Naeum took a break to revamp their place. An upgraded look now inspired by traditional Hanok, they celebrated their reopening by having a 8-Hands dinner + drinks with 1 Michelin-Star Vinho from Seoul recently. The restaurant was full in anticipation of this 2-Day special event

I kinda like the new space with a more cozy feel

Though the kitchen space feels broadly similar

Oyster

Oyster Icecream w Caviar

This cold dish was really good and refreshing at the same time. The cold dish elevates the savoriness of the oyster but yet you can taste the robustness of the caviar at the same time

Hokkigai

Lightly charcoaled, served with Korean Watermelon, Seaweed, White Bean Sauce

I thought the whole dish went really well together. You could taste the tenderness of the clams, a slight touch of the acidity and the nuttiness of the sauce that complemented each other nicely

Toran

Crispy Puff, Pork Ragu, Green Chilli Emulsion

I thought the puff was nicely done. It was crisp without being too oily and you could taste the heartiness of the pork ragu in it. Overall, an okay dish but not very impactful in my opinion. I told the friend if I had walked out of this place, I wouldn’t really remember how this dish taste like

Kimchi

I liked the texture of it. I felt that this was very well made and I enjoyed how the flavor burst out when you bite into it. But personally, a bit too cheesy for me so I will give this a miss

Chamchi

Cuttlefish, Leek, Chutoro, Lemon Vinaigrette

It does sound very fancy when you have all the components on the plate but somehow I felt it didn’t quite make the mark. I’m not sure if it’s the lemon vinaigrette or the cuttlefish or the caviar but it does feel like trying too much at some point

Mechuri

Mineo, Morel, Quail

Quail leg served with some glutinous rice, onions with quail breast, quail broth

The quail was nicely executed though the leg was a little troublesome. The broth was light and flavorful and I felt generally it was quite a decent dish

Jeonbok

Abalone, Jicama, Sweet Cabbage

I really liked the deep fried abalone with the sauce that complemented it nicely. But somehow the vegetables tasted a little out of place, I thought it would definitely go better with a different choice of vegetables

Samchi

Sawara, Spinach, Yaksik Bisque

Sawara was nicely done. It went really well with the gochujang and you could taste the freshness of the fish with a touch of the spicy sauce. You could taste the fragrance of the Perilla leaf when you bite into it and the oil complemented the fish nicely, though at some point it was a touch bitter as well

Ori

Duck, Deoduck, Kimchi

This was the mains and it was a lot of food

Duck grilled and based with gochujang, leek, sancho mayo and garlic, served with Duck broth, Rice, Namul, Pickled Seaweed, Zucchini with Duck Galbi, Homemade White Kimchi

The duck smelled great when it was served. But it was disappointing cos it was served somewhat cold. Like I would think the flavor and execution would be great if the heat was right. The duck broth was comforting and enjoyable and it was a delight to have

The rice was delicious too, especially so with the toppings that provided a bit of crunch. The upgraded duck galbi version was a delight and I thought pairing with the zucchini helped balanced out the flavour and oiliness

Sujeonggwa

Chestnut Honey, Ginger, Lemon

Really nice. It was quite a balanced palate cleanser before the dessert course

Ssuk

Mugwort, Multigrain, Rice Cake

This was really yummy. I liked the creaminess of the mugwort that went so well with the mochi and crisp multigrain. They should keep this on the menu

Dagwa

Yakgwa, Macaron, Jooak, Omija

Finally the end of the meal – petite 4

It was a hit and miss for the petite 4 though at this point, I would think the quality wouldn’t really matter cos you would be so full by then

It wasn’t our first time at Naeum and the friend knows Chef Louis Han pretty well so he tried to get our feedback at the end of the meal. It’s definitely not a 10/10 kinda of meal and the friend did prefer Chef Han’s dishes more so this collaboration wasn’t so impressive overall. The friend jokingly said maybe should have just stick to 2-Hands dinner. Well, personally I thought it was good to try different collaborations but perhaps it might be a different chef in the near future

Naeum

161 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068615