Melissa F

When @gucciosteria chefs from Seoul x Florence x Tokyo came together in Seoul! Gucci Osteria is a series of contemporary Italian restaurants by @massimobottura in world cities - each with its own varied identities while sharing the same culinary philosophy. The collaboration menu gave us a taste what each chef’s cuisine can be - creative, complex, playful. Now that I’ve been to the Tokyo and Seoul branches, I look forward to visiting the one in Florence next time!

The Signature Gucci Osteria Experience:

Panzerotto (Seoul)

Colazione Italiana (Florence)

Seppia e Piselli (Tokyo)

Gambero Rosso, Raspberry, Preserved Yuza (Seoul)

Abalone, Mussels, Oysters (Tokyo)

Pasta, Bean Miso, Honey, Franciacorta (Tokyo)

Polenta Crisp, Seasonal Vegetables, Caviar (Florence)

Jeju Black Pork Sirloin, Chamnamul, Garlic Scape (Seoul)

Banana Split (Florence)

Hallabong Aperol Spritz Jelly (Seoul)

Vin Santo Madeleine & Pralines (Florence)

Torna in Italia con me (Tokyo)
•
Gucci Osteria Seoul x Florence x Tokyo
Seoul, Korea
#supermelSeoul Less

To celebrate Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, the 50 Best Signature Sessions featured the region’s hottest culinary talent in a series of exclusive collaborations - one of which was the 8 hands between @soigneseoul x @wingrestaurant_hk x @ledubkk x @kwonsooksoo! The event took place in the swanky new location of Soigne with a bright and spacious kitchen. The meal started with a single dish from each chef - each with its distinctive style of flavor - followed by collaborative dishes between 2 chefs before culminating in the main Hanwoo Beef dish which featured everyone. It was a delightful medley of Korean, Thai, and Chinese flavors - thank you chefs for the fantastic experience!

The menu:

Gamtae
@kwonsooksoo

Crab
@ledubkk

Herbs “Bibim”
@soigneseoul

Golden Crystal Egg
@wingrestaurant_hk

Acorn Jelly & Bitter Melon
@ledubkk @soigneseoul

Yukhoe & Moo
@wingrestaurant_hk @kwonsooksoo

Eel & Curry
@ledubkk @kwonsooksoo

Abalone & Barley
@wingrestaurant_hk @soigneseoul

Hanwoo Beef
@ledubkk @soigneseoul @wingrestaurant_hk @kwonsooksoo

Soybean & Camembert
@soigneseoul

Petit Four
@soigneseoul
•
Soigne x Wing x Le Du x Kwonsooksoo
Seoul, Korea
#supermelSeoul Less

The second half of our menu at @mingles_restaurant:

Sticky Rice Risotto, Crab, Tomato, Sesame Oil, Caviar

Ginseng Chicken Roulade, Gochujang Mushroom Sauce, Deodeok (Korean Root Vegetables), Sesame Bechamel

Handon Soondae / Hanwoo++Korean beef), Yam, Fruit Kimchi

Noodles, Anchovy Broth

Bibimbab : Rice Ice Cream & Pudding, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil

Sweet Pumpkin Rice Meringue & Cream, Pumpkin Sikhye Sorbet, Herb

JANG TRIO: Doenjang Creme-brulee, Ganjang Pecan, Gochujang Puff

Beautiful Korean Sweets

Thank you @mingleseoul for the wonderful hospitality!
•
2*, Mingles
Seoul, Korea
#supermelSeoul Less

One of the restaurants that was a must-try for me on this trip to Seoul was @mingles_restaurant by @mingleseoul! While I’ve been to its outpost @hansikgoo in Hong Kong quite a few times already, this was my first time visiting Mingles which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The difference between Mingles and Hansikgoo - as Chef Mingoo explains - is that the former is more modern while the latter leans towards traditional. However, both restaurants use “jang” (Korean fermented sauce) as the fundamental element in their cooking.

Mingles moved to its current location 4 years ago with a minimalist and elegant design. Much like its decor, the dishes may look simple but harbor complexity and depth in its flavors. The first part of our meal started with tantalizing highlights such as the cold chestnut soup, Hanwoo beef tartare with smoked eel, zucchini rice cake tart, mingling pot (which utilized 16 different ingredients), and the fish porridge!

First part of our menu:

Strawberry, Sancho Pepper, Caviar

Sweet Potato Rice Cake

Chestnut Soup, Chestnut Chip, Truffle

Korean Seasonal Raw Fish

Fried Hairtail Fish & Gamtae Roll

Hanwoo Beef Tartare with Smoked Eel

Korean Zucchini Namul & Rice Cake Tart, Shrimp, Perilla, Turnip

MINGLING POT : Seafood Morel & Hanwoo Cabbage Mandu, Sea Cucumber, Abalone, Spinach, Acorn Jelly, Cold Brewed Anchovy Broth

Jeju Fish, Crispy Black Rice, Dried Fish Porridge, Pressed Caviar

To be continued…
•
2*, Mingles
Seoul, Korea
#supermelSeoul Less

During my stay at @fsseoul, I had dinner at their Cantonese restaurant Yu Yuan which held a Michelin star from 2017-2021. Designed by @andrefustudio, the decor is inspired by the grandeur of 1920’s Shanghai - adorned with jade-colored walls and tasteful furniture. The restaurant has recently appointed a new head chef Kwok Wai To who hails from Hong Kong and has previously worked at 2* Imperial Treasure in Guangzhou. We had the chance to try the chef’s signature menu which combines traditional Cantonese cooking techniques with local Korean ingredients - resulting in intriguing dishes such as the bird’s nest soup with Jeju carrots, and the deep-fried sea cucumber stuffed with Hanwoo beef and served with Lao Gan Ma sauce!

