The Place This is Meta’s third location, a One Michelin Star restaurant in Singapore. Located just a few doors down from Esora, the new space of Meta Restaurant helmed by Chef owner Sun Kim is gorgeous. I love the whole neutral tonality of the interior which features a main dining hall with a view of the open kitchen. 

I love clean lines in a space, and the interior at Meta has very clean lines from the texture of the wall panels to the setup of the open kitchen.

The dining seats are comfortable cushion seats, where the corner seats offer the best privacy for couples.

The mirror on one side of the restaurant also helps to create a more spacious illusion. 

Meta is also ranked Number 17 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023. In 2017, the team received their first Michelin star and has retained their star since. 

The Food Combining Chef Sun’s Korean heritage, Japanese culinary techniques, and Western culinary training, the cuisine at Meta is innovative and it incorporates a myriad of seasonal produce and ingredients. There are only set menus here where lunch goes for S$248++ per diner (only available on Friday and Saturday) while dinner is priced at S$298++ per diner. 

I visited the restaurant for lunch and here is what to expect from the S$248++ lunch menu: 

Snacks 
The first part of the meal is a series of four snacks to start. 

Salmon Sandwich 
Thin and crispy, I love this simple looking and delicate salmon sandwich. 

Gimbap 
A sushi rice roll filled with Korean Wagyu beef tartare, pop it in one mouth and it is full of umami.  

Tuna With Avocado 
This is topped with dashi jelly, avocado in the middle and goat curd at the bottom. Have all the elements in one bite for a well-balanced flavour. The goat curd taste is subtle. 

Prawn Toast 
I would not mind having this toast for breakfast every day. The crisp prawn toast uses obsiblue prawns and it comes with a separate bowl of olive sauce topped with Oscietra caviar. Spread the sauce and caviar on the toast, divine! 

Striped Jack (Surf clams | Minari) 
A course that follows next looks strong in Japanese influence which features Shima Aji sashimi with clams, octopus and minari.  

Abalone (Kamtae | Lilybulb) 
One of the signature dishes of Chef Sun, this course features a beautiful Abalone from Jeju Island. The abalone is charcoal grilled over binchotan, and the surprise lies within as it contains porridge with seaweed (kamtae). Overall, a course full of flavours as it also has bits of Jeju pepper along with charcoal grilled lilybulb. 

Kinki (Mandu | Zucchini) 
A fish course is up next, where the Kinki fish spots a crisp texture. I enjoyed the sauce here, which is made from fish bone reduction with hints of gochujang. The surprise element in this course is the “Mandu”, a Zucchini flower dumpling filled with Japchae (glass noodles) 

Next up is a surprise course not on the lunch menu – Korean Cold Noodles. 

I am not sure if this is a regular surprise but am definitely not complaining, since I get to enjoy a beautifully plated Korean cold noodle with kimchi and gochujang sauce along with beef terrine and jellied beef tongue. 

KBBQ (Eggplant | Jangajii) 
The main course of the meal is the KBBQ where I had Western Australian lamb, a tender and flavourful meat which is not gamy at all. I am not a lamb lover, but this lamb is surprisingly good for me. 

It comes with condiments by the side such as eggplant with miso purée, mushroom ragu, as well as a bowl of fried burdock rice and kimchi salad. The salad is quite refreshing and helps to balance the richness of the lamb. 

An intermission course before desserts is this cup of Roasted Barley Tea which aids in digestion. 

Peach (Yoghurt | Timut pepper) 
A pre-dessert, this peach sorbet with a tinge of timut pepper is a sour and sweet mix. 

Corn (Popcorn | Caramel) 
I am usually not that excited for dessert since it is quite repetitive across most restaurants. This is one dessert I will remember. It is everything corn inspired, with a small plate of corn chips mille feuille which is delicious. 

I then moved on to the corn ice cream along with bits of crisp popcorn and lightly grilled white corn to complete the corny experience. I enjoyed it as the different corn textures all blend seamlessly. 

The last act of Sweets is a duo of Sulbbang & Banana Cream Puff. 

Rants Some parts of the explanation of the dishes could be better communicated for me, as I did struggle to understand some of the words being articulated by the service crew. Wine by the glass is from S$30++ which is a tad pricey.

Will I Return Again? A good meal at Meta no doubt though I wasn’t exceptionally blown away at the end of the meal. That said, if you love contemporary Korean cuisine in fine-dining setting, Meta is still one restaurant worth trying in Singapore.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Meta Restaurant 
9 Mohamed Sultan Road 
Singapore 238959  
Tel: +65 6513 0898 

Opening Hours 
Tuesday to Thursday: 6pm to 11:30pm 
Friday to Saturday: 12pm to 3pm; 6:30pm to 11:30pm 
Closed on Monday & Sunday 

Ranted by The Ranter