On invitation with CPM
Chef Lee’s craftsmanship continues as he dismantles notions of modern brunch and asian food conventions. His skill and innovation evident from his time at Tetsuya and Kensington Street Social. Two years on since our last visit, the vision has not gone stale. He teases about some experimenting they have been doing with truffles to jazz up the Winter menu.
The Japanese bento is given Dutch and German modifications. Tonkatsu technique for the most part remains in its original 19th century form, however salty eggs have been incorporated into the batter ensuring a thin and crunchy coat allowing the pork loin to dominate. He chooses a subtle nuttty dressing in the accompanying coleslaw with optional picked vegetable for taste.
Wasabi is derived from a root, and it seems he looks to the same principles applied in ancient Greek and Egyptian cooking with the pairing of horseradish and kale with soba noodles. The highlight being the confit of French duck.
The surprise in sheer size was breathtaking almost filling half the plate.
A fascinating combination of oversized Austian pastry is dissected and toasted inside. He raises the basic breakfast to new heights by using crab in the omelette and generously lining the opening of the capsule with pearls of caviar.
This meal creates curiosity on the creative potential should they someday tackle the dinner scene as the elegant brunch moments they create are quite memorable. The only drawback is the size of the venue which can only sit 20-25 people at a time.
Reservations are only taken for groups of 5 or more and you are encouraged to take a chance registering as a walk-in.
If your group does make a booking, be on time as your table is given away should you arrive more than 10 minutes late. The venue does open after hours for private events larger than 12.
It is not uncommon to wait up to 90 minutes for a table.
The weekends often require a waitlist but once you’re in, you’ll recognise why it was worth the wait.