Chef Rob Pengson, Discovery Primea executive chef Luis Chikiamco, and Flame’s Josper Grill are the stars of Flame’s May 19 edition of its continuing “Elements of Flavor” series. This special dinner will highlight charcoal-grilled creations of the two chefs, in each of the bountiful seven courses that will be served, utilizing the Josper Grill, a state-of-the-art hybrid oven/grill that was born in Barcelona in 1969.
It’s good to note that this four-hand-engagement involves two good friends who rose through the ranks together at the start of their stellar culinary careers. In fact, they mentioned how they shared mentors; one of which, coincidentally, is none other than David Pardo de Ayala, general manager of Discovery Primea. At this mention, Chef David, who joined us for the preview dinner, joked about how he suddenly felt old.
Chefs Luis Chikiamco and Rob Pengson; Financier
Thanks to this genuine friendship between the two chefs, they collaborated on all the courses, making this a true four-hand dinner event. I say this because we’ve seen how the easy route for these collaborative efforts often takes the form of one chef handling the first course, then the next course the responsibility of the other chef, and so on. With this Rob X Luis, they bounce ideas off each other to come up with each course.
Themed summer and grilling fun, the first course tips us off on just how playful the two chefs intend to be. It’s a Financier, with manchego, grilled grape chutney, and prosciutto. The crispness of the prosciutto offsets the chutney’s texture, while the sweet/savory element of the Financier tops it all off.
Tuna and Tomato
The tuna is a visual delight, as there’s mango coulis, red radish, fennel, lemon emulsion, and coconut-cilantro cream. It’s light and refreshing. This is reinforced by the next course, the Tomato served up as a gazpacho with a tomato sorbet, piquillo, and anchovy. Cold soups get a raw deal in this country, and I find that crazy, given we’re a hot, tropical country. Hoping this soup opens your palate to just how wonderful cold soups can be.
The Tiger Prawn is char grilled to perfection, with chipotle mayo, salsa, chili-garlic, and peanuts. All sitting on a tortilla, giving one the option to eat it as a wrap with one’s hands. The lamb that followed is lamb shoulder that’s been turned tender, festooned with textures of carrot, pickled daikon, cucumber, and lamb jus. At this point, it was the tenderness of the shoulder that had chef David commenting on how the two had made excellent use of the Josper.
Tiger Prawn and Lamb
The sixth and final main course was beef. Again, Jasper-grilled, lying on a mushroom paella and beef marmalade, topped with crispy garlic, and a Gochujang-Madeira mirin sauce. This sauce took the dish to a new level, once again demonstrating how Rob and Luis were ready to borrow from different culinary traditions and come up with something unique.
Beef and Coconut
For our sweet ending, reminding us it was summer, we had coconut. But this was a chocolate shell mimicking a coconut slice. And, within, we found a coconut bavarois, a coconut-lychee sorbet. On the side, grilled pineapple and tres leches coconut cake. Undoubtedly, this was coconut in all its glory and in different permutations. Sinful, but delicious.
May 19 is the one night for this delightful collaboration, one that had me wondering what new heights could be reached with the next “Elements of Flavor at the Flame.” This series is proving to be one of the more reliable showcases of Filipino culinary talent and imagination.