If you enjoy a wild dance-off of flavours, you will be intrigued by Meta Restaurant. This 2 Michelin-starred restaurant fuses Korean, French, and Japanese culinary traditions on a plate.
The mastermind?
Busan-born Chef-Owner Sun Kim. His heritage is Korean, but had French training in Sydney. He learnt Japanese techniques too.
His meticulous East-meets-West cooking style earned him his first Michelin star in 2017, now honored with two Michelin stars.
Meta is also ranked No. 95 on the extended list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024.
When it comes to vibe, think modern with gentle greys and wood. They have a dress code so go smart-casual and do leave kids under 7 at home.
Service is top-notch, clearly, they pay attention to every little detail.
This 26-seater features an open kitchen, so you have a ring-side view of how they prep the dishes. Or even chat with the chefs.
The layout allows diners to experience a chef’s table atmosphere, where the kitchen and dining area share a single space.
Lunch is priced at $248++ per diner, available only on Friday and Saturday. Dinner costs $278++ per diner for a 6-course meal, available from Tuesday to Thursday, and $328++ per diner for an 8-course meal.
Tasting Menu is fixed (they have a single set; you can tell they love minimalism here) but changes roughly every three months in line with the seasons.
I recently had a meal there. Started off with snacks, then a medley of seafood (at times meat), veggies and sweets.
The meal started off well with ‘snacks’ which stand out for their unique flavour combinations.
There is the Yukhoe Gimbap, a Korean seaweed rice roll using yukhoe (raw meat) with pear, radish and pine nuts; Prawn Toast using brioche with Japanese kelp (Kombu) topped with creamy aioli and bittersweet tarragon.
There is also the Tuna Tart served with lime kosho (a Japanese citrus and chili paste), avocado, and jellies made from Japanese soup stock (dashi)
If you love abalone, see how they render their signature abalones from Jeju, paired with gochujang seaweed risotto, and crunchy lily bulbs.
Simmered and grilled, they are served over Korean short grain risotto with barley and buckwheat. The abalone liver sauce in the risotto is the bomb.
Fun fact: Did you know these abalones are harvested by the legendary Haenyeo women divers (I heard some are in their 80s!) without any fancy equipment?
Milmyeon is a traditional Korean noodle dish that originated from Busan. It is made with wheat flour noodles, which are typically served cold in a chilled broth.
As I had a summer menu, I loved this dish which was a masterful blend of delicacy and robustness, where you still get those natural flavours.
The meal ended with a Blood Orange dessert.
Famous for their intense sweetness with a backdrop of subtle tartness, this was balanced with a touch of burrata cheese and pomegranate which added that distinct tanginess.
Overall, I say Meta is a catchy venue for a special occasion or if you want to treat yourself to some fancy fusion nom-noms.
See and taste how Korean cuisine is innovated and dabbed with European flair.
Meta Restaurant
9 Mohamed Sultan Road, Meta Restaurant, Singapore 238959
Opening Hours: 6:30pm – 11:30pm (Tues – Sat), 12pm – 3pm (Fri – Sat), Closed Sun, Mon
Other Related Entries
Michelin Guide Singapore 2024
NAE:UM Restaurant (Telok Ayer)
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