When contemporary Korean restaurant Naeum debuted in 2021, chef-owner Louis Han began the ambitious and gruelling journey of serving episodic menus. That meant fully reinventing the wheel every few months with a brand new concept and new dishes each round. Nine menus, over a hundred dishes and a Michelin star later, it seemed about time that the restaurant and Chef Louis himself stepped into a new era. Enter Naeum 2.0.
While many fine dining establishments in Singapore are opening casual offshoots or dialling back on the formalities to cater to shifting customer tastes, Naeum seems to be going the opposite direction. What started as a more casual, homely space with traditional hanok interior elements has gotten a facelift. The restaurant now presents as an elegant 24-seater inspired by the sinhanok, or modern hanok. This update reflects diners’ rising expectations of Chef Louis and his team, especially after their big one-Michelin-star win in 2022.
And no, the latest menu isn’t episode 10, but rather, Season 2, which Chef titles Moments. Think of it as a culmination of his work at Naeum over the last four years and an expression of where his cooking now stands – that is, borderless and globally influenced but firmly rooted in Korean flavours. While the previous episodes dove deep into themes like hwagyo (Korean-Chinese cuisine) or reimagining the classic frontyard barbecue, Moments will show more breadth, and present, well, significant moments of Chef Louis’ journey so far.
Pick between the signature eight-course tasting menu ($268) or a shortened five-course menu ($198) aptly named Brief Moments. I like the refreshing welcome drink of radish water kimchi, or dongchimi, which has the slightest hint of spice from chilli oil. Chef explains that the new menu is all about refined, pared-down presentation – “less is more”, he says. But with even the welcome drink comprising over five elements, including a tomato jelly base, I think it’s safe to say that complexity runs in his blood.
A trio of snacks follow, and it’s truly a close fight between all three. The gwanja sees raw marinated scallops atop a seaweed cracker base, mimicking a luscious mouthful of ganjang gaejang (raw marinated crab) wrapped in seaweed. Then there’s toran, a Chinese-inspired snack of fried yam puff and a subtle nod to the hwagyo menu. Finally, sokkori is Chef’s interpretation of the hefty sticks of shawarma he used to purchase during his younger days working Abu Dhabi.
There’s nothing bad to say about the memilmyeon and mandu – two signature dishes which have been part of Naeum since time immemorial. Cold, slippery buckwheat noodles are tossed in a fragrant perilla oil dressing, then topped with crunchy mountain turnip and cured tobiko for briny pops in every bite. A glistening morel mushroom dumpling is served with the noodles, the salty parcel glazed with gochujang and stuffed with minced duck meat and rice cake. Together, the dishes remind Chef of his family home, which sits beside the mountains along the outskirts of Seoul.
The Jeju abalone that follows is excellent in its own right, but since Chef has famously claimed his favourite ingredient to be fish, I’m more interested in the next course, which features dry-aged seasonal fish. Usually it’s turbot, but I enjoy the samegarei (rough scale flounder) equally, with a crisped skin and just enough slivers of Korean squash for each bite. It’s the rich maeuntang (spicy soup) butter sauce that really shines here – it’s deep and robust, though lacking that kick of spice synonymous with Korean cuisine.
Of course, Korean barbecue has to slip its way into our meal somehow. Deconstruct the Iberico ribeye – which is sufficiently fatty without being cloying – and enjoy it with pork jus and condiments like garlic chives, delicate layers of perilla and onion, wasabina (Japanese mustard green) and garlic chives.
The flavour-packed course is the perfect prelude to the comforting hansang served right after. This is a traditional Korean spread consisting of rice, soup, and pickled accompaniments. The version we’re having focuses on vegetables, with the main star being deodeok, a type of mountain root that I’m tasting for the first time. Chef marinates this in gochujang, giving it the appearance of ojingochae-muchim (seasoned dried squid), except that instead of a chewy texture, the deodeok turns out to be delightfully airy and crunchy.
I have a confession to make: I tend to have low expectations when it comes to desserts in tasting menus. So when Chef Louis rolls out his take on changmyeon (Korean sweet starch noodle soup) for our first dessert, my eyes light up. The dish has many components, but everything gels – from the elastic noodles, to the golden kiwi sorbet, kiwi cubes, lemongrass and lime syrup, lemongrass jelly, aloe vera, Japanese cucumber, and finally, the lemongrass granita.
Date pastry cream and jujube truffle espuma form the base of the daechu dessert, and are encased in a cylindrical charcoal ring. Sitting on top: freshly shaved Australian black truffles, white chocolate ice cream and crisp rice tuille. The whole thing breaks apart like a work of art. Our meal concludes with dagwa (Korean sweets), and at this point, I’m bowled over by how the thoughtfulness extends to the very last bite – whether yours is the gangjeong (mugwort chocolate on a candied rice puff), raspberry and omija jelly, or the jooak (a puffed rice ball soaked in cognac and truffle syrup).
Naeum is located at 161 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068615. Find out more about Naeum here.
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