Trendy Amoy Street is abuzz again with the latest opening of Kimme, the second restaurant by rising star Korean chef Sun Kim who led the team at Meta to achieve a Michelin star in 2017. An extension of Meta’s refined Asian-inspired cuisine, Kimme pairs innovative and elevated modern Japanese- and Korean-influenced dishes with more casual surroundings.
While Meta only offers prix-fixe menus, the menu at Kimme is à la carte and all for sharing, divided simply into small plates, big plates and sweets.
Even the interior encourages communal dining with just one large marble-clad table on the ground floor dining room with a view into the open kitchen. "We wanted to create a sense of a chef's table experience," says Kim.
The three-story shophouse caters to both lunch and dinner experiences, and has a bar on the second floor offering a concise list of classic cocktails and wines to complement the food.
Even the interior encourages communal dining with just one large marble-clad table on the ground floor dining room with a view into the open kitchen. "We wanted to create a sense of a chef's table experience," says Kim.
The three-story shophouse caters to both lunch and dinner experiences, and has a bar on the second floor offering a concise list of classic cocktails and wines to complement the food.
While the chef will be splitting his time between the two restaurants, Kimme will be helmed by head chef Louis Han who has been working alongside chef Kim at Meta for the last two years. A fellow Korean, the cuisine also frequently alludes to their roots while maintaining a refined modern European approach to elevating Asian and Korean comfort fare.
Watch a video of the two chefs at work here:
Watch a video of the two chefs at work here:
The small plates at Kimme shine. For a taste of how the chefs integrate Korean cooking influences in their modern European plates, try the Korean-style Wagyu tartare, which is marinated in a combination of soy sauce, sesame, Dijon mustard, lime juice and mirin. While raw starters like the Wagyu tartare, Irish oysters and kampachi sashimi are well-conceived and really highlight the main proteins and chef's light touch, the dish of King prawn and plump little mussels with XO sauce and Jerusalem artichoke packs a smoky flavorful punch.
For mains, the Bossam is a must. "This is a very traditional Korean way of eating," says Kim. "My father used to make it for us every Sunday." In Kimme's rendition, pork belly is marinated in Korean soybean paste, soy sauce and coffee powder and then slow-cooked for 12 hours, leaving it almost fork-tender and clean-tasting. Smear a crisp endive leaf with homemade Ssamjang, and top it with a chunk of meat and chef's signature white kimchi—each bite is an explosion of taste and texture.
For mains, the Bossam is a must. "This is a very traditional Korean way of eating," says Kim. "My father used to make it for us every Sunday." In Kimme's rendition, pork belly is marinated in Korean soybean paste, soy sauce and coffee powder and then slow-cooked for 12 hours, leaving it almost fork-tender and clean-tasting. Smear a crisp endive leaf with homemade Ssamjang, and top it with a chunk of meat and chef's signature white kimchi—each bite is an explosion of taste and texture.
Irish oysters with a zingy lemon ginger dressing and trout roe.
A starter of kampachi sashimi with ginger and pomelo dressed with spicy gochujang and chive oil.
Perfectly tender and pink BBQ Brittany pigeon with onion and watercress salad.
