TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Chef Song Ha Seul Ram, who rose to global prominence on the hit Netflix reality series “Culinary Class Wars,” launched a monthlong culinary residency Friday (July 3) at the Regent Taipei, introducing his modern reimagining of Korean side dishes to Taiwan.
Song is celebrated for his mastery of banchan, the traditional side dishes that form the backbone of Korean dining. During his stint on the show, Michelin three-star judge Ahn Sung-jae praised Song’s work for capturing "details that most people miss."
The Taipei residency marks the international debut of Song's Seoul-based bistro, Mamalee, and features an array of dishes that fuse Korean techniques with local Taiwanese produce, such as sweet potato leaves and chayote shoots.
Song’s pedigree includes serving as a founding team member of Mingles, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Seoul, followed by culinary training in Spain. Despite his extensive background in haute cuisine, he chose to step away from fine dining to elevate everyday home cooking.
"While working in fine dining, I realized that many high-quality ingredients were only accessible to a privileged few," Song said, noting how premium items like jumbo white asparagus are often reserved exclusively for luxury restaurants or export.
"Banchan is a daily necessity in Korea. I wanted to present it in an accessible format that elevates its intrinsic value, making everyday meals feel precious," Song said.
Song’s team has developed more than 100 varieties of banchan, maintaining a rotating inventory of 70 to 80 items at his Mamalee boutique in Seoul.
For his Taipei debut, however, he curated a highly selective menu designed to bridge regional palates, balancing foundational Korean artisanal sauces with Taiwanese elements.
Sauce serves as the anchor of Song’s culinary style. For this residency, he imported four distinct Korean soy sauces, including a rare, naturally fermented variety.
To cater to local flavor preferences, Song blended Taiwanese soy sauce into his meat recipes, including braised short ribs, minced meat patties, and spicy stir-fried pork.
"Taiwanese soy sauce carries a distinct, lingering sweetness compared to its Korean counterparts," Song said. "In blind tastings, the flavor profile proved exceptional and paired seamlessly with meats."
Local produce provided unexpected inspiration for the chef on his first trip to Taiwan. He said that a particular fascination with local sweet potato leaves, a green rarely utilized in Korean cuisine.
"I watched the kitchen staff simply blanch the leaves and drizzle them with soy sauce, and the result was delicious," Song said.
"It possesses an uncomplicated charm and natural sweetness. It requires no complex manipulation — just a flash-blanch, a touch of sesame oil, and a pinch of salt creates a superb banchan." Song added that he intends to study the ingredient further upon returning to South Korea.
The promotional menu runs through July 31. The Regent Taipei’s first-floor brasserie, Azie, is featuring contemporary Korean bansang set meals starting at NT$980 (US$30). Meanwhile, the second-floor Gallery is serving a bar-food menu inspired by Spanish tapas culture, headlined by Mamalee’s signature Korean fried chicken with lotus root.
Song Ha Seul Ram launches Taipei residency. (Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
