Now serving: Lunch Specials!
Flame is Discovery Primea's Modern European restaurant located on the 16th floor. The newest creation under the partnership of General Manager David Pardo de Ayala and Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco takes its name from the team's burning passion and desire to create new experiences through food.
Conceptualized by Design Worldwide Partnership, the interior reflects Flame's unanticipated and inspiring approach to cuisine. Aligned with the vision to surprise and delight every guest, doors open to the majestic Living Chandelier - a ceiling-to-floor masterpiece adorned with fresh plants that welcome each guest, imprinting an aura of whimsy and pleasure. Stunning yet comfortable, an expansive marble-top open kitchen surrounds the entire restaurant, while a panoramic view of the Metro Manila skyline envelops the guests in a welcoming ambiance.
Last month, Flame opened its doors for dinner service, but starting today, July 18, 2016, they will be serving lunch as well! They've created dishes that are tailored for quick power lunches - one-course meals that have a bit of everything in them for a balanced meal - since they understand that people have limited time to eat during the day.
With its spacious dining area offering private spaces, extremely attentive waiters, and new mouth-watering dishes served only for lunch, the restaurant continues to challenge the conventional definitions of fine dining, and nonchalantly proves that Flame can be both relaxed and remarkable - making it an impressive spot for any kind of lunch affair meeting.
"Our goal is to offer some of the finest lunch dishes in the city for even the most discerning of palates." shares 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."
We started off with the amuse-bouche: Salmon Tartare.
The Salmon Tartare is featured during lunch and dinner, and it's basically a quick bite to entertain the palate while waiting for the first course. It contains raw salmon from Scotland and crème fresh flavored with red onion that sits atop a sesame crisp.
Homemade Bread
Their homemade bread is served with their signature organic butter from Bukidnon.
The infused olive oils are stored in the Porthole - a beautiful infusion vessel designed by Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail. It can be used to create cocktails, broths, vodka, teas, dressings, coffee, and other types of infusions. Flame is actually the only restaurant that has it in the Philippines!
Chilled Seafood Salad
The Chilled Seafood Salad is a light dish that's perfect to share. It has baby squid, octopus, shrimp, and compressed watermelon in a ginger-sesame dressing.
Flame's dishes combine modern European cuisine with Asian flavors and here, you'll see that with the ginger-sesame dressing that they used. The salad also has a bit of spice to it - the kind that will want to make you eat more.
The compressed watermelon is vacuum packed under great pressure to make the cell walls of the fruit to collapse. The result is a much brighter and denser watermelon compared to normal.
Paella "Meatballs"
This is nothing like your ordinary meatballs. It's paella rice with Spanish chorizos that are rolled into balls - hence the name. The piquillo pepper sauce adds a mostly sweet (rather than spicy) flavor and complements the meatballs really well.
Pork Belly Doughnut
I have never tried anything like this before! The Pork Belly Doughnut has a crunchy outer layer and a deliciously warm and tender braised pork belly center! It comes with a butterscotch-miso dip that has an earthy flavor and a sesame-sugar dust that adds a bit of sweetness to it. It's definitely not something you see all the time.
Chili Lobster Spaghetti
This is easily my favorite out of all the dishes we got to try that afternoon. The Chili Lobster Spaghetti has a lobster bisque base (with a chili component in the form of Sriracha Thai Sauce), some scallions, and coriander. It's another offering here at Flame that has an Asian twist. The flavor is both creamy and spicy, and I couldn't get enough of it! I had to use the bread to wipe off all the remaining sauce. It's that good!
It is times like these when I most appreciate the fact that I am not allergic to seafood. I mean, just imagine if I missed out on the best pasta dish ever. Oh, P.S. the baby spiny lobsters used in this dish come from Palawan. I really like that they are able to support the local economy by using certain local ingredients.
U.S. Beef Tenderloin "Mignonettes"
Here's another lunch menu-only offering, the U.S. Beef Tenderloin Mignonettes, which is prepared using their top-of-the-line Josper grill! Instead of using regular meat sauce for the tenderloin, Flame used vinaigrette to balance the richness of the meat. It is also a lighter alternative, so you can still go back to the office after lunch and actually be able to function properly.
The vinaigrette gives enough flavor in my opinion, but if you're looking to add something unique to your meal, go for one (or three) of their homemade mustards!
I tried some of them and I highly recommend the Whole Grain! It doesn't taste as strong as the others, plus it adds texture to every bite.
I tried some of them and I highly recommend the Whole Grain! It doesn't taste as strong as the others, plus it adds texture to every bite.
Homemade mustards:
Spicy Brown | Dijon | Whole Grain | Spicy Beer
Raspberry | Peppercorn | Horseradish | Pommery
Rye and Brown | Tarragon
To end the meal, we were offered some coffee and their Black Pepper "Panna Cotta."
Who would've thought vanilla and black pepper would go so well together? The pepper not only intensifies the vanilla flavor, but it also adds spice and a slight bitterness to your usual pannacotta.
They then pour some strawberry consommé over the entire thing, so it's definitely something dessert lovers will enjoy.
They then pour some strawberry consommé over the entire thing, so it's definitely something dessert lovers will enjoy.
"Whether for lunch or dinner, we continue to push modern European cuisine and Asian combinations in bold, intriguing directions," shares Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco. The result: elegant and unsurpassed modern European cuisine, using the finest seasonal ingredients and employing both classic and modern techniques.
