What’s the best way to enjoy beef? COTE Korean Steakhouse founder's cheat code for his Singapore restaurant
Simon Kim, the Korean-American founder of the world’s first Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse, talks about his favourite cuts of beef, why you should pair galbi with Madeira, and what his critical Asian mum thinks of his acclaimed worldwide restaurant ventures.

A hybrid way to enjoy beef at COTE Korean Steakhouse. (Photo: COTE)
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Take a classic American steakhouse’s banquette-style seating, lampshaded lighting and instantly recognisable menu format. Splice that with the table staples of a family-run Korean eatery like banchan and steamed egg instead of creamed spinach and lobster bisque. And, finally, cloak it all in the vibe of a Los Angeles club.
What could very well have ended up a confused, mix-breed mutt of a restaurant is instead a much-hyped establishment, a serious beef institution, and a swish and swanky place to see and be seen, under the Midas touch of Korean-American restaurateur Simon Kim.

The 42-year-old, who was born in Korea and raised in the US, saw the opportunity to combine the concepts of American steakhouse-style dining and Korean barbecue grilled at the table. He opened the first COTE in New York City in 2017, and the second in Miami in 2021; both dazzled Americans and earned one Michelin star each, becoming the first Korean steakhouse to have that accolade.
COTE Korean Steakhouse opened at COMO Orchard in Singapore a few months ago to much fanfare – the first COTE outpost outside of the US. One of the restaurant’s defining features is the way it prepares its prime cuts like USDA beef, Japanese A5 wagyu and Australian wagyu: COTE has its own dry-ageing room, which diners can walk by and peer into.
Come prepared to overeat and imbibe as you find the surface area around your sizzling grill filling up with a salad; banchan or Korean side dishes of pickled vegetables; and perhaps a somyun or kimchi stew. There’s also a Korean Beef “Bakkutteh” dish inspired by local cuisine, exclusively available here at the Singapore restaurant.

Kim has F&B in his blood as his mother ran a restaurant in New York City and his father used to take him to upscale restaurants in his childhood. Think of his mum as “the Michelin-starred chef” and his dad as “the Michelin-star inspector,” he quipped.
That, plus his grappling with dual cultures and identities growing up, resulted in him being uniquely placed to dream up a new kind of F&B experience.
We asked him about his favourite ways to enjoy beef and what his go-to order is when he dines at COTE.

WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND KOREAN APPROACHES TO EATING BEEF?
Simon Kim: As I like to say, “Beef is king”. It’s celebrated in both Korean and American cultures during special occasions and evokes a convivial mentality.
The main difference is that it’s more scarce in Korea, agriculturally speaking, and the prices are significantly higher than that in the US, which has one of the most advanced meat industries in the world.
So, in Korea, it’s truly prized and eating it is viewed almost as a kind of ritual. In the US, it’s more about the flavour and taste, and is eaten as a good source of protein in your daily diet.
HOW DID BEING A THIRD-CULTURE KID HELP YOU SEE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A NEW TYPE OF STEAKHOUSE EXPERIENCE?
I was born in Seoul and moved to America when I was 13 years old. I really struggled with this new third identity. I didn’t fit in or have a true sense of belonging: Was I still Korean or was I now American?
This same feeling stayed with me for a long time until later in my career, right before I opened COTE NYC. This was a critical moment in my life and I questioned everything. Who am I? What am I doing? What is my future? My purpose? Am I Korean or American? Am I a Michelin starred restaurateur or do I want to be accessible and informal? Am I a profit-driven entrepreneur or am I a philanthropist, which is something that remains very important to me?
And then, I had an epiphany – I had been asking the wrong questions. I suddenly realised that by replacing or with and, everything was possible. I am American and Korean. I decided that I wanted a fine-dining American steakhouse and a casual, inviting Korean BBQ. I wanted to offer an elevated Michelin-star dining experience and a casual setting to meet up with friends and have a blast.

Life is a series of decisions – when you stop attempting to find “x or y” answers, you open the door up for new possibilities and new creativity; more inclusivity and new creative solutions. My biggest challenge has become my greatest asset. Your identity becomes truly unique when you allow yourself to be the most authentic version of yourself possible. Everything happens in the in-between, and that is the power of and.
SO, WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO EAT BEEF?
I love a thick slab of dry-aged American meat. Something reminiscent of Peter Luger’s porterhouse. You have the option of a little filet or New York strip – you can choose which piece you want. I love that just as much as Korean hanwoo beef grilled and served with veggies and ssammgang.
One gives you that nuttiness of dry-age funk with butter and the decadence of eating meat American-classic-style with creamed spinach and the works; and the other, Korean-style, includes deeply savoury umami flavours, and supremely well-marbled hanwoo beef grilled in front of you with a little bit of lettuce, ssamjang and kimchi. I love them both equally.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE COMBINATION TO ORDER AT COTE?
I get asked this question all the time and my answer is our Steak Omakase because you can literally try everything. In conventional American steakhouses, you have to choose one cut.
My personal taste changes day-to-day. Some days I want that lean, livery flavour of hanger steak. Sometimes I am in the mood for plush, perfectly cooked, rare filet mignon or a dry-aged ribeye that’s got some funk to it. It also can depend on what I ate earlier that day for breakfast or lunch. That’s why I constructed the Steak Omakase. At COTE, you don’t have to choose, you can simply have it all.
DOES COTE HAVE ANY SECRET ORDERING CODES, LIKE AT IN-N-OUT BURGER OR HAIDILAO?

I eat at COTE two to three times per week and I pretty much stick to the same order, every time: A big, 3oz tin of Petrossian Classic Duranki Caviar with creme fraiche and toast. Depending on how dangerous I am feeling that day, my drink of choice ranges from a Chopin Family Reserve martini, very dry with olives, a nice bottle of champagne or a really elegant Burgundy or medium bodied red like Bordeaux or Cabernet (steak serves as a great canvas for amazing red wines).
Then I go straight to the meat. Our Butcher’s Feast is a common go-to (if not the steak omakase that day) and I’ll add on some Japanese Sendai A5, which is one of my favourite cuts. I’ll typically end the meal with a glass of Madeira timed with the galbi, a pairing introduced to me by our Executive Director of Beverage, Victoria James. The soy sauce umami and Madeira is truly beautiful together.
ASIAN MOTHERS ARE NOTORIOUSLY HARD TO PLEASE. WHAT DOES YOUR MOTHER THINK OF YOUR RESTAURANT VENTURES?
My parents are definitely what you would expect – always critical and hard to please. In food terms, my mum is the Michelin-starred chef while my dad is the Michelin-star inspector. My dad will go to the restroom and comment that people are using too many napkins and that they’re too expensive, or that the kimchi could be served colder.
So, once I opened COTE Korean Steakhouse, I invited my parents in and asked my dad: “How did you enjoy dinner?” And, to this day, his response is something I will never forget.
He told me: “Simon, look around the room. Look at how many people are happy, enjoying your food and your restaurant. My opinion doesn’t matter as it is one person’s opinion versus countless others’.” That moment really summed it all up for me.
Cote is at 30 Bideford Road, Level 3, COMO Orchard.