Meta

The name was on the shophouse when he arrived. He decided it meant metamorphosis, then earned it.

Meta is the booking for a night when you want Korean food cooked with fine-dining precision rather than barbecue smoke, and the occasion justifies a tasting menu. It holds two Michelin stars and was number 39 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025, so this is a planned evening, not a spontaneous one: menus run to six or eight courses and booking is through the restaurant's own site. Bring someone who thinks they already know Korean food.

What makes it worth the money is that the cooking is personal. Chef-owner Sun Kim grew up in Busan and later Seoul, cooked as a boy to feed himself and his older brother, and worked in construction as a builder and painter before a vocational cooking course changed the plan. A book by Tetsuya Wakuda changed it again: he moved to Sydney, learned English and talked his way into Tetsuya's kitchen, which in turn brought him to Singapore and Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands.

At 31 he opened Meta in a shophouse on Keong Saik Road. He had considered calling it Restaurant Kim, but the unit already carried the name Meta, so he kept it and decided it stood for metamorphosis. It earned a star in its second year, and the metamorphosis turned out to be literal. Meta began as Asian cooking on French technique with Japanese leanings; after the pandemic Kim steered it firmly towards Korean food and the home-style dishes he grew up with. In 2024 came the second star and, in July, the move to a bigger room at 9 Mohamed Sultan Road with an open kitchen.

That room is black awnings, concrete floors and glass: cool and composed, more gallery than grill house. Two dishes tell you what the kitchen is about. Jeju abalone with rice porridge has been on since opening day, a nod to home cooking across East Asia. Bibimmyeon, the spicy cold noodles, is the dish Kim says best represents him, because it ties together his Busan and Seoul roots. Ask about both when you book; if the noodles are on, you are in luck.

The kitchen also trains people well. Louis Han of Nae:um and Kevin Wong of Seroja both cooked with Kim at Meta, and both went on to win the Michelin Young Chef Award. If you have eaten at either, this is where that family tree starts.

How to do it well: choose between the six- and eight-course menus before you go, check current prices and opening days on Meta's site (they sit in the facts box, not here), and plan the evening around dinner rather than squeezing it in before something else. It is a short walk from Fort Canning MRT, which is the only part of the night that should feel quick.

Good to know Meta is at 9 Mohamed Sultan Road, a short walk from Fort Canning MRT. Booking is via the restaurant's own website; check current menu prices and opening days there before you go.

Meta | 9 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238959 | Nearest MRT: Fort Canning