Flame is a wonderful and unashamedly meaty restaurant at Steamer Wharf in Queenstown where the mission was to make a space which honoured the experience of bare-toed fireside eating with mates. Walls are lined in blackened oregon, copper, heated like an old billy, lines the bar, cabinetry is hand chiseled, and colours, like the spices, feel like a South African desert plain.

Previously an office, this 500m2 conversion to a restaurant (who’s kitchen has capacity to serve far beyond the confines of the restaurant), is one of the key anchor sites for the whole of the Steamer Wharf building. The glow of activity from this top floor space now extends well into the evening and is visible across Queenstown’s lakeshore.