Kensington welcomes 2 new chefs

Dongheon Lee shows off his wok skills at Kensington Hotel Saipan’s East Moon Chinese Restaurant. (MARK RABAGO)

Kensington Hotel Saipan has brought in the heavy guns as far as propping up its culinary team is concerned after welcoming chefs Dongheon Lee and Noah Jeong to the San Roque property. 

Originally from Busan, the 51-year-old Lee will now headline the five-star hotel’s East Moon Chinese restaurant and not two weeks into the job, he already is promising to make the outlet the No. 1 restaurant on Saipan.

Asked what his guests should look forward to at East Moon, Lee’s ready answer is his nan jawans dish, which is deep-fried crispy meatballs flash-cooked in a light savory sauce that’s packed with umami flavors and comes with crunchy vegetables like bok choy and shitake mushrooms.

Noah Jeong is the new chef at Kensington’s Meisho Japanese restaurant. (MARK RABAGO)

Lee has dedicated more than two decades of his life to the culinary arts, particularly in authentic Chinese cuisine and will now revamp East Moon based on his culinary expertise and experience. 

He built that expertise while working in five-star hotels and refined restaurants. He was in charge of the modern Chinese restaurant of Grand Mercure Ambassador Hotel Changwon and the Chinese menu of Ananti Penthouse Haewoondae Busan, both in Korea.

Lee said he always welcomes new challenges, seeing them as opportunities. This is why he decided to get on board Kensington. As he joins his new hotel family, East Moon will be enriched with a range of fascinating and delightfully new Chinese gourmet food.

The 40-year-old Jeong, meanwhile, brings quite a resume to Kensington’s Meisho Japanese restaurant.

Jeong was the winner at the International Food Grand Prix Seoul, a certified competition by World Top Chef’s Organization, in the category of Live Sushi and Japanese Exhibition in 2017.

With that impressive win, he now wants Meisho to become the first restaurant in the CNMI to get a Michelin Star, which is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking.

While at Meisho, he also wants to incorporate as many local ingredients as possible like fresh produce and tuna and blue marlin caught around the waters of Saipan.

Jeong started his career at Ritz Carlton Seoul, one of top global hotel chain brands in the early 2000s and  has been exploring the world of Japanese cuisine for 17 years.

Jeong’s determination and amazing skill has led him to kitchens of several five-star hotels, namely Grand Hyatt Seoul and Hotel Shilla.

His principle in treating guests is no less than serving them with only the best quality food. His go-to Japanese dish—or in this case dishes—is the traditional multi-course Japanese dinner called Kaiseki.

According to the internet, Kaiseki typically include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish. and a steamed course, in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef.

Since arriving on Saipan last Nov. 30, Jeong has grown to love the tropical climate and can’t wait to make memories and friends on the island. 

Now, his new journey begins here on Saipan and Meisho will be reborn with Japanese cuisine of another level.

Jeong’s first task is Christmas Eve Dinner at Meisho, at which an unparalleled dining experience will be presented with a 10-course exquisite menu.

He’s also collaborating with Lee to prepare Kensington’s new Sunday Brunch with a dynamic Asian theme.

For reservations and inquiries at East Moon and Meisho, call 322-3311 or email reservations@kensingtonsaipan.com.