Storied menus and culinary craft meet at Asia’s Finest Tables by UOB

With the plate as their canvas, many chefs place storytelling at the heart of their cooking. Drawing from personal histories, regional influences and disciplined techniques, they create dishes that extend beyond flavour, offering glimpses of culture, memory and place.

Not every creation, however, makes it onto a public menu. Some dishes sit outside the rhythm of everyday service, conceived as one-off expressions shaped by season, mood or method. For select UOB cardmembers, Asia’s Finest Tables opens access to these seldom-seen expressions.

A year-long programme refreshed quarterly, Asia’s Finest Tables brings together a curated line-up of coveted restaurants across the region. Select UOB cardmembers enjoy priority reservations, exclusive rates for two diners and a full-course dining experience paired with a glass of Taittinger Prestige Rosé Champagne. Beyond chef signatures, specially designed off-menu creations provide a deeper connection with Michelin-starred and award-winning chefs.

TRADITION, PRECISION AND CRAFT

At one-Michelin-starred Nae:um in Singapore, chef-owner Louis Han approaches Korean cuisine through seasonality and regional influences. His take on kongguk reworks the classic cold soya bean broth, long associated with Korea’s warmer months. Here, the chilled appetiser is enriched with truffle and spring chicken, offering a comforting start to the meal.

A second dish draws on the chef’s fondness for Singapore rojak. Poached lobster is paired with ssamjang in a potato porridge, where notes of doenjang and gochujang lend a sweet and tangy depth reminiscent of the local fruit salad, while remaining rooted in Korean technique.

The same attention to detail defines the experience at Omakase @ Stevens, where Singapore-based chef Kazuki Arimoto demonstrates the precision that earned him his first Michelin star in 2025. Two UOB-exclusive dishes reflect his style. 

One features caviar pearls served in a tin atop kombu-marinated sakura seabream tartare, layered with dashi jelly, cucumber and shiso, and accompanied by rice crackers. 

Completing the pair is the Breton lobster, prepared using a French basting technique known as arroser, then finished with a sauce of Daiginjo sake, white wine and shallots – restrained in flavour, with an emphasis on balance and texture.

INGREDIENT-DRIVEN EXPRESSIONS

In Malaysia, chef Aidan Low presents Peninsula cuisine in a refined style that earned the Kuala Lumpur restaurant its first Michelin star. One UOB-exclusive highlight reinterprets ketupat. Patin Lawang fish is lightly aged, cured in petai miso and wrapped in betel leaf, then served with a fish bone emulsion infused with rendang spices and dried seafood XO sauce. 

That same sensibility carries through to Low’s dry-aged Penang duck. Brined and aged for two weeks before being grilled over Ipoh binchotan charcoal, it is cooked until the skin turns crisp while the meat remains tender. The dish is served with Koshihikari rice from Hokkaido, perfumed with shiitake mushroom and kulim. A blackened macadamia puree adds depth, while a jus brightened with keranji (tamarind plum) provides contrast without heaviness.

One-Michelin-starred DC Restaurant in KL sees chef Darren Chin layer flavours with restraint. One dish features Songkhla river prawn, wild-caught in Thailand and gently roasted to preserve its natural sweetness and subtle brininess. It is served with a sauce enriched with abalone essence, alongside mafalde pasta and sakura ebi.

Another highlight is a savoury choux pastry filled with 18-month-aged Comte cheese, balanced by apricots and dry sherry notes.

FLAVOURS SHAPED BY HERITAGE

In Bangkok, chef Garima Arora grounds her cooking in her Indian heritage while working closely with Thai ingredients. Her measured use of spice earned Gaa its second Michelin star in 2024, making her the first Indian female chef to receive the accolade and reinforcing the restaurant’s place in contemporary Indian cuisine. 

One dish features pork belly grilled with Kerala tamarind and topped with pomegranate, coriander and onions. Another pairs frozen chicken liver with longan, seasoned with curry spices and served on smoky pav, balancing richness with freshness.

Heritage also anchors the experience at Potong, one of Bangkok’s most in-demand reservations. Chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij draws from family history and place, a foundation that saw her named The World’s Best Female Chef 2025 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. 

Her wagyu beef tenderloin is served with pepper veloute that adds gentle heat and depth. Finished with Thai herbs and smoked oil, the dish carries a subtle aromatic lift while keeping the flavours distinct. Crisp mantou with caviar follows – golden and crisp, with a soft centre that contrasts with the briny pop of roe.

Completing the line-up is Jakarta’s Kindling, recipient of a Gold Award at the Prestige Gourmet Awards 2025 among Indonesia’s 30 best restaurants. Chef Vallian Gunawan brings an international perspective shaped by more than a decade of cooking in Singapore. 

For Asia’s Finest Tables, he presents two exclusive dishes. The Greenland halibut fillet is roasted with brown butter, garlic and thyme, and served with a briny leek and oyster ragout scented with kaffir lime leaves. A ginger flower sauce, finished with fried chilli and kaffir lime oil, is poured tableside.

The second dish features a 12-day-aged duck roasted on the crown, while the leg is presented as a dumpling filled with braised meat and preserved olive. The carved breast is served with black garlic gel, tamarind reduction and Hokkaido white corn. A duck bone sauce finished with angelica root is added at the table, accompanied by a cup of duck broth.

Across the region, Asia’s Finest Tables by UOB offers a rare window into some of Southeast Asia’s most compelling kitchens at their most exploratory. Reservations open on Mar 13, noon. Secure your table now. 

Terms and conditions apply. This programme is applicable only to UOB Reserve cardmembers in Singapore, UOB Infinite Metal or Zenith cardmembers in Malaysia, UOB Reserve or Infinite cardmembers in Thailand, and UOB Zenith cardmembers in Indonesia.