Flame Restaurant Fires Up For Lunch

Discovery Primea's Flame Restaurant recently unveiled its new Lunch Menu in a special preview featuring its unique culinary style, promising diners a unique lunch experience high above the Makati commercial and business district adding even more options for that perfect business lunch.

Earlier, I had the opportunity to sample Flame Restaurant's culinary style (for more on Flame Restaurant, see my previous post on their dinner preview, Igniting The Next Culinary Standard at Flame Restaurant), and the blend of European and Asian flavors seemed like a winning combination. The new lunch menu is just as impressive.  

"Whether for lunch or dinner, we continue to push modern European cuisine and Asian combinations in bold, intriguing directions," shared Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco (L). It's this fusion of flavors that combine for elegant and unsurpassed modern European cuisine with an Asian hint using the freshest ingredients...

...employing both classic and modern culinary techniques resulting in a unique dining experience at Flame Restaurant. "Our goal is to offer some of the finest lunch dishes in the city for even the most discerning palates," said Discovery Primea's General Manager and chef-at-heart David Pardo de Ayala. 

"People can expect each dish to be perfectly well-balanced and with no-frills. Here, we promise exquisite dining with a more casual edge," explained David Pardo de Ayala. And that's exactly what you can expect at Flame Restaurant, with its modern take on classic European cuisine with an Asian spin. The mid-day light casts its own unique glow to Flame Restaurant's modern and contemporary interiors, perfectly illuminating the new lunch menu. The very name of the restaurant reflects the intense passion for culinary innovation, and this is seen, tasted, and experienced in each new dish served during the lunch preview. The refreshing Chilled Seafood Salad, with baby squid, octopus, shrimp, and compressed watermelon drizzled with ginger-sesame dressing, combines the clean notes of garden fresh greens with the briny flavors of seafood, capped by the sweetness of the watermelon and sharp Asian-style dressing. It's the perfect starter to any meal at Flame Restaurant, as the next round of dishes were served...

Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco continued to spin his magic in the kitchen, transforming both pulled pork and paella in a duo of whimsical dishes that surprises everyone at the special lunch preview. The unique and playfully inventive Pork Belly Doughnut, dusted with sugar-sesame and served with butterscotch-miso dip, weaves the contrasting notes of the savory and smoky pulled pork with the mild sweetness of the soft and lightly crisp doughnuts in a seamless blend, finished perfectly by the butterscotch-miso dip. The distinct Asian notes come into play for a refreshingly new dish...

...and the play on contrasting flavors continued with the next dish with paella reinvented, the Paella Meatballs, stuffed with Spanish chorizo laid on a rich piquillo pepper sauce. The familiar flavors of the paella come through with the creative paella meatballs, punctuated by the sharp flavors of the Spanish chorizo and the flavorful piquillo pepper sauce.

A selection of homemade mustard in a variety of flavors was then presented for the main course, served next...

The US Beef Tenderloin "Mignonettes," a premium slab of beef served with Togarashi potatoes and Tagaytay tomatoes topped with fresh greens drizzled with toasted spice vinaigrette, is perfectly tender and juicy packing a flavorful beefy punch. The fresh and clean notes of the greens cleanses the palate, tempering the richness of the beef for balanced flavors.

And once again, the fusion of classic European and Asian flavors elevate the dish, making the usual and traditional refreshingly new, different and exciting. It's what you can expect at Flame Restaurant, constantly challenging the conventional, and creating new and inspiring flavors.


Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco then pulled out one more flavorful surprise, the Chili Lobster Spaghetti spiced with Sriracha bisque, scallions, and coriander. The rich and creamy lobster bisque coats each noodle, bursting with bold flavors in every satisfying bite.

It's the sharp notes of the Sriracha that adds that finishing kick to the dish, with a soothing heat lingering long after the first bite without overpowering the palate. It's a comforting dish that's familiar yet new and different, with the spicy Sriracha binding all the flavors together for balance. Squeeze some lemon for even more flavors, add some of the lobster meat, and this dish is gone in no time.

The lunch preview ends with another classic dessert tweaked with a spicy Asian kick, the Black Pepper Panna Cotta, with vanilla chantilly and macerated strawberries. The addition of black pepper may seem strange for a dessert, but surprisingly, it works. Perfectly.

The sweet and clear crisp on top of the panna cotta is infused with chili flakes, contrasting with the richness of the dessert. From starters to mains and dessert, Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco promises "bold and intriguing directions" with his novel fusion of Asian flavors in classic European cuisine. At Flame Restaurant, you're in for some delightful culinary surprises inspired by this unique fusion of flavors. Looking for a new spot for that perfect business lunch meeting? Enjoy a comforting meal with a view and discover Flame Restaurant's unique culinary style sixteen floors above the Makati commercial business district, now firing up for lunch.