Even amongst the world-renowned celebrity chefs with restaurants in the finest casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard, of Las Vegas, Chef Min Kim’s star shines bright.  Or, rather, they both do, seeing as he earned a pair of Michelin stars while helming the kitchen at Mizumi at Wynn Macau before he was brought stateside to recreate that culinary magic at Mizumi at Wynn Las Vegas.

Recently, Wynn announced that Mizumi would be undergoing a renovation requiring the luxe plus Japanese restaurant to temporarily close until the fall.  During this time, the five-star/five-diamond resort is presenting Min’s Test Kitchen, a dynamic front- and back-of-house takeover of Jardin, that will serve as a platform from which Chef Kim can mount a never-before-offered at Wynn experience encapsulating his diverse culinary background and personal style through food, fashion, art, and music.

Featuring progressive Asian cuisine influenced by the various Pacific Rim countries in Asia and Oceania where Chef Kim grew up, studied, and worked, the menu at Min’s Test Kitchen draws its inspiration from Chef Kim’s culinary training both at his father’s Japanese restaurant in South Korea and at college in Australia, his experience working at the Michelin two-starred Narisawa and the Michelin three-starred RyuGin in Japan, and his time leading the team at Mizumi at Wynn Macau.  And while the menu features Chef Kim’s elevated takes on the cuisines of Japan, Korea, and China, this diversity applies solely to the menu as a whole, and not the individual dishes, each of which hews closely to its own unique culinary heritage.  So, if you’re looking for fusion cuisine, keep looking.

I was fortunate to be among the first wave of guests at Min’s Test Kitchen, and it did not disappoint.  And while I’m a rather finicky eater, I know that Chef Kim is familiar with my various allergies and preferences; so, when I saw the words “Trust the Chef” in a box at the bottom of the menu hyping the chef’s Omakase menu, I just handed the menu back to our server, Sean, and said, “Yes, please!”

The first dish that came to the table was a trio from the “Small Plate” section of the menu, including the Steamed Pork Belly Bossam (with pickled radish, lettuce, and fermented soybean), the Braised Short Rib Bao Bun (with sweet soy reduction, pickled cabbage, and cucumber), and the Hokkaido Scallop (with motoyaki sauce, Korean chili flakes, and crispy filo shell).  Served on a plate made to resemble the cross-section of a tree (rings and all), all three of these two-bite delights were quite good.  If I had to pick a favorite it would’ve been the scallop (itself presented in a scallop-shaped dish), which surprised me, since I’m not a scallop fan; but it was so incredibly seasoned that I really enjoyed it.

The ”Small Plate” trio was followed by a selection of “Contemporary Sashimi” with Otoro, Salmon, Yellowtail, and Scallop Sashimi, styled with the edible flowers of which Chef Kim is so enamored.  This was paired with two-bite versions of such “Specialty Sushi” selections as Otoro Nigiri, Seared ‘Aburi’ Yellowtail Belly Nigiri, Seared ‘Aburi’ Salmon Belly Nigiri, A5 Kagoshima Wagyu Nigiri (topped with Ossetra Caviar and flakes of gold leaf!!), and the King Crab ‘Arare’ Roll, the latter two being ‘old friends’ from Mizumi, and my favorites of the lot.

We really enjoyed the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna (with spring onion, chili garlic, and truffle).  While spicy tuna served on a slab of crispy rice is certainly nothing new, as sent to your table by Chef Kim—with its thin slice of crimson-hued Ahi topped with a translucent sliver of black truffle, on top of a lightly-toasted wafer of crispy rice that is neither greasy nor clumpy—it’s probably the best version of this latter-day sushi favorite that’s likely ever to pass your lips.

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna at Min's Test Kitchen, inside Jardin at Wynn Las Vegas

The next thing I knew, Chef Kim had materialized to do a tableside preparation of the Beef Wagyu Tartar (with soy sauce-cured egg yolk and flash-frozen Wagyu fat), which was not only one of the most original versions of the classic dish I’ve ever seen but was also among the tastiest, with the crunchiness of the lattice-like cracker serving as a counterbalance to the incredibly silky texture of the Wagyu beef mixed with the emulsified soy sauce-cured egg yolk and the flash-frozen Wagyu fat.  Frankly, I couldn’t scoop it up with my chopsticks quickly enough.

This was followed by the most rustic dish of the evening, the Cod Karaage (with silken tofu, ice plant, dashi soy, and brown rice vinegar).  Akin to a Japanese fish stew—with the cod having been marinated before being deep-fried (the ‘karaage’), a plethora of red and yellow peppers that gave the dish a sweet spiciness, and the broth that combined the umami-rich seasoned soy sauce (or ‘dashi’) with brown rice vinegar—this dish surprised me because a dish consisting mainly of tofu and vegetables simply isn’t something I’d order for myself.  Ever.  However, I ate everything but the tofu, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The off-menu Korean-style ‘Kalbi’ Short Ribs (with a simple side salad) was served next.  Chef Kim’s tip of the toque to Korean barbeque, these short ribs were so tender that when I picked one up with my fingers, the meat literally fell off the bone.  No stranger to Korean barbeque, I was surprised by their tenderness (and ease of chewing) and wasn’t at all surprised to learn that this was due to having been marinaded for 72 hours.  Talk about prep time (and something I will never be tempted to make at home)!  

At this point, we entered the “Large Dishes” section of the menu.  First up, was the Korean Fried Chicken (with peanut butter sauce, gochujang paste, and pickled relish), which was so succulent that I had to ask Chef Min how he did it.  His answer: Science!  If memory serves, it involved soaking the chicken in a marinade of pineapple juice and milk, wherein both an enzyme in the pineapple juice and the lactic acid of the milk tenderize the meat by dividing and breaking down its proteins, all the while plumping it up.  This was followed by the Lamb Chops (with yuzu miso sauce, black garlic, and fried leeks).  The only dish for which a fork and steak knife were brought to the table (which was cleared between each course), these too were so tender that I’m willing to bet that a butter knife would’ve cut through those chops like, well, butter.

And that would’ve been that, were it not for the final tantalization of the tongue à la Chef Kim, in the form of the Triple Melon ‘Kakigōri’ Shaved Ice with Meringue Bark.  Calling it “dessert” would be doing a disservice to what began as a sweet and cool summertime indulgence reserved for nobility in 10th and 11th century Japan—its origins were even referenced in The Pillow Book!—and that is sometimes translated as ‘Angel Snow’ due to the fluffy, snowlike texture that sets it apart from other kinds of shaved ice.  At Min’s Test Kitchen, the ‘Triple Melon’ refers to the actual melon (in this case, Japanese Crown Melon), melon ice cream (made in-house, because of course it is), and Midori (the Japanese melon liqueur that was famously launched, in 1978, at a Saturday Night Fever cast party, at Studio 54).  What I was most taken with was the way it wasn’t overly sweet; instead capping a long, lovely, and somewhat rich meal with a light and refreshing finish.

Min’s Test Kitchen
Jardin | Wynn Las Vegas
Click HERE for info

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