By Joseph L. Garcia, Senior Reporter
SOLAIRE Resort Entertainment City marks its 12th anniversary by bringing in some of the world’s best chefs (we’re talking Michelin stars, baby). One such encounter with the guest chef for the March 9 dinner, Sun Kim of Meta in Singapore was hands down, the best meal this writer has had this year (we’ve been invited to meet Solaire’s other guest chef, Heinz Beck, with three Michelin stars, so that might change).
Meta in Singapore usually sits in the upper rungs of Asia’s 50 Best List, and earned its first Michelin star under Mr. Kim in 2017. He’s glad to report that they received their second star last year. In a group interview with Mr. Kim on March 6 at Solaire’s Waterside for a lunch preview of the dinner, Mr. Kim remembers his first star. “I don’t think I was actually ready for the Michelin star. Michelin is a very big achievement. I tried my best to improve and tried my best to evolve.”
Understandably, expectations were very high for the preview lunch, but Mr. Kim exceeded all expectations, and then some. This writer had the sensation that one course was excellent, only to be topped again by the next one.
DINING IN SILENCE, REVERENCEThe first course was a sashimi of tuna with cuttlefish, seaweed, yuzu, and myoga (Japanese ginger). This was paired with a Dry Riesling 200 from Allan Scott in New Zealand. The myoga provides a contrast of texture with the tender tuna, while the wine pairing adds zest. Sliced thinly, the sashimi was dressed in a very subtle sesame oil, sprinkled with seaweed and flowers but arranged just so to look like a flower itself. With the dressing, the light floral notes of the wine are expressed. We noted that the diners were silent and reverent through this course, and after everybody had their last bite, there was a burst of noise from the joy this dish provided.
The next dish was a rice ball topped with Hokkaido scallops, dressed with parsley and aged soy sauce, and topped with a little luxurious dollop of caviar. This was paired with a Roussanne Blanc Clos de Centenaires 2020 by Jean-Luc Baudet, from the South of France. The wine had a scent like fresh hay, accenting the lighter aspects of the dish’s ingredients. On its own, it’s very elegant, with a touch of earthiness, despite being made of seafood.
Next came a chawanmushi (savory egg custard) with spanner crab, seafood broth, and a dash of chili oil. This was paired with a chardonnay, The First Lady 2022, from the Warwick Estate in South Africa. The chardonnay was especially delicate, like the sugar shell around a candied piece of fruit. The dish, meanwhile, had a similarly delicate texture, but the crab and the seafood broth gave it a deeply intense flavor, while the wine added a little sparkle.
The next course was a Jeju abalone porridge with lily bulb, and chicken heart — apparently, this is a Meta signature. We were justified in our excitement: the porridge is light but intensely flavored with ginger and herbs, with an added bite from the lily bulb, and despite its grilling, the abalone tasted and felt buttery. This was paired with a Paul & Remy 2020 Tempranillo from the Chapillon Estate in Spain — the wine was bold and elegant, strong in flavor but light in scent and texture. It dances with the grilled abalone and the smoky porridge, their weights counterbalancing each other.
If you’ve noticed, most of the offerings were seafood: it turns out that Mr. Kim grew up in the south of South Korea, in Busan. “When I open my door, there’s a seafood market. I grew up eating a lot of good seafood,” he said, also noting that his mother once ran a Korean restaurant.
TRULY INTERNATIONALHis upbringing forms the base, but his exposure and study of world cuisine forms his technique, with French and Italian cuisines, but also Japanese. “I used to work in a Japanese restaurant for a long time. I worked in a French restaurant as well. I’m Korean,” he said.
That should explain the last savory dish, a Miyazaki grilled wagyu beef with celtuce (a lettuce cultivar), onion puree, and mushroom ragout. The dish is fragrant from afar; we practically smelled it coming from the kitchen. This was paired with a Heritage An 462 2022 by Gerard Bertrand in Languedoc in France. The wagyu, rich as it was, benefited from the wine’s liveliness. The mushroom ragout was wrapped in a leaf, which we combined with the sharp onion puree. This and the pickled celtuce cut through the beef’s richness, providing a nice ritual.
The dessert was sweet corn and caramel popcorn with ice cream (the corn was the one local ingredient he used; the rest were from Singapore). This was paired with Solaire’s other guest’s offering, a rose-scented tea from Chinese Tea Master He Jia.
Daniel Blais, Solaire’s beverage director, said in a speech before the meal, “For our loyal patrons, we bring the best for all of them.” He reported that the dinners (three-Michelin-starred Azabu Yukimura’s owner Jun Yukimura’s, which was held before Mr. Kim’s dinner, and three-Michelin Star La Pergola’s Heinz Beck’s, to be held on March 16) had all been sold out — despite the P11,888++ price tag. “It’s just proof that Manila enjoys what we do.”
“I just do what I can do,” Mr. Kim said after the lunch. “I just cook from my heart.”
For details and more information, e-mail: restaurantevents@solaireresort.com, or check out https://sec.solaireresort.com/or Solaire’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
