At Tapenade, good company meets at the table and the pleasure of gathering is part of the dining experience. Located on the ground floor of Discovery Primea in Makati City, the restaurant is introducing Group Dining for guests who want to bring family, friends or colleagues together over Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
Tapenade’s open kitchen, anchored by a traditional brick oven, gives diners a view of the culinary craft behind the dishes. For different occasions, Group Dining offers a choice of formats, from intimate celebrations and business lunches to corporate gatherings and cocktail receptions.
Rossana Unson, Discovery Primea's Marketing Communications Director and guitarist Rodel Manuel setting the tone for the gathering
A meal made for sharing
The menu features Mediterranean-inspired specialties, including stone-baked pizzas, fresh gourmet salads, and other dishes made for sharing.
“Mediterranean dining is inherently social. The food is meant to be placed at the center of the table, shared and enjoyed together,” says Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco. “With Group Dining, we want the food to encourage conversation and make the meal feel relaxed and welcoming. The experience should be as much about being together as it is about what is on the table.”
Discovery Primea's Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco meets guests during A Seat at Tapenade
Room for different kinds of gatherings
A semi-private room accommodates eight to 10 guests, offering a more intimate setting for small celebrations, conversations and meetings. The main dining room can be used for buffet dinners and pass-around cocktail receptions.
For occasions that call for greater privacy, guests may reserve the restaurant exclusively. The space can host family celebrations, corporate gatherings, product launches or cocktail receptions.
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David Pardo de Ayala, General Manager of Discovery Primea gives his welcome remarks
“At Discovery Primea, we believe that some of the best experiences begin around a table,” says David Pardo de Ayala, General Manager of Discovery Primea. “Tapenade has always had that sense of warmth and character, and Group Dining allows us to extend that experience to different kinds of gatherings while maintaining the level of service and hospitality our guests expect from us.”
A conversation with the Executive Chef and General Manager
When asked what his must-have dish is for a meal with friends at Tapenade, the General Manager shares, "Mediterranean cooking is very much conducive for sharing, so I would say any large format dish that allows you to pass it around and share it with friends—it may be a large pasta or pizza. Based on today's experience I would love to share the paella de cordero, the lamb paella with rosemary and garlic—positively delicious!"
Speaking of great meals, for Chef Luis, "A great meal, aside from great food, is great company." To stir the imagination, we asked General Manager David who he would invite to his table if he could host anyone at all. "I would have to invite my wife, Gianella. After all, she is the reason I am in the Philippines. I'd have to invite my daughter Sofia because she has been my foodie partner since she was a little girl. And then pushing the envelope a little bit, I would invite some historical chefs. Some that I had the chance to work with like David Bouley; some that just inspired me when I was a young cook like Robuchon or Ducasse."
He adds, "And I'm a big history nerd so I think I would invite some historical leaders, Lee Kuan Yew, Eisenhower, General Grant. That will be my table."
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Just some of the sumptuous Mediterranean-inspired dishes offered at A Seat at Tapenade: Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese & Orange Salad, Spaghetti alla Tornola, Paella Cordero & Romero, Cacio e Pepe Salad, Salumi Pizza
What "A Seat at Tapenade" means to the executive chef personally? He reveals, "I get to share a passion that I've had, that I have, actually, for cooking, see the joy, and people's faces, as they experience what my team and I have come up with. And I think there's no greater compliment to a chef and his team as that—as they enjoy the food, enjoy the company, the whole experience of Tapenade.
To sum up what the Tapenade is all about in just four words, General Manager David says, "Mediterranean taste, Filipino heart." On what guests can hope to enjoy when dining here, Chef Luis shares, "It's more of the diversity in terms of what we have to offer. Tapenade encompasses a lot of Mediterranean countries. What we want is both comforting, familiar as well as a little bit of complexity."
Wrapping up the interview, we asked the General Manager to share his thoughts on how he believes the best and most memorable gatherings happen. He says with conviction, "When we can put down our cellphones for two hours, look each other in the eye, connect as human beings, and build memories together that we can walk away with after dessert." For the Executive Chef, a table full of good company feels complete when we have "full stomachs, and full hearts."
Within Discovery Primea, Tapenade’s Group Dining brings together Mediterranean flavors and shared dining, with the service and hospitality of the five-star hotel. Whether the occasion is a long lunch with colleagues, a family celebration or drinks with friends, guests can choose a setting that suits the gathering.
For inquiries and reservations, contact Discovery Primea at +63 2 7955 8888 or primea.restaurants@discovery.com.ph. Follow them on Facebook (Discovery Primea), Instagram (@discoveryprimea), TikTok (@discoveryprimea), YouTube (Discovery Primea), or visit the website discoveryprimea.com.