel. (02) 955-8888
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Ana Marie “Alu” Aran
Alu is a partner at Courage Asia (business consultancy firm & foodservice event organizers), an adjunct faculty at Enderun Colleges and a food and lifestyle writer. She also a Contributing Editor for www.foodfindsasia.com, Managing Editor for www.dineph.com and a resource person & speaker on marketing, event management and parenting.