Our menu:

{YU YUAN APPETIZER PLATTER}

MARINATED LIVE LOBSTER, JELLYFISH AND KOREAN BLACK FUNGUS IN SESAME SAUCE

CHAR SIU – BARBECUED JEJU BLACK PORK BELLY IN HONEY SAUCE

{SOUP}

DOUBLE-BOILED BLOOD BIRD’S NEST SOUP WITH JEJU CARROT AND GOLD LEAF

{ENTRÉE}

TRADITIONAL BEIJING DUCK

DEEP-FRIED HAENAM SEA CUCUMBER FILLED WITH MINCED HANWOO BEEF AND LAO GAN MA SAUCE

SAUTÉED PORCINIS AND BROCCOLINI IN UISEONG GARLIC SAUCE

WOK-FRIED RICE NOODLES WITH ASSORTED SEAFOOD IN SUPERIOR EGG SAUCE

{DESSERT}

JEJU GREEN TEA ENTREMET WITH CARAMEL CREMEUX, GREEN TEA MOUSSE AND CARAMEL ICE CREAM
•
Yu Yuan
Seoul, Korea
#supermelSeoul Less

Me and Crabzilla 🦀 at @ministryofcrab.bkk! 😆

Loved our meal at Ministry of Crab in Bangkok. While I haven’t been to the original @ministryofcrab in Sri Lanka yet, I’ve had their mud crab at a collaboration in Macau and it was amazingly delicious! Thus I was super excited to eat at their branch in BKK where the crab size ranges from 500g to a whopping 2kg (which is crabzilla!). Aside from the signature black pepper crab, we also had other fantastic dishes including the crab liver pate, kaphrao crab, clay pot prawn curry, butter clams, and more!

#KeepCalmAndCrabOn
•
Ministry of Crab
Bangkok, Thailand
#supermelThailand #supermelBKK Less

The second half of our “Heritage | Culture | Roots” tasting menu at @haomabkk:

𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗮𝘆
Banana shrimp, prawn cracker, “Balchao” bao

𝗚𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘀!
Crab, madras curry, ponni rice

𝗔𝗮𝗺𝗿𝗮𝘀, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗮𝗿
Totapuri mango, buttermilk, “Royal Project” caviar

𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗶 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘁
Fish musallam
Goat nihari & Haleem
Mughal breads

𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶
Dehydrated yoghurt, passion yolk, pistachio praline

𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗱𝘆
Cashew-nut nougat, dried mousse, sea salt ice-cream

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿

Thank you @deepankerkhosla @vishvas.sidana for the wonderful experience!
•
1*, Haoma
Bangkok, Thailand
#supermelThailand #supermelBKK Less

The “Heritage | Culture | Roots” tasting menu at @haomabkk takes diners on a gastronomic journey through the many different regions in India with the choice of meat & seafood or vegetarian experience. Each dish was presented with a postcard of Chef @deepankerkhosla’s memories in India. The food was creative and packed with flavors while the wine pairing was diverse - ranging from champagne to orange wine, sake and sherry.

The first part of our menu started with:

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗵𝗮
Pani puri
Vada pav
Dahi kebab
Raw mango panna

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗱𝗿𝗮
Local sea urchin, moily curry

𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀 𝗸𝗶 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗮𝘁
Shorba puff, Chiang Mai tomato granita, pickles

𝗟𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀
Phuket lobster, ghee roast, idli
Pulissery

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗴𝗴
Chicken kakori
Keema ghotala, egg yolk

To be continued…
•
1*, Haoma
Bangkok, Thailand
#supermelThailand #supermelBKK Less

A most dreamy afternoon spent in the beautiful flower garden at @epurerestaurant with @perrierjouet 🥂!

The Royal Afternoon Tea (HK$998 for 2 pp with 🥂)

“Delectable Savories”

Smoked Salmon & Potato with Caviar
Spanish Ham & Butternut Squash
Tomato & Mascarpone Cheese with Champagne Jelly
Red Prawn & Trout Roe with Tropical Champagne Salsa
Mini Croque Monsieur
Lobster Roll
Black Truffle & Comté Cheese Sandwich

“Delightful Sweets”

Strawberry Champagne Delight
Matcha Cake
Rose & Raspberry Opéra
Macaron
Original & Raisin Scone
_
#StartWithAFlower
#houseofwonderhk
•
The Blooms by EPURE
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
#supermelHK #supermelKowloon Less

A fun night of Singaporean 🇸🇬 and Filipino 🇵🇭 flavors at the collaboration meal between @barryquekhw of @wheyhk and @stephanduhesme of @metizresto in Manila! Derived from the term “mestizo” which refers to people of mixed race, Metiz is a reflection of the chef’s French and Filipino heritage and the ideology of the restaurant to serve traditional Filipino flavors in non-traditional forms.

The menu:

palm tartlet | potato

Heirloom Tomato
bluefin tuna, pachadi

Mud Crab
fermented carrots, marinated yolk

Whey’s Brioche
cheese foam, coco jam, uni

Kinmedai Otah-Otah
batuan, indian lettuce

Baboy
sinapom, achar

Corn Sorbet
soy, nipa

Cend-Halo
coconut, red bean

kasov crunch | bibingka | kueh lapis
•
Whey x Metiz
Central, Hong Kong
#supermelHK #supermelCentral Less