Call it geographical desirability, or chalk it up to the decades I’ve known Discovery Primea’s GM David Pardo de Ayala, and the years I’ve been acquainted and impressed by Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco, but Discovery Primea’s F&B outlets have always held a special place in my heart and stomach. The geographical attraction I allude to stems from the fact that I reside a few buildings away from Primea. So when I got the invite to drop by mid-afternoon, and indulge in the new offerings of the Gilarmi Lounge, right beside Tapenade on the ground floor—they had me. This was an opportunity to sample menu items that I conceivably would be enjoying on a regular basis—whether on a dine in or take out basis. Discovery Primea’s GM David Pardo de Ayala talking Negroni. First things first, GM David waxed rhapsodic about his first Negroni encounter at the Mario Batali restaurant in Singapore and how it hooked him on the drink. House-aged for 30 days in oak, the Primea Negroni is an ideal Happy Hour selection, that should prove to be very popular. As it was, we were served the drink with melon and prosciutto, with goat cheese and truffle honey.
Since 2020, the Gilarmi Lounge has been notoriously patronized for its Burger Library, a heady selection of bespoke burgers that tease the palate in ways that regular burgers just can’t aspire for. Chef Luis was happy to unveil three new Burger selections.
The Italian Job is a beef and prosciutto patty, topped by mozzarella cheese and a tomato fondue. Le Bistro 2.0 is your beef patty, now smothered by three kinds of cheeses—emmental, parmesan and mozzarella, plus caramelized onions. As for the mushroom, it’s your meatless option, crispy mushroom "katsu," served with cabbage slaw, and smeared with Bull-dog sauce. I especially liked the Le Bistro, as the blending of the three cheeses truly made this burger unique. And I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the mushroom "burger." If you decide to go meatless, this is one way to do so without sacrificing taste and satisfaction. The "katsu" description was perfect, as there was something very Japanese about the sauce and execution. Ian Carandang and Chef Luis Chikiamco. Last but not least, Chef Luis brought out Ian Carandang, the brains behind Sebastian Ice Cream. Together, the two had collaborated on a number of dessert offerings that combined well-established desserts with Ian’s creative ice cream flavors. The one I absolutely loved was Taaaahho! which Chef Luis described as an upgrade of the taho experience. It’s silken tofu with tapioca pearls and brown sugar syrup, but topped by a scoop of Yakut ice cream. Taaaahho! At the Gilarmi Lounge. There’s an Arroz con Tsokolate—toasted Mexican rice cake, with Champorado ice cream, crispy dilis and spiced milk. The Halo-Halo is ube poppits and sapin-sapin ice cream, with Leche flan. And what they’ve called Fire and Ice, is spiced chocolate ice cream, with hazelnut poppits, hot milk and a cinnamon stick. I understand there are two to three more collabs in the works. Appreciated these new food selections at the Gilarmi Lounge. And for trivia buffs, the Lounge is named after the Gilarmi Apartments which used to stand where we now find Primea. Owned by the Hilario family, the Gilarmi Apartments stood as one of the pioneer residential developments on Ayala Avenue for decades.