Meta
9 Keong Saik Road near Outram MRT
Meta, one of the highly acclaimed restaurants in sg recently, has always been on the list for quite a while already. The delay – was its anorexic portions that I have foreseen would not be able to satiate my appetite as I crave for a hearty weekend weekly. Admittedly, portions were small while the price tag of the menu isn’t one you would spend your average night out on, I was secretly hoping for a free flow of kimchi toast or bread throughout the night to fill the stomach with delicious carbs. BUT, that really isn’t the point, as the head chef of this fusion restaurant, who mainly focuses on Korean elements, has successfully assimilated in Japanese and French cooking techniques, making the tastes and details of every course evidently so well thought through, beating the haphazard combination that one would usually associate a fusion restaurant to.
Seated comfortably at the high counter seats, we started the 5 course menu ($98) with some refreshing amuse bouche; made with crackers, octopus bits and ikura.
The fun, didn’t end there expectedly as the second amuse bouche was this plate of heavier tasting beef tartare with bulgogi dressing and a small celebratory kaya toast with truffle butter topped with finely grated parmesan cheese. We loved both, especially that intense kaya toast.
And here comes the first course, which sets our expectations so high up as this plate of raw hokkaido scallop was amazingly balanced by the acidity from the yuzu, refreshing sweetness from the apple slices and saltiness from the pink tosaka nori. Light flavours over here yet so sharp and distinct that set to perk the palates up!
Interestingly this Guksu actually reminded me of nissin noodles but in the positive way as that al dante cappelini has been doused with the comforting seaweed flavour, made more decadent with the spanner crab. There was a strong burst of seafood flavour over here, yet the delicate balance in its taste was handled with much finesse.
We got the seafood Korean pancake as an extra side which comes topped with pickled radish and salty sea asparagus. This was on point. $25.
Jasmine smoked quail with tea with Portobello, leek and radish – Tender as you could have imagined, that unassuming quail jus seemed to be the star to me as it was so rightly intense, lightly sweet and savoury that managed to bind all the elements here beautifully.
And we moved on the the red meat with this slow cooked beef cheeks topped with eggplant, celeriac and watercress bits. Tenderised to an unimaginable consistency, this was beautifully paired with the fluffy baked potato intercalated with thin slices of carrots. How fine could this dining be!
And the senior got the rack of lamb for her red which was precisely cooked to a tender pink hue, while the naturally sweet side condiments such as the carrot and parsnip complemented the entire dish to give that beautiful sweet ending. A perfect combination of elements over here again!
An oversized pearl for dessert?! That was what I thought to myself from the instagrammed photos, but inside this highly enamoured pearl gelatin, was a huge ball of white chocolate and poach pear bits in it; all to be taken with that black pepper ice cream for its flavour to be lifted greatly. Such piquant flavours for a dessert, I reckon is bold yet tremendously on point.
And that’s us having a great night out at this beautiful restaurant!
As you could see, every dish has indeed been perfected as each worthy course has been thought through thoroughly while the pairing of the several elements on the plate, were all faultless. It was like the times when we get into an atas restaurant, let your hair down, without worrying about the worthiness of the food after that first course is served. But yes, I crossed over to the coffee shop there after to have my $1.80 fan choi!
Verdict: An excellent restaurant. 4.6/5.
What a rare post on Korean food from myself! But Chi Bing, where we had our team lunch one fine afternoon, actually blew me away quite a little. Went in without any expectations, only keeping in mind that I will see loads of red sauce and sweet tasting stir fry (e.g. bulgogi) and some overly priced bingsu, I walked out filled with utter satisfaction as everything on the menu (at least what we have ordered) tasted hearty, unpretentious and more importantly, priced very reasonably. A smiley service throughout rendered by the polite Koreans (our ajuma cooking for us in the picture above) and with the familiar DOTS soundtrack playing in the background, our experience was further accentuated by the Korean crowd around us! A testament indeed to its authenticity.
Mango Smoothie 망고 스무디 and Green tea mint Choco frappe 민트초코 프라페 – I think what makes them really appealing, is the Korean worded label that the cup is wrapped in. Small gimmick, but would definitely catch the attention of some! Tasting more like chocolate mint ice cream, the green tea flavour has to be stronger as it could easily be overwhelmed by the mint. $6.70 each.
The free flow of pan chan that you could get from the counter.
Did a little bit of mathematics and realised that the set would be much more worthy than the ala carte as each set includes one main stir fry (2-3 pax) together with a complementary choice of topping, steamed egg and a bing su. Set B 치빙세트 B we got, that is the seafood stir fry which was filled with loads of small octopus, mussels, some chicken, prawns and the chewy toppoki. Evenly coated in the thick chilli sauce, every element in this platter was heavy tasting; definitely a hearty mix for the Koreans and I reckon it is better than Yoogane which has created a big buzz when it was first launched. $41.90.
An extra topping was ordered for $3.90. Fried rice that came in a mass tin, what a good way to plate this old, traditional dish which I guess was meant for the masses in the past when Korea wasn’t as wealthy as she is today.
The complementary steamed egg – So fluffy within, made even more appealing with that bubbling froth on top, this pot of lightly buttered steamed egg is definitely comforting to the soul. $4.90 if the set isn’t ordered.
Tofu Stew 순두부찌개 – Generous servings of huge, smooth tofu served in the spicy broth. The tofu was good but the broth was somehow not my favourite as it was lacking in sweetness. $9.90.
Ginseng Chicken Soup Sam gyetang 삼계탕 – A huge pot of comforting ginseng chicken soup. Not exactly thick and rich, the soup though, felt adequately flavoured and permeated throughout with the chicken essence. A delicious healthy bowl which we could indulge in without having to worry of any artificial flavourings. And man, those bones literally melt in your mouth that there was nothing left at the end. $19.90.
Huge Seafood pancake 해물파전 – Cooked in a pan, this large and thick pancake tasted doughy and perhaps needed more flavour to it. The dip at the side though, saved the dish by rendering it a savoury slant. We would prefer the pancake to be less charred. $21.90.
Time for desserts and Bingsu they were. Not expecting such good quality ones at all as I have been dismayed terribly at my virgin experience at 
Drizzle over this Injeolmi Bingsu 인절미 빙수 with that condensed milk by the side, it further accentuates the nutty body that the smooth pulverised nuts rendered. What sets this greatly apart from Nunsongyee is the evenly flavoured shaved ice that most importantly tasted sweet even when not coated with the condensed milk. $9.90.
Our final bingsu for the day that came down hard on our taste buds. Mango and cheesecake Bingsu 망고치즈 빙수 – Topped with a creamy ball of vanilla ice cream, made even heavier and milkier with that thick cheesecake, this will suit greatly the super sweet toothed. $12.90.
Simply foodolicious! おいしい! 好吃! 맛있는! délicieux! delicioso! 好食! 