Na Oh, the much-anticipated new restaurant by three Michelin-star Chef Corey Lee, is set to open its doors to the public June 15, 2024. Located at Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), Na Oh promises a unique dining experience that blends authentic Korean cuisine with cutting-edge innovation.
Famed for his fine dining San Francisco restaurant Benu, where he received Three Michelin Stars, Chef Corey Lee will introduce a brand-new casual dining concept in Singapore. With the aim to provide an inclusive and accessible approach to quality Korean cuisine, Na Oh will offer a 4-course prix fixe menu, with guests having the option to choose the jinjitsang, a Korean meal setting served with a variety of accompaniments.
Na Oh which means ‘moving from inside out’ in Korean, will be more than just a restaurant. It will be a destination in Singapore that stands as a cultural hub for Korean cuisine, craft and design, representing a collaboration of diverse Korean artisans.
Led by the culinary vision of Chef Corey Lee, Na Oh serves a seasonal menu that references traditional Korean cuisine but reinterpreted for the modern diner. Traditional preparations, such as fermentation and preservation, are integrated with modern techniques using a variety of seasonal ingredients full of natural energy.
The first summer menu, a reflection of Chef Lee’s innovative approach to tradition, features dishes such as Mulhwe (seafood in an icy kimchi broth), Naengmyun (cold beef noodles), and Samgyetang (ginseng-flavored stuffed chicken). The Samgyetang, a popular summer dish in Korea, will evoke the now hard-to-come-by flavor of homemade broth and slow cooking. The Naengmyun will include buckwheat noodles made to order, with a broth crafted from dongchimi and long-simmered beef stock, served with thinly shaved, sea-salt-cured beef strip loin – a refreshing reinterpretation of one of Korea’s beloved dishes.
Na Oh’s dishes are meticulously crafted using ingredients grown in HMGICS’s own vertical Smart Farm, which produces up to nine different crops including ice plant, red coral lettuce, swiss chard, mustard, kale, romaine lettuce and mizuna, creating a unique seed-to-table experience.
“It has been inspiring to bring together the innovation that Hyundai offers at HMGICS with traditional cooking techniques that we have reimagined for the menu,” said Chef Corey Lee. “I hope to bring a fresh, new approach to Korean cuisine in Singapore, a country renowned for its food lovers. While Na Oh will be a casual family-style restaurant, we will be serving the same quality products and technical preparations usually reserved for fine dining. I’m excited to make this kind of dining experience more accessible, made possible through Hyundai’s commitment to enhancing the visitor experience at HMGICS.”
Opening June 15, 2024, Na Oh aims to become a culinary landmark in Singapore, offering a distinctive experience that celebrates both Korean culture and the innovative spirit of Hyundai. Chef Corey Lee’s collaboration with Hyundai brings a new dimension to the city’s dining scene, promising a unique and immersive experience. The restaurant will operate from Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, and it is open to the general public, with booking in advance recommended.