By Janelle Vales-Yasay
There’s nothing like traveling the world to sample the great cuisines of each nation. However, you don’t have to travel to southern Italy just to taste their renowned dishes. Fiamma is right here in Riyadh.
Fiamma started with a spark: a young boy who used to see his mother and grandmother in their kitchen cooking vegetables and herbs grown in their yard. The boy grew into a teenager who took on jobs in pizzerias and ice cream shops in Calabria during summertime. The teenager grew into a chef with over 20 years of culinary experience. And now he’s here in Riyadh sharing stories and recipes. Chef Valerio Mazzei is the flame in this kitchen!
Chef Mazzei has worked in some of the best restaurants in the world alongside his brother celebrity Chef Francesco Mazzei. He learned from his family, his home, and his experiences. He has a career honed by hard work and perseverance.
He’s bringing his passion to Fiamma. The restaurant, inspired by a small, bustling trattoria, is located in Centria Mall, currently “the address” to be of high-end restaurants and shops in Riyadh. Entering the restaurant felt like walking into the hold of a fancy boat with its fancy dark wood tables and chairs, black leather couches and touches of blue and white. The soaring space has a wonderful view of two of the busiest streets in Riyadh: Tahlia and Olaya.
The restaurant has an open kitchen format where the chef and his staff create their culinary masterpieces. It opens for lunch and dinner with menus that are well-curated. The dishes skip trends but indulge in tried-and-tested flavors and classic techniques; all are freshly-made each day. The service is friendly and warm.
And just like the enduring passion of its chef, the cooking in Fiamma is timeless. Flavors from childhood intertwined with the changes and innovation of the modern times make for great meals that are certified crowd-pleasers.
Our dinner started with the Burrata, Rucola e Frajotta. As someone who enters Italian restaurants with the hopes of having the creamy Italian delicacy for my starter, I was gripped with excitement for Fiamma’s version. The outside has a subtle bounce but the inside is utterly creamy and smooth. The chili jam elevates it to another notch of deliciousness; the spicy surprise caught me off guard but my taste buds were thrilled.
Elements of surprise are present in each Fiamma dish. Take the Zucchini Fritti, for example. Who would have thought fries can be this healthy and good at the same time? I didn’t miss the usual fries while munching these crispy, tasty treats. What potato fries?
The Ravioli Ricotta Y Burrata has a pleasing rightness to it. It looks so simple in the pan; devoid of anything but a small pool of melted butter, a sprinkle of cheese, and a lone basil leaf on top. Chef Mazzei drizzled some balsamic vinegar and the dish is complete. Waves of ricotta and burrata burst in our mouths punctuated with the sweet-tart flavor of the vinegar. Everything was beautifully-balanced. Our search for more depth and breadth ended with the Pappardelle Bolognese, one of the dishes that graced the Chef’s Special list. The fresh pasta swirled in a tomato-based sauce with minced beef is one of the most satisfying dishes in Fiamma. It has a heft to it: the pasta with its bite and the sauce with its bursting flavor.
We segued into the Beef Fillet, a tasty hunk of beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce on a bed of truffle mashed potato. This is a dish that’s special yet unpretentious. We look at it and do not notice anything fancy but when it reaches our tongues, we taste the meat and feel its tenderness.
The desserts in Fiamma are timeless classics: simple yet confident. We love the Tiramisu and Crema Di Limoni but the Pannacotta takes the cake. It’s quite addictive. One of the best compliments a chef gets is when diners tell them that they brought Italy to them and they never feel the need to travel to Italy just to eat the food they loved in that place. Chef Mazzei often hears this and it keeps his passionate flame for cooking burning. Fiamma remains as Riyadh’s light to southern Italian cuisine.
Fiamma
2nd Floor, Centria Mall
Olaya Street, Riyadh
Contact Nos: +966-11-422-2244
Email: reservations@fiamma.sa
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Dinner: 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM
