We were invited by Amelie Flam-kuche for a complimentary meal. I was really excited to visit as it has been on my list for a while, but I’ve never got around to doing it…reckon I could never justify eating ‘pizza’ right out of PureGym.

Anyway, turns out it wasn’t exactly pizza and I’d been depriving myself for no reason! Flam-kuche may look like skinny pizza but it feels a lot healthier, thanks to the yeast-free dough base which is thin and light. It’s spread with crème fraiche and choice of tasty imaginative toppings that stay fresh and full of flavour as it cooks at a high heat in a matter of minutes until crispy – it tastes really fresh and crisp, quite unlike a pizza.

There were two options for the base – tomato sauce or spicy cream sauce. I was a bit confused at first but thanks to the support of Saffron on their team I was able to figure out which base was best suited for / traditionally had with which toppings. I also quite appreciated the two sizes of the flam-kuche – I reckon the small is good enough for one for lunch, while the large is better catered for bigger groups looking to share and try out different options.

In addition to their signature flam-kuche, Amelie also had an exciting range of starters. We were bummed to find out that they were out of ‘cheese cushions’ – yes, they are exactly what they sound like – but were very pleased with our order of prawns and dirty fries (sans bacon). The prawns were delicious and fresh, and came with a pillowy brioche which was the perfect accompaniment for the garlic butter. The dirty fries portion was quite generous, and I loved how well spiced and cheesy they were – would strongly recommend! 

For mains, we order 3 large flamkuches and 1 small one to share amongst four hungry souls – goat’s cheese, mushroom, three cheese, and chorizo and mozzarella. 

We couldn’t pick just one favourite as we liked both the mushroom and the chorizo and mozzarella equally. The mushroom flamkuche came with a generous topping of mushrooms (duh-uh), sliced onions, and – the star of the show – garlic butter. The chorizo and mozzarella had rocket, olives, and sliced tomatoes, in addition to chorizo, and of course, mozzarella. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it was remarkable how thin and crispy the base felt, and how well the toppings complimented it. 

On Saffron’s recommendation, we opted for the spiced cream sauce base for the three cheese flamkuche, and were very happy to have followed her advise. My only regret is not getting this one in a large – the pesto topping was very fresh and flavourful, and complimented the cheeses very well.

We were divided in our opinion of the goat’s cheese flamkuche – with a topping of goat’s cheese, caramelised onions, beetroot, honey and rocket, this was to be expected. I also think we made the mistake of opting for a tomato sauce base for this one – spicy cream would have likely complimented the toppings better. I’m not much of a beetroot fan but did quite like it – very different from most other topping combinations, but the flavours went well together.

A quick note on service – we got there half hour before closing time, and the Amelie staff were absolutely lovely! Service was quick, food was served fresh from the oven, and Saffron was more than willing to guide us.

All in all, it was a pretty great meal, and I really appreciated not feeling heavy at the end of it (I usually regret eating a whole pizza by myself). I’d definitely be going back to try their cheese cushions, and salmon and avocado flamkuche, along with a repeat of some of what we ordered this time.