Senia & Maum
A Springboard to Korea
Earlier in the year, I had a serious case of FOMO when I saw that Senia was doing a collaboration dinner with a bay area Michelin-rated restaurant. Since the dinner was in California, I logistically couldn’t make it. So when I saw Senia’s Instagram announcement about a collaboration dinner with the same Michelin-rated restaurant, but this time in Honolulu, I had my seats reserved within minutes!
While I was sad to have missed their collaboration earlier in the year, the timing of this second collaboration dinner was somewhat fortuitous. Maum is a Michelin-starred restaurant from Palo Alto that is known for its Korean influenced tasting menu. When this story is published, I’ll be on a plane heading off to my first visit to South Korea. So, in a way, this special collaboration between my favorite restaurant in Hawaii and a Michelin-starred Korean restaurant is a timely lead-in to my vacation.
In the days leading up to last night’s dinner, the first of a two-night only collab, my Instagram feed would occasionally show me a prep shot or two from Senia and Maum. Photos of a rabbit course, Maum reserve caviar, soondae (blood sausage), kimchi, and pickled sweet cherry peppers… it all looked so tantalizing. But did the experience live up to the anticipation?
The Tasting Menu…
Typically with collaborations, the idea is to have the menu be a fusion of styles. However, what often happens is you get two distinctly different meals just served in alternating courses. Synergy and cohesion are often missed or muddled. Upon first glance at the menu for the evening, I was pleased to find that it read like a single, cohesive progression of flavors and tastes. It took some thought to guess as to which courses were prepared by which chefs; a good initial sign that we might be in store for a true collaboration.
Oyster, soondae, smoked salmon, quail egg
One of my favorite parts of modern tasting menus are the “snacks”. These are usually a variety of single-bite dishes that pack a lot of flavor and help to awaken the taste buds. Right off the bat, I could feel the synergy between Maum and Senia, with two snacks prepared by each. While I enjoyed all of the bites, the soondae (blood sausage) stood out to me the most for its amazing flavor that was unmarred by the typical metallic taste you can sometimes get with blood sausage.
Caviar with radish and charred onion dashi
No skimping on caviar here! This next course was a cold dish that packed a lot of savory elements. The radish “custard” helped to add a cut of freshness to the dish, but the bursts of oceanic salt from the caviar and the savory dashi really stood out.
Foie Gras with chestnut, quince, and calamansi
The Maum team brought some produce with them from their farm, including some quince which Senia used to create this dish. The rich foie gras was perfectly balanced with the sweet quince and citrus of calamansi. There was also a “five flavor” fruit in the dish that curiously hit all the different flavor sensors on the palate.
Hamachi with Asian pear and smoked trout roe
The kimchi dashi used in this next course packed a decent punch of heat, which hopefully helped me get in the mood for some of the spicy food I’m sure to have on my visit to Korea. The deep anchovy-tinged flavor of the dashi and the heat of the kimchi matched perfectly with the sweet Asian pear and the fattiness of the hamachi.
Caraflex cabbage with anchovy and ginger creme fraiche
This next course was a slight play on one of Senia’s signature menu items: the Charred Cabbage. This version had all of the “meatiness” of the charred cabbage dish, but with a hint of the anchovy-based dashi to up the umami factor. The ginger creme fraiche added a creaminess and slight freshness to balance the plate.
Opah with parsnip, matsutake, kohlrabhi
OCharred Cabbagene of the things I was impressed with was how well executed the service was tonight. These two teams with very little prep work (I believe Maum flew in just a night before) felt like a cohesive kitchen that had been working together for years. The only hiccup of the night was a slightly longer break in the pacing between the last course and this opah. That nitpick aside, the wait was worth it as this opah was perfectly cooked. I’ve had a dish at Senia before that used the combination of raw and grilled matsutake, which worked very well here in this dish with the fish and brown butter.
Rabbit with bacon, fig, and pistachio
I had seen Chef Rush doing some trial runs of this dish on Instagram over the past week. They say practice makes perfect and those trials paid off here. The texture, seasoning, and flavor combinations in this rabbit dish were all delectable. By this time of a big tasting menu, my wife usually starts to get full, and I gladly ate up half of her portion. This was one of the best rabbit dishes I’ve had in recent memory.
A5 Japanese wagyu beef, kimchee, Hirabara farms lettuce, pickles, and wagyu rice
Ssam assempled in lettuce wrap
Every time I have the chance to eat A5 grade Japanese wagyu (the best beef in the world) I just can’t bring myself to pass. This course was served with a chopstick tender short rib, but for an additional supplemental charge of $85, you can sub the short rib for A5 Japanese wagyu. That’s a hefty price tag, but one I’d pay every time. The combination of flavors in this course were exactly what you’d want from ssam: fatty meat, vinegared kimchi or pickles, umami-rich condiments, and fresh lettuce to wrap it all up. The addition of the A5 wagyu just makes the whole course extra special!
Montblanc with red bean, grains, and pear
This painstakingly crafted montblanc was the final course of the night before mignardises. I appreciated the attention to detail and the craftsmanship here, but also the restraint in keeping the dish sweet but not in an overpowering way.
Did the experience live up to the expectation? Yes, yes it did.
I could’ve been served this menu and completely believed that it was a single team who created it from beginning-to-end. The progression of complementary flavors felt very cohesive and nothing was jarring or out of place. It was also fun to experience some new ingredients and flavor combinations that you don’t often find in Hawaii.
I’m very happy to have had the chance to experience this collaboration (both nights are sold out) and look forward to more in the future!
Maum
322 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Ph: 650-656-8161
www.maumpaloalto.com
Senia
75 North King Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Ph: 808-200-5412
www.restaurantsenia.com
