Diners at The Tasting Room at City of Dreams Manila are in for a gastronomically-indulgent evening on April 8 as a tandem of 2-Michelin starred chefs host a spectacular dinner: the restaurant’s chef de cuisine William Mahi collaborating with Jung Sik Yim, at the “Four Hands Dinner: Aboard the Flavor Galleon” at Crown Towers hotel’s modern European restaurant.
The one-night event is held in conjunction with the Dinner with the Stars at Madrid Fusion Manila, the first and only Asian edition of the most important international gastronomy congress in the world that gathers some of the most distinguished names in the world of gastronomy. The renowned culinary genius chef Yim, considered the “king of New Korean cuisine” is one of the international celebrity chefs attending the congress on April 7-9.
Chef Jung Sik Yim
Chef Jung Sik Yim’s eponymous modern Korean restaurant Jungsik in Seoul is ranked No. 10 in San Pellegrino’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016. His restaurant Jungsik in Tribeca, New York received two Michelin stars this year and is known for the Five Senses Satisfaction, a representation of hot, bitter, sweet, crunchy, and soft sensations of a popular Korean dish made of pork belly called bossam.
The 33-year old chef has made waves for blazing the trail in introducing molecular gastronomy to Korean dishes, applying avant-garde techniques and concepts to deviate and deconstruct from the highly traditional textures, flavors, and compositions of the same. His deconstruction of the bibim bap by reintroducing it as a salad and the classic kimchi transforming it into a dressing, are examples of his artistic approach to revolutionizing traditional culinary fare.
Yim was born in South Korea and gained much of his experience under the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. Before opening his award-winning restaurant in Seoul in 2009, he trained at Nordic-styled Aquavit and David Bouley’s namesake restaurant in New York, as well as two of Spain’s finest dining venues: Zuberoa and Akelarre.
Chef William Mahi
William Mahi, the Chef de Cuisine of The Tasting Room, is recognized for his culinary style, which he calls “Progressive and Alternative” that gravitates towards the original and the unusual, with a sense of sharpness of taste. His use of traditional French techniques stems from his Basque heritage which he combines with molecular gastronomy, evident in his noteworthy dishes at The Tasting Room, such as the amuse-bouche of goat cheese, foie gras lollipops, and limoncello jelly; his signature 52 Degree Egg – yolk poached sous vide until it reaches 52 degrees on top of a potato mousse with Iberico ham and porcini; and French Lamb Saddle perched on a wreath of smoked rosemary and thyme.
Mahi, also 33, entered the culinary world in a five-star restaurant and, with a desire to become a chef’s apprentice, studied for a one year diploma in Centre de Formation d’Apprentis (CFA) in Bayonne. He then worked as an apprentice in 1996 at a one Michelin star restaurant, the Table des Fréres Ibarboure, and was named the Best Apprentice in France two years later.
He worked in Paris and Lyon in 1-2 and 3 Michelin Star restaurants and rose from apprentice to becoming a Sous Chef and subsequently, Chef de Cuisine in various restaurants in Beirut, Shanghai and Istanbul. From 2013 to 2014, he was Consultant and Chef de Cuisine at Spondi Restaurant, a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Athens, which was listed in San Pellegrino World’s 100 Best Restaurants in 2013.
Mahi has received numerous other accolades, namely: Best European Restaurant in 2010 by Shanghai Travel and Leisure for LAN Club Shanghai, 2 Stars in the Michelin Guide for Spondi in 2014, and Running Chef of the Year award in China by the City Weekend Magazine in 2011. Most recently, The Tasting Room was recognized as one of the Top 20 Best Restaurants in the Philippines by luxury lifestyle magazine Philippine Tatler.
Diners can expect no less than an exceptional culinary journey spanning Eastern and Western influences through the “Four Hands Dinner” at The Tasting Room.
For reservations, guests can call 8008080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com.
