Review of Na Oh - Refined Contemporary Korean in Singapore
- Ava Lyn
- May 16
- 5 min read
Na Oh Restaurant
2 Bulim Ave, Level 3
Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS)
Singapore 649674
Located within the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), Na Oh sits in an ultra futuristic building. When you step into HMGICS you are greeted by vertical gardens, or smart farms, maintained by robots. We were told by the Na Oh staff that you can join the discovery tours run by Hyundai to learn about their innovation and what their RND looks like. It looked really interesting and something we would definitely want to do in the future when we visit again.
Now back to Na Oh, right outside the minimalistic restaurant are vats encased in glass. You'd be thinking they are just decorations but the team tells us that that is where they keep their soy sauce and jangs which they use in their cooking. The smart farms also provide Na Oh with their greens so it certainly felt very farm to table and feels like what we will see more in the future as we approach sustainability.
Na Oh means "moving from inside out" and it felt like a very apt descriptor. On paper, the dishes sound very traditional, but when served, it is modern, edgy and refined. The menu changes every season, focusing on what is in season, and of course, in collaboration with the Smart Farms within Hyundai. Chef Corey Lee leads this concept and he is renowned for his restaurant Benu, which currently holds three Michelin Stars. You can see the clean, precise execution of the dishes here at Na Oh and a very polished service, which is something that you typically only see at Michelin Starred restaurants. It is evident that Chef Corey Lee has had a strong say in the vision for Na Oh and the attention to detail was remarkable.
As you read these descriptors, it is easy to mistake this for yet another fine dining establishment. But Na Oh is not that. It offers high quality yet reasonably priced modern Korean cuisine and the sets run at 78 SGD ++. The set is over 4 courses, including 2 appetisers and then a jinjitsang (진짓상), which is traditional meal setting that has a main course as well as a variety of banchans (반찬), some which are the same across all the sets and some that are specific to the mains chosen. And then finally a dessert to end the meal.
Our menu for tonight was:
Homemade Tofu with Aged Soy Sauce
Buckwheat and Mugunji Jeon served with Salad of Today's Harvested Lettuces
Ginseng Chicken Naengchae with Fresh Bamboo Shoot and Minari
Main #1: Chilled Homemade Wheat Noodles with Crab and Brisket in Beef Broth Enriched with Soy Milk, Served with Charcoal Grilled Deodeok and Chonggak Kimchi
Main #2: Spring Vegetable Bibimbap Cooked in Gamasot, Soup of Assorted Sprouts, Salted Pollock Roe Served with Sesame Leaf Kimchi and Roasted Rock Seaweed
Misugaru and Cherry Ice Cream Sandwich
There were 2 of us so we got to try 2 out of the 3 mains available. We were told that the menus revolve around traditional preparations integrated with modern techniques and they use jang, or sauces that are fermented using traditional methods and are naturally aged. The ones from the very same vats in the front of the restaurant.
The food was exactly how it was described to be. Traditional in methods, modern and refined in flavour. I loved how the dishes were rich yet clean and it was evident what the team really wanted to showcase in each dish that they brought to the table. I love a restaurant like that when the flavours and the ingredients really shine. It is as refined as a korean home cooked meal can get.
Together with the meal, we had the White Lotus Makgeolli (백련 막걸리), which is crafted by Shinpyeong Brewery in Dangjin, South Korea. It is infused with white lotus leaves during fermentation and gives it a very nice floral aroma and nutty taste. Our server introduced us this Makgeolli by letting us taste the Makgeolli without mixing first, where the floral flavours and aromas really shone through and then with mixing, where you get the familiar nutty and creamy flavour of a Makgeolli. The overall balance is delicate, refreshing yet nicely creamy, without being overly sweet. A superb recommendation by the team to complement our meal.
Last but not least was the ice cream sandwich. I love misugaru, which is a powder that is made up of a blend of different grains like glutinous rice, barley, Job's tears, black sesame, black beans, corn and millet. It is extremely nutritional and deathly nutty in flavour. Typically consumed in a drink format. At Na Oh, they combined misugaru with a slightly tart cherry compote with sesame in the form of an ice cream cookie was so delicious. I can never do this justice writing it in words, but let's just say it was a quiet star.
Booking
The link for reservations are provided on the top of the page through Sevenrooms and reservations are open 30 days in advance at 10 am each day. I will not sugar coat this, it is not easy to book Na Oh. The venue is not huge and they do 2 seatings per service. But the demand is high and you would have to ready to book at 10 am when reservations come out. So do plan and book in advance!
Currently, Na Oh is open from Wed to Sun for both lunch and dinner. The team informed us that from the start of the Summer Menu in June, Na Oh will change their opening days from Tues to Sat instead.
Accessibility
Alright, Na Oh is very very very inaccessible. As we were on route, my partner told me, this is essentially our journey to the west. And he was right. Na Oh is located deep in the industrial estate within Jurong West and the nearest MRT station is a 40 min walk away. So yes, Grab would be the most reasonable option.
The Damage
Total Damage for the night was 240 SGD (tax inclusive) with a bottle of Makgeolli. At just under 100 SGD per person for just the meal, and extremely high quality ingredients, it is very good value.
Would we recommend?
Yes Yes Yes! The experience was so great we immediately booked in for their Summer menu. The food is so refined and the service so polished that you'd be thinking you are dining at a fine dining restaurant. Na Oh has really brought the next level of traditional korean cuisine and we can't wait for our next visit.
Comentários