Resorts World Sentosa’s Curate, which offers menus by different visiting Michelin-starred chefs every quarter, and which last welcomed names like Masayasu Yonemura of one-Michelin-starred Restaurant Yonemura Kyoto and Richard van Oostenbruge of two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Bord’Eau, is letting Kang Mingoo, chef-owner of one-Michelin-starred Mingles in Seoul, take over its kitchen next.
Mingles was also voted the best restaurant in Seoul for the second consecutive year (#15 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, which also saw two other winners from Seoul). Chef Kang rose up the ranks because of his prowess in creating traditional Korean dishes and fusing it with bits of European-influenced touches.
His humble beginnings saw him training overseas after receiving a degree in the culinary arts for five years; he took up apprenticeships at three-Michelin starred Restaurante Martin Berasategui, as well as Michelin-starred Zuberoa and Elbohio restaurants in Spain. He later joined Nobu Miami as a junior sous chef, before becoming the youngest head chef at Nobu Atlantis in the Bahamas. Once he was done tasting the flavors of the world, he returned to Korea and took up a job as the head of R&D for a local restaurant group before realizing his true calling—opening a restaurant serving Korean cuisine. And this was just three years ago.
From Aug 16-23, chef Kang will prepare a four-course lunch ($180) and an eight-course dinner ($380) with wine pairings, featuring his signature dishes like scallop carpaccio with “makgeolli” ceviche and Korean bottarga, “doenjang” cured foie gras rolled with “baek kimchi” and more. For reservations, call 6577-7288 or email [email protected].
Check out some of his dishes here:
