MANILA -- In these times where concepts are repeated and replicated, it’s interesting to find hidden gems like The Red Piano at the Arya Residences in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

This piano lounge-restaurant has aspirations that are simple and direct -- to be a place where one can enjoy food and music in a less frenetic environment.

The Red Piano was borne out of an idea of entrepreneur Carlos Llave and his 1978 batchmates from De La Salle University. Llave found himself taking the lead in the project as the foodie and home chef of the group, and it is his taste in food and music, honed by years of cooking and travel, that resonates most in the Red Piano.

“I woke up still seeing it. In my dream, I saw this Ferrari red piano, and everything around it was black, and beside that red piano was a vintage microphone in chrome, with one narrow spot lighting it -- with the microphone gleaming. That’s the name, that’s the focal point of the restaurant,” Llave narrated on how the Red Piano was named.

Indeed, when you enter the second floor, you’re greeted with a fully stocked "piano" bar, and right at the far end of the room, is a gleaming Ferrari red baby grand, beside two chrome-colored vintage microphones.

Designed for the more discerning patron, acoustics is one of the Red Piano’s strengths with a P500,000 sound system installed in the lounge. Complemented with muted lighting, it makes for a more intimate atmosphere for the tables.

Singers perform almost every day, and "singalongs" or "open mikes" are encouraged. On days when there are no singers, diners can also do karaoke. Here though, karaoke means that when a certain table sings, only the speakers nearest the table would be turned on, assuring that the lounge ambiance would still be maintained.

Another lounge singing rule? No "birit" songs allowed.

“I wanted this to be experiential, where you can find good cooking, where you can listen to music, and have a normal conversation with the guy across and not have to shout. I wanted that ambiance, and that’s what we accomplished upstairs,” Llave said.

On the food side of things, while the Red Piano has an eclectic menu of international dishes, it’s Llave’s cooking mindset that makes a difference.

“I’m not an inventive chef. My journey with food has been all about rediscovering food -- how it was cooked, finding out the etymology of the food, finding the real ingredients that went into cooking it. So that’s how I approach my cooking. And because I am that passionate, my cooking is not about what is easy to make. The harder it is, that’s what I enjoy cooking,” he shared.

This translates to using the best ingredients without any short cuts on techniques.

The Osso Bucco (P1,500) features veal shanks from New Zealand stewed in Pinot Grigio, and served with risotto or pasta. His other stewed specialty is the Boeuf Bourguignon (P1,100), a slow-cooked wonder of meltingly tender beef with baby potatoes and imported French onions, all in a sweet-savory red wine sauce thickened by the braise, also served with risotto or pasta.

The Carne y Mariscos Paella (P1,490 for 4-5 pax), which comes to the table vibrant and colorful, uses Bomba rice. At approximately P1,000 a kilo, this Spanish rice is traditionally used for paella and prized for being able to absorb more stock (and flavors) during cooking.

We also tasted the Creole Salmon (P690), a new dish for those looking for something with more heat. The pepper and paprika-flavored salmon is balanced by crispy buttered vegetables, and best enjoyed with dirty (pan dripping sautéed) rice.

Traditional pasta lovers will love The Red Piano’s Carbonara (P510 solo, P860 sharing), with its sauce made with just cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, and guanciale (there’s also an option for local pancetta at P365 solo, P590 sharing). It’s the guanciale that gives this carbonara its pomp and circumstance as Llave personally hand-carried his supply of this cured meat from Italy, known for its more intense pork flavor.

Another pasta, the Vongole (P445 solo, P600 sharing) is one of the simplest things to make, and the Red Piano elevates it by using the best local clams flown in fresh every day, a ton of garlic, and the addition of sourdough bread into the sauce.

Speaking of clams, a must-try in any visit to The Red Piano should be Llave’s San Fran Clam Chowder (P550). He admits that this dish took him the longest to develop, as he obsessed over creating an even better chowder than the many San Francisco chowders that he tasted. Coming to the table in a dome filled with oak (or mesquite) smoke, this fancy clam chowder blows expectations -- using 3.25 kilos of clams from Capiz and Bicol, a sip is creamy, sweet, and briny delicious with the clams springy and fresh. I enjoyed this bowl in rainy weather, and it was truly a heavenly treat, especially as you take bites of oak-scented sourdough bread. Comforting and delicious.

If you’re there for drinking, the menu recently got beefed up with bar chow.

Favorites include the El Jamon (P1,500 per 60 grams), a platter of sliced Jamon Iberico de Bellota – slivers of buttery meat goodness, perfect after a sip or two of wine; and the insanely big and addicting One Big Cracklin’ (P195), a giant slice of pork skin fried to a crisp seasoned with vinegar powder and salt. Break off a piece, eat with your hands, and enjoy with whisky, beer or whatever you may fancy.

Happy hour (5-8 p.m.) in The Red Piano has two all-you-can options on wine (P600), and mojitos and sangrias (P500). Bringing your own bottle isn’t frowned upon here as well, with corkage only at P500 a bottle (the fee is waived when the bill reaches P5,000).

And while The Red Piano may be far from the hustle and bustle of Bonifacio High Street, Llave considers this an advantage. For one, there’s available parking on site, even valet.

And perhaps its greatest competitive advantage is that it’s not noisy, even sitting al fresco. So you can easily enjoy your meal as you converse, and the same goes inside the cozy confines of the piano lounge.

In a nutshell, it’s just the right kind of quiet that would appeal to The Red Piano’s chosen clientele.