Eric Min from takes loving his job to a whole new level. Considering the kitchen his home, he is whipping up some incredible Cali-Jap food down on Chapel Street using wasabi meringue powder, delicate sauces and the perfect rice.
Eric, I was having a chat downstairs and hearing about how you were stolen from Nobu Malibu to come here.
Well actually I was on vacation and had just left Nobu Malibu to come here and was working for Neale White in the city, so technically Matthew (Butcher) stole me from Neale White.
It’s pretty good though; they saw you preparing the food and saw something they wanted.
Yes. I met Matthew at Nobu. It was a very busy day and I was pumping out the dockets. The chef de cuisine came over and said I should go over and meet this guy. So I got the dockets out, went outside and there was a big dude, there, Matthew. We had a chat and I told him I was going to Melbourne and he said he had a restaurant in Melbourne, so it was perfect. We exchanged details and kept in touch.
I flew to Melbourne but I thought I would look for other opportunities. I wanted a challenge and didn’t want to stick with people I knew. So I thought I would go low key and not use my contacts and find a job on my own. But Matthew kept asking and told me they were doing Cali-Jap and they needed me here and I could do my own menus, have a lot of freedom and learn a lot. It was the perfect offer, so I said ok, I’m working for you.
Can you explain Cali-Jap to me?
California has quite diverse food. It’s very trendy which is probably the reason why we don’t have Michelin star restaurants in LA. Japanese food is significantly bigger in California with a whole range. Here it’s starting to build up. The guys here were inspired by restaurants like Nobu. There’s a Baja influence, so slightly Mexican, South American with a bit of American and then the delicate Japanese food. That’s Cali-Jap.
Can you give me an example of a dish that would embrace all those aspects?
The avocado hand roll. When I see avocado I think of Mexico and California. The avocado here is really good and then we have beautiful local salmon and we put yuzu wasabi and mayo inside. We kick this handroll up a notch and add our own twist to make it special. I haven’t seen anyone else do it like this. We infuse modern techniques into a classic. I do a surf and turf which is fairly common, but I marinate and cure everything beautifully. Every single detail of the dish is on point. The prawns are cooked sous vide with very thinly sliced beef on top, torched. We make all our own infused oils in house.
Where did you learn your technique?
It’s a long story. I started learning Japanese food in a small restaurant. It was a nice place, but nothing very fancy. I started learning there but I wanted more so I went to school for two years, to the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. I wanted to learn and experience more. While I was in school, my friends and I decided that we were going to try different food. One of the restaurants we tried was Nobu Malibu. We were about six months into school and we really appreciated that it was a better style of Japanese food.
Six months later Nobu was hiring so I thought, why not give it a try. So I started at Nobu. For the first nine to eleven months you’d think you’re going to be a Japanese chef, but for nine months I had to learn the basics. We would pick boxes of coriander or mix the rice five times a day. It was nine to twelve months before I even touched the fish. After that I moved up quite fast. I always worked as hard as I could. I had a five day shift but I would do seven days every week working four or five hours more every day. They saw my effort and taught me a lot more than I would normally be taught. It was fun. I loved it. After that I decided I wanted to try something else; different food, different countries. That’s how I came here.
I love every single moment in the kitchen. I love the kitchen and I am in the kitchen more than I’m at home, so the kitchen is my home really.
Where are you from originally?
I am from Korea but I grew up in the States.
It’s interesting that you were so drawn to Japanese food. It’s quite different to Korean food.
I find Japanese food very delicate. They do one thing for twenty years. If I went to Japan it would take me five more years to learn how to make sushi. I learned from a very good Japanese chef; he was a Michelin two star chef and he took very good care of me. He was like a father figure to me when I was in the States. People like that know significantly more and in significant depth. It took them a lot longer to get to where they are. It’s not just about sushi; it’s how they butcher their proteins, it’s about yakatori and charcoal cooking. Even their sauces require a lot of knowledge; they are very delicate. A lot of their ingredients are hard to use. You have to know what you are doing; what temperature to cook them at, what order to do things and what kind of sake to use for which ingredients. I love all that.
Are you able to bring all of that through here or have you had to pick out certain things to match the size of the restaurant and the demographic?
The biggest problem is that it is very hard for me to get the same ingredients here. In the States, Japanese food is significantly bigger and it was easier to get supplies over there. At first, it was a real struggle. Even for the rice we had to test about four or five types of rice and then I had to cook them differently; with different vinegars and so on every day and different water levels and sugar levels to find the right one. Rice is the most important thing. It took about two weeks. The demographic is younger and more hip here, compared to old rich which I was used to dealing with.
How long have you been here?
I’ve been here for about a month. For two weeks, I was just doing the menu development, so I would come to work and play around. Matthew would take me to the fish market and tell me to choose whatever I wanted to play around with; different fishes and different glazes. We opened two and a half weeks ago. Before that I was working for Neale White for about three weeks. So I’ve been in Melbourne for about two months.
It might be too soon to ask you what the favourites are.
I’ve already noticed some favourites. The King prawn roll is popular. I’m quite proud of it. I made a wasabi meringue powder. I made a beautiful light creamy meringue and dehydrated it and then it’s got a pinch of spicy sweetness. It has a lovely texture. On top of a squid ink prawn and a beautiful roll, with pickled cucumber, avocado and sous vide prawns.
Where do you get your ideas?
When I don’t have anything to do, I just go to a supermarket or market and wander around and smell random things, look at them. I also get inspired by Michelin restaurants, the top 50 restaurants. I browse their menus. If I like the look of something, I archive it and then make it myself and put my twist on it. It sounds fun.
Did you always want to be a chef?
Actually yes. Even from when I was 13. But I come from an Asian background and it’s not so common for someone to cook. Parents want their children to become lawyers. I grew up in that environment so I didn’t have any choice. But when I turned 15 or 16 I went to the States and I got a wider view of the world and decided I wanted to do something I actually loved. That’s why I decided to cook. To be honest I love every single moment in the kitchen. I love the kitchen and I am in the kitchen more than I’m at home, so the kitchen is my home really. Back when I lived in the States I would go home, have a shower, come back and sleep in the car and then go to work as soon as I woke up.
It’s the same here. I go home and sleep and whenever I wake up, I come to work. They give me a lot of flexibility to play around and create. I make something new, everyone tastes it. There are amazing people here, I get great input, they’re helping me lift my food a notch or two and it becomes a fantastic menu.
163 Chapel Street, Windsor