PUBLISHED February 24th, 2018 06:00 am
It’s been a busy few years for Chef Sun Kim. The South Korean native, who previously trained under Australian celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda at the acclaimed Waku Ghin, has been the talk of town lately. His restaurant Meta, which opened its doors in 2015 on Keong Saik Road, won its first Michelin star last year. And earlier this year, he launched Kimme on Amoy Street in Singapore.
Genuine and soft-spoken, Chef Sun is known for his mastery of combining Asian sensibilities with Western techniques. He teases umami and Korean spiciness into dishes where they’re seldom seen, like a taco with shiitake mushrooms and kimchi that I’ll get into later.
Whereas Meta is more of a place for occasion dining, the new Kimme is more casual – a spot to visit for date night or showing a friend around town.
You enter the doors into a relatively narrow restaurant decked in sleek warm light, with a long 12-seater marble table smack in the middle. Like Sun Kim’s first concept, the space is decked out in mirrors to provide the illusion of size, and even the open kitchen isn’t spared.
Though when you head up to the second floor, it’s almost a different restaurant. Here, it’s brightly lit, the tables suitable for smaller groups, and there’s a small bar with a selection of classic cocktails alongside several originals.
Chef Sun does a brilliant Kampachi Sashimi ($18) slicked with shiso sauce, chive oil, and homemade Gochujang sauce. And his secret ingredient? Bits of pomelo pulp for a citrusy sweet echo. Then comes the aforementioned taco concoction – soft Taco ($13/two) with a cut of rich roast lamb, earthy shiitake mushrooms, gentle mint yoghurt, and homemade kimchi with enough acidity to make the whole thing easy to gobble up.
If you must choose only one small plate, it should be the Spanish Prawns in XO Sauce ($30), an addictive creation of sizeable roasted king prawns with Chef Sun’s luxurious XO sauce recipe (deep-friend scallops, prawns, anchovies steamed with chilli). And it’s more than that – there are roasted Jerusalem artichoke that are almost creamy and a luscious squid ink and artichoke puree that heightens the dish’s impact.
Instead of lettuce or perilla leaves, the meaty Bossam ($35) at Kimme features fresh endive leaves instead. Grab one, stack a slice of the fabulous pork belly (marinated with soybean paste and coffee powder, and slow-cooked for 12 hours), some tangy white kimchi for that fermented goodness, and slap on a bit of spicy ssamjang sauce. It’s delicious, and fun for folks who like to get their hands dirty.
Other impressive picks include the medium-rare portion of Australian Wagyu Striploin ($47) served with pickled chilli, sautéed shiitake, and sweet onion puree, as well as the umami platter that is the Spanner Crab and Seaweed Linguine ($26) – cooked perfectly al dente with Australian crustaceans and Korean seaweed, resulting in a taste not unlike traditional japchae noodles.
Come dessert, I fall in love with the Banana Cream Puffs ($10/two), which while small, packs plenty of smooth banana cream within the soft and buttery pastry. Or opt for the more complex of the pair, Strawberry ($16), as a sensual Korean strawberry tartare is topped with yoghurt cream and served with yoghurt sorbet, rhubarb confit, and delicate basil oil in a play of intricate flavours. You’d almost definitely want another serving – and go for it, we say.
Kimme is located at 47 Amoy St, Singapore 069873, p. +65 6514 1588. Open Mon-Sat 12pm – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 11pm. Closed Sun.