Regional Flavors Get a Mexican Twist at Flame x Hálong's Culinary Collab
Last Monday evening presented us with an exciting culinary journey featuring the delicate nuances of Asian cuisine beautifully blended with the bold and vibrant flavors of Mexico.
Discovery Primea started strong with their first culinary collaboration of the year, featuring the joint partnership of Chef Cara Davis of Hálong and Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco of Flame, the hotel’s premier dining venue serving modern Asian cuisine. The two chefs presented a special multi-course menu blending Pan Asian flavors with playful Mexican influences, all paired with premium Kubota sake selections from High Tower.
The luxury hotel’s quarterly culinary series, "Elements of Flavor," spotlights meaningful collaborations between Discovery Primea’s culinary team and celebrated local and international chefs. Each edition offers a unique and tasteful experience formed through distinctive techniques, philosophies, and flavors and presented through thoughtfully crafted menus that celebrate culinary artistry. Some noteworthy previous editions include Beijing x Manila with Michelin-starred Chef William Mahi, Flavors of Colombia with Chef Alex Nessim, and Flame x Idalia with Chef Kevin David.
Last Mar. 31, The Beat Manila embarked on a culinary journey that took us across the region with a spicy Mexican kick, highlighting each chef’s cooking styles in a spectacular medley of flavors presented through an eight-course meal with sake pairings.
Chef Cara Davis spent seven years in Mexico and has been across the globe sharpening her skills with experiences in acclaimed restaurants such as Alinea (Chicago), Arzak (San Sebastian), and Eleven Madison Park (New York). Hálong is her homecoming project that serves à la carte menu items featuring a Mexican motif with pops of bold Asian flavors. The restaurant is located in Legazpi Village, Makati City.
Meanwhile, Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco leads the culinary team of the property’s premier restaurant on the 16th floor and is known for his innovative techniques that transform classic Asian dishes into flavorful modern masterpieces.
Traveling through Taste: Where Asia and Mexico Meet
The meal kicked off with a tasty snack: Far-East Elote, a classic Mexican street food dish featuring charred baby corn with smoked chipotle butter, onion ash aioli, and dressed in yuzu and fermented honey. An interesting choice for a starter, as it perfectly introduces you to the flavors of this menu and sets the theme for the multi-course presentation. Street food is many travelers’ go-to meal the moment they land somewhere new, and is the best way to get to know the locals’ palate. So, this was a wonderful metaphor showcased through this appetizer.
The first highlight of the night is the Lapu-Lapu Ceviche with lime, jalapeño, red radish, coconut milk, kaffir lime and lemongrass oil, and salmon roe. It was unmistakable ceviche, but it also reminded us of one of our favorite Thai dishes, “Tom Yum Kung.” The refreshing dish tasted like a chilled version of the famed Thai soup and was complemented by the scent of citrus, lemongrass, and galangal.
Next up was the Octopus with roasted bell pepper-chorizo foam with munggo and granola salad on the side. Octopus is infamous for being chewy, but this was incredibly tender and fell apart in a single bite! The creamy sauce was also perfectly paired with it, giving it that smoky and sweet taste.
The Black Pepper & Coriander King Prawn was perfectly charred and tender, but we have to admit that it was overshadowed by the next dish: The Japanese Kinmedai Fillet, which was one of the best seafood dishes we’ve tasted in a while. The fish fillet (golden-eye snapper) was perfectly seared on just one side, which made the skin crispy and the meat incredibly juicy! We could’ve eaten an entire portion of this — and by portion, we mean the entire fish. It was served with Mexican “Nam Phrik” tomatoes, cilantro, red onions, and green mango, which was a great salad side and reminded us of the Filipino grilled Pompano with mango salsa. From Mexico to Thailand and now the Philippines, this course is definitely taking us across the region!
The heavy players came in near the end as we were served the Crispy U.S. Pork Belly with carrot habanero and grilled and fresh pineapples. It definitely gave the classic Filipino bagnet a run for its money with how crispy and tender this slab of fatty meat was. The pineapple side gave a pleasant, tangy kick that balanced the spices well. We would say it’s similar to atchara (pickled green papaya). Habanero is known for its intense heat, but the portion provided on this dish elevated it to new heights, giving a simply meaty dish some flair. We think even those who aren’t fans of spicy would agree that it marries perfectly well with everything.
The last dish on the mains lineup was the U.S. Beef Short Ribs “Al Pastor” with pan-fried foie gras, sticky rice tamales, charred corn kernels, gochujang, chicharrón, herb salad, and pickled red onions paired with Kubota Manjyu Junmai Daiginyo. That description was a mouthful, but it perfectly encapsulated our experience with this Mexican-style adobo, which was undoubtedly the highlight of this show. We couldn’t forget the way we sliced into that tender meat and were met by a perfect pink color, or the way that first bite felt like we had ascended into food heaven. We were thoroughly full, having reached our final destination for the mains, but our plates were swiped clean as we eagerly enjoyed this final dish.
The Cherry On Top
Although full and satisfied, we always have room for dessert, and the chefs prepared two decadent treats that wrapped up this enjoyable dining experience in a pretty bow. The Flourless Chocolate Cake “de mi Abuela” with toasted rice ice cream and cinnamon milk crisps was for the chocolate lovers. The cake was smooth and dense, and was more like a thick mousse. It may be too sweet for some, but the sweetness was very much welcome considering the entirety of the menu leaned towards more savory and umami flavors. Additionally, the ice cream and cinnamon crisps had a more neutral flavor, which balanced it out. The cake was also shaped like a pyramid, which was a clever ode to Chichén Itzá in Mexico.
Those who like their desserts on the sour side will definitely enjoy the Petit Fours, which feature miso financier and yuzu tartlets. The tartlets were divine and provided just the right amount of tartness with a dash of sweetness from that tiny bean-shaped chocolate, while the miso financier gave us quite a surprise, not expecting that intense saltiness. Together, these desserts were an attack on the senses and made up a daring combination — one that encapsulated the bold statements Chef Cara and Chef Chikiamco were making throughout the night with their wonderful dishes.
Overall, everything was delicious. But more than that, this collaboration took us on a fun journey across the region that was both satisfying and unforgettable. We may not have been to Mexico, but it sure felt like it was only a short flight away from other ASEAN cities we know and love, with how it easily blended with Asian flavors.
Kudos to the chefs for giving us a taste of Mexico and proving to us that flavors are just as exciting as destinations. We can’t wait to see what the “Elements of Flavor” series has in store for us for the rest of the year.
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