Your Local's Patrick Go with Chef Byung Mook Kim and translator Dae Young Kim . Jeeves de Veyra 

MANILA -- The Mat Nam by Your Local pop-up series at the Balmori Suites Chef's Table in Rockwell, Makati featuring chefs from the Korean reality cooking show "Culinary Class Wars” is now winding down with the last pop-up in the series featuring “Yakitori King,” chef Byung Mook Kim.

The pop-ups took off in early April with traditional Korean dishes from “White Spoon” chefs Young Sook Lee and Jihyung Choi. This was followed by “White Spoon” Kisu Bang, who fired up the grill with his take on Korean BBQ.

”Black Spoon” chef Kim didn’t start out as a cook, but as a statistics major. He quit the life of an office worker and started cooking. He eventually found himself in Japan where he discovered and focused on chicken dishes including yakitori.

'Yakitori King' Byung Mook Kim. Jeeves de Veyra 

His most high-profile restaurant is Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Yakitori Mook where his Negima Yakitori (skewered chicken thighs) is the main attraction.

Beyond chicken, he recently opened Jang Mi Gukbap, where the specialty is a comforting bowl of Korean beef rice soup along with his takes on royal Korean cuisine. Regarding his time in the spotlight, Kim said he wasn’t sure that “Culinary Class Wars” would be a success. The silence during the actual competition started when his fellow competitors started cooking and got into the zone made him think that the show would be boring and uninteresting. 

But now, he's very happy. Because of the show, he got to travel to the Philippines and do this pop-up.

Nanbanzuke. Jeeves de Veyra 

Kim calls himself a chicken specialist and has been making this signature Nanbanzuke, southern Korean-style fried chicken, for seven years.

The skin of these comfort food fried chicken balls retain their crunch even when drenched in the slightly sweet-slightly vinegary sauce. This is his idea of comfort food, and he’s right.

Yakitori. Jeeves de Veyra 

The Negima Yakitori is the highlight of Chef Kim’s dishes. The bite of tender chicken thigh and slightly blackened leek with a pinch of that visually arresting mix of squid ink salt and breadcrumbs is best eaten hot and steaming as soon as the dish lands on the table.

Dewi Galbui Jim. Jeeves de Veyra 

The pork ribs in Chef Kim’s Dewi Galbi Jim is marinated in soy sauce for a very long time and steamed to the point where the meat just falls off the bone.

Unlike many versions of this dish in Manila presented as a stew in a bowl, the way this is plated is fit for a king that gloriously piles the glistening ribs up on a plate with okra, carrots and mushrooms on the side.

The surprising star of this meal was the kimchi Korean pancake. Upon closer inspection, this is made with finely shredded potatoes which account for that hash brown- or rösti-like crunch that nicely tamed the kimchi inside.

Potato Cheese Kimchi Pancake. Jeeves de Veyra  

“Mat Nam” means “where flavors meet” and in the pop-up’s menu, it’s Korea meets Southeast Asia via favorites from Chef Patrick Go’s past Your Local pop-ups, also at the Balmori Chef’s Table.

Go mentioned that he didn’t want to add more Korean food to the menu because there'd be enough from the “Culinary Class Wars” veterans, although he did incorporate Korean ingredients and methods into his recipes.

Favorites infused with Korean ingredients and techniques from Go’s previous Your Local pop-ups at the Balmori book-end Chef Kim’s main dishes.

SMG Bao. Jeeves de Veyra 

Wonton. Jeeves de Veyra 

Don’t skip the Go’s flavor-packed appetizers. The Mantou Toast, Shiitake Mushroom, and Gorgonzola — aka MSG — now has Korean seaweed in it, while the fully stacked tostada has pork belly cooked samgyupsal-style on top of a crispy extra large molo wrapper. 

Sambal Fish. Jeeves de Veyra 

River Prawns. Jeeves de Veyra 

Go has mains to partner up with Chef Kim’s dishes. The halibut with rendang made with ginamos (Ilonggo bagoong) has a punchy fermenty heat, while his roasted river prawns with soy brown butter sauce topped with shrimp and fish roe have briny umami notes.

Dessertts. Jeeves de Veyra 

For dessert, the much-raved about Choco Na Gatas — think of a grown-up version of ice cream with milk powder top we probably ate as kids — and the sweet bright Yuzumansi Cake make a comeback.

This series by the Tasteless Food Group was a different way of showing off culture riding on food and streaming. Chef Patrick added that having a Chef Kim’s Japanese-Korean yakitiori added variety to the pop-ups with this last one very different from the previous two traditional Korean menus.

Netflix hinted that the second season of "Culinary Class Wars" will be released late 2025. Here’s hoping there will be a second season of “Mat Nam by Your Local” as well.

The last “Mat Nam by Your Local” featuring “Yakitori King” Chef Byung Mook Kim is running at The Balmori Suites Chef’s Table until June 1, 2025. For reservations, contact 0945 427 0054.