Filipinas Mag

Retiring from a successful career in marketing wasn’t what Paul Anthony L. Huang had in mind when, in 2001, he set out to find a more challenging job opportunity. After all, he was at his prime—41 years old and already with an outstanding record of having managed the flagship brands of three multinational corporations in the Philippines.

Since he wasn’t in a hurry to land his next corporate job, Paul took a short course on the essentials of cooking under the renowned Heny Sison, to satisfy his fascination for the culinary arts that dates back to his childhood. “My interest in cooking was always there. As a kid, I’d always be watching my mother cook or helping her bake… well, it was more like waiting to lick the bowl after! And our father always took out the whole family to eat in fine restaurants like Madrid and Tivoli to celebrate significant occasions,” he recalls. He finished at the top of his [cooking] class with recognition as the “Most Promising Chef.”

Paul’s elation over his latest achievement was short-lived; he had to have an urgent operation to remove a tumor which was causing him to be partially blind and was threatening the rest of his hormonal system. This “awareness of death” experience had him thinking that life is short and is best lived happily doing what one enjoys most. And for Paul Huang, it is cooking.

Determined to be successful in the culinary world, Paul trained with Chef Ariel Manuel of Lolo Dad’s and apprenticed at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with its noted chefs Norbert Gandler, Humphrey Navarro and Ernie Babaran.

Paul’s dream of opening a fine diner in Tagaytay City came true when a friend converted an idle property into the Cliff House, a cluster of establishments catering to the city’s tourists. This site is where one now finds the corporate-man-turned-culinary-artist, Chef Paul and his Fire Lake Grill, which has been chosen by Philippine Tatler as its Best Restaurant awardee for four straight years.

Since he opened for business in March 2005, Chef Paul has been skillfully crafting every client’s dinner into a wonderful experience of fine dining amidst the surrounding lush green slopes and the quiet beauty of Taal Lake.

Fire Lake Grill displays Chef Paul’s casual elegance or “simplicity and friendliness with touches of oomph,” as he calls it. This is manifest in his choice of layout, which is mostly white from walls to linens, warmed by the earth- and pastel tones of the furniture and a few choice art pieces. Wide glass windows line the wall that faces a breathtaking scenery outside. Soft pink and green light from lanterns adorning the ceiling blending with yellow lamplight render the evenings magical, cozy and intimate, so ideal for private small-group affairs or wedding banquets with 70 to 80 guests all very comfortably seated.

Chef Paul takes pride in the service of Fire Lake Grill as he himself trains the staff in the arts of client servicing and marketing, an expertise from his previous career parlayed into the present. The service crew is as professional and friendly as he is. Returning clients are remembered by name, something the chef stresses to his staff as important. He, with his staff, attends to clients’ preferences even for dish preparations not in the regular menu. Several times they’ve set up a special private dinner in the open air as requested by male guests proposing to their sweethearts. The restaurant has naturally gained a loyal clientele.

Fire Lake Grill’s menu showcases Chef Paul’s talent in food preparation that is predominantly western with an Asian twist. He describes his dishes as evoking a quiet burst of contrasting flavors, each balancing the others. Using imported prime cut beef, pork, lamb, fowl, the freshest prawns and fish, and infused with the choicest spices and herbs, the dishes are reasonably priced, comparable to other restaurants in similar category. Every dish that was served for our feasting was a delight to the palate and to the eyes as he meticulously plates the dishes in an artistic yet functional fashion.

Dining in Fire Lake Grill is not just a gustatory fill but a soulful sensory experience of full flavors that aren’t overbearing, in an ambiance that is at once relaxing and gratifying, just as Chef Paul himself promised as he led as to our table. “I want you to experience what Fire Lake is all about… fire and lake, hot and cold, cool and warm, hot food and cool mood… It’s all about contrasts balancing one another.”

The afternoon had been a heartwarming encounter, a reunion with a former colleague and friend who I haven’t seen in ages and who is now all aglow with happiness and fulfillment.

Fire Lake Grill
Unit 3 Cliffhouse Tagaytay
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite 4120
Telephone number: (046) 483-2069
(0927) 914-4604
E-mail Address: firelake@i-manila.com.ph
Website: www.firelakegrill.com

Ma.Cristina M. Goyena writes from Manila.

The interior of the Fire Lake Grill is simple, yet chic. Photo by Terre Goyena