Umami Table - Private Dining

I had first discovered Chef Will Chng’s creations over two years ago, thanks to award-winning Pastry Chef @mairayeo who had gifted me some of his @umamiboy’s range of Asian-inspired condiments when he’d just started out. Now look at how far this 29-year-old has come. Whilst still running a brisk business for his sauces (my fave is Umami Boy’s vegetarian mushroom), he has diversified into private dining with the launch of @umamitable late last year. It has since become one of the hottest in town. I got to try it two nights ago thanks to fellow foodie @terence.jee’s invitation to join his booking.
With an impressive resume that includes being part of Michelin-Starred Meta’s opening team and Willin Low’s group of restaurants (including helming one in Taiwan), Chef Will’s menu is a mouthwatering embodiment of his knowledge and experience thus far. Priced at $168 per pax, there’s a total of eight finely-crafted courses and they flow very well to form a most satisfying dining experience.
Furthermore, you do not have to BYO because he even stocks a few wines that are a great fit for his style of Contemporary Chinese cuisine with a touch of Japanese influence. The white and orange wines selected for us were superb with the food.
Here is what we indulged in:
1. Sashimi of Ocean Trout - Love how he differentiated from the usual with creative use of springy jellyfish, “xue cai” (fermented vegetables made in-house), tomatoes and a Yunnan chilli vinaigrette dressing.
2. Beef Tartare - The first dish Chef Will ever made during the time he worked at Meta was this one starring raw meat. For Umami Table, he gave it a Chinese twist by marinating the chopped beef with ginger scallion oil, a bit of wasabi and koji. The extra fun mouthfeel came from crunchy puffed rice and the silky egg yolk purée.
3. Spanner Crab Chawanmushi - Bowled me over this did. Besides the fresh chunks of crustacean, the steamed egg custard was topped with a glorious frothy cream made from two kinds of wine emulsified with chicken fat. A spritz of 10-year-aged Shaoxing wine was the finishing touch.
4. Yunnan Wild Matsutake Broth - An astoundingly aromatic soup brewed with wild-foraged Matsutake from Yunnan that had been steeped in dashi, strands of Cordyceps and three kinds of Pepper. Considering how flavourful this was, it’s hard to believe it took less than an hour to be ready.
5. Frog Leg Marmite "KFC” - Outstanding. The "KFC' stands for Korean Fried Chicken, the source of inspiration as well as Karen’s Favourite Chicken (she is Chef Will’s other half) because well, she loves it. And so did we. The combo of crunchy coating lavished in a tangy “Tang Cu” Marmite glaze with juicy and tender meat was downright irresistible. Boosting things further, crisped curry leaves and sansho pepper. I’m sure I am not the only one who could have gobbled a bucket of this.
6. Umami XO Capellini - The carb course lived up to its name and then some. Crowned with a big, fresh and bouncy Tiger prawn, the twirl of angel hair pasta was pure dynamite as each strand was coated in @umami.boy’s X.O. Sauce, a recipe that’s chockfull in different seafood and get this - bacon!
7. “Zhang Tea” Smoked Duck - Inspired by his after-work meal in Taiwan, the 7-day-aged and smoked “Zhang Tea” Smoked Duck was a stunner which we got to ogle at before he carved and plated the meat with duck jus, lily bulb and grilled asparagus for us to enjoy. On the side was a cup of hot Roasted Duck “Tea” that we were to chase each bite with. This incredible broth practically stole the show in my opinion.
8. Sweet Fermented Rice - Dessert took my breath away. I have always been drawn to the taste of sweet fermented rice or as the Taiwanese call it - “Jiu Niang”, but I know not everyone feels the same. And that’s precisely why Chef Will’s creation is particularly brilliant as he offset the slightly funky tang of the fermented grains with sweetness from lychees, a blue pea flower ice-cream, snow gum and crystallised osmanthus. Definitely another of my favourites from Umami Table’s current menu.

Thank you Chef Will and Karen for the immensely delicious dinner and warm hospitality. And thank you Terence for getting us all together for a fun evening.