Traditional Korean ingredients take centre stage in the restaurant’s latest four-course menu
This is our third time at Na Oh, a Korean restaurant located in the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) in Jurong. This time, we’re here to try the new winter menu, which features several seasonal ingredients from Korea.
Each season, Na Oh puts out a four-course prix fixe menu that costs $78 per person, with the same menu for lunch and dinner. At this price point, it is a great and affordable way to have a taste of what chef Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu in the US has to offer.
While Korean food is aplenty in Singapore, Na Oh consistently serves up a meal that stands out from other offerings here. Lee maintains a sense of traditional and authentic flavour in each dish, while sprinkling a touch of flair that is subtle but enough to make the food memorable.
The new winter menu starts with a selection of starters. Highlights include goguma jorim (sweet potato glazed with rice syrup and soy sauce), and two sides showcasing crops grown in HMGICS’ Smart Farm: ice plant, debuting at Na Oh with a fermented chilli and vinegar dressing, and jangajji, traditionally made with sesame leaves but reimagined here with spicy mustard leaves.
For mains, Na Oh offers three jinjitsang options: grilled Jeju beltfish, charcoal-grilled Hanbang-style beef short ribs, and pheasant mandu soup with freshly milled rice cakes. Each comes complemented by three banchan.
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We opt for the braised beef short ribs, which are finished over charcoal and infused with traditional Korean medicinal ingredients like red dates, ginkgo nuts and ginseng. Served with this are sotbap (mixed rice with chestnuts and gondeure) and a side of preserved plum geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi). The dish is complemented by a rich beef broth, flavoured with anchovy and roasted rice, served in a hot stone pot to enhance the depth of flavours.
The beef is so soft that a knife is not needed. The herbs give the dish a fragrant pungency that feels familiar, as several of these herbs are commonly used in Chinese dining too.
Interestingly, the menu features a number of cold dishes — perhaps a nod to the Korean tradition of eating cold dishes in winter, or to cater to Singapore’s hot weather. One of the starters, for instance, is a cold noodle dish in a light kimchi broth; dessert, meanwhile, takes the form of an icy and refreshing fruit punch made with winter citrus, Naju pear, pomegranate and alyssum flowers, paired with a sorbet for a clean, fruity finish.
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The intimate 40-seater restaurant is by reservation only. So, make sure to place your bookings beforehand. I’ve already made reservations to come back again and try the other mains.
Na Oh
Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore,
3 Floor, 2 Bulim Avenue,
Singapore 649674
Tel: +65 6263 1548
Website: www.hyundai.com/sg/naoh
Opening hours:
Wednesday to Sunday
Lunch 11.30am - 3.30pm (last seating 2.00pm)
Dinner 6.00pm - 10.00pm (last seating 8.00pm)
