The open flame is the oldest form of human cooking, and now its the central concept of the latest addition to the Tel Aviv food scene.
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Located in the swanky Carlton Hotel on the Tel Aviv beachfront, FLAME made its mark on opening night with an invitation-only reception attended by Israeli dignitaries and ambassadors, who found themselves tasting flavors familiar and new.
"I really enjoy Israeli food because what is happening in modern times, people are copying a lot of the best dishes in other countries so there is a lot of Israeli food that is typical of Kenyan food. Especially the Mediterranean diet,” Kenyan ambassador Samuel Thuita said.
The food on the menu goes beyond the standard fare. Often cooked over an open flame, it celebrates traditions from around the world. And it’s all certified kosher.
The restaurant's founding chefs, who have cooked and traveled all over the world, wanted to bring those flavors home; part of the Israeli craving for the foreign experience.
The visionaries behind the restaurant are familiar names to local food connoisseurs, Alon Aharonovitch, Dorian Coupit and Ilya Goldmann. On opening night, they found a hungry and appreciative audience.
"I love Israeli cuisine. I mean, with lots of Arab flavors and also your own flavors, but mixed in with Europe and some other places,” said Japanese ambassador to Israel, Mizushima Koichi. “That's a very creative and innovative cuisine."
The prominence of foreign ambassadors made the point: this is another way for the hotel – and for Tel Aviv at large – to put forward its cosmopolitan face, and to show its openness to the world.
At a time when currents are swirling in Israeli society on a range of issues, it’s another concept on how to balance the impulse to turn inward, with the impulse to look outward. Cooking over an open flame, the best metaphor for coming together, combining the uniqueness of Israel and its traditions with that primordial marker of our species as a whole.