Culinary Class Wars chef to cook live at Gu:um Singapore this April

Fans of Netflix’s popular South Korean reality show Culinary Class Wars (2024) can get a taste of its contestants’ creations later in 2025, when some of them collaborate with Korean restaurant Gu:um in Keong Saik Road. 

The three visiting “black spoon” chefs are Lim Hee-won of Seoul’s Buto Hannam, also known as Celebrities’ Chef on the show; Kim Tae-sung of Pono Buono, also known as Hidden Genius; and Song Ha-seul-ram of Mamalee Market, also known as Banchan or Side Dish Chef.

While the restaurant has yet to announce when the latter two will be in Singapore, Seoul-based chef Lim will cook alongside Gu:um founder Louis Han and head chef Sanggil Byeon on April 12. To commemorate the restaurant’s first birthday, the chefs will serve an eight-course menu ($188++ a person), available for lunch and dinner that day. 

The meal begins with four starters from chef Lim, including his vegetarian sashimi, which was praised on the show by judge Anh Sung-jae of three-Michelin-starred Mosu. The multicoloured platter of thinly sliced beets, avocado, yam, lotus root, kiwi, shiitake mushroom, radish and seaweed is meant to mimic the taste of raw seafood. 

Other starters include abalone mala bibimmyeon made with angel hair pasta, eggplant menbosha (a crispy fried minced shrimp sandwich) and yukhwae, which is seasoned beef tartare with sea urchin and seaweed. 

Gu:um’s meat platter follows, featuring short ribs with galbi marinade, wagyu striploin, Iberico presa with fermented fish sauce, Jeju Island abalone and grilled vegetables.

Together, the chefs will collaborate on three dishes: seaweed soup, which is traditionally eaten on birthdays in Korea, bibimbap elevated with Avruga caviar and sweet potato mille-feuille. 

Chef Lim, 40, says: “I’m constantly developing new dishes at Buto and I want to share a few of those with diners in Singapore. There is a good match with Louis’ creations at Gu:um. Diners in Singapore will be able to try varied Korean cuisine in our contemporary flavours.”

He first met chef Han in 2017 and they immediately clicked. They first collaborated in 2019 at a pop-up event in Buto, and remain good friends. 

Chef Lim adds: “I want to celebrate Gu:um turning one. As a chef, what better way to celebrate than a collaboration event where we can cook together?” 

Chef Han, 35, also runs one-Michelin-starred restaurant Nae:um in Telok Ayer Street.

Looking back at Gu:um’s first year of operations, he says: “While the F&B environment has not been easy in the past year, I am thankful to have a team I can rely on, and a very strong head chef in Sanggil.

“Going forward, we will keep introducing new dishes at Gu:um to give the team the opportunity to play with their creativity. I think it will be nice for diners to be able to enjoy their go-to favourites while trying new things at the same time.”

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.