singaporecity360° Nae:um
Nae:um is a one-star contemporary Korean restaurant on the second floor of a Telok Ayer shophouse, where chef-owner Louis Han cooks what he calls contemporary Seoul cuisine across a tightly scripted tasting menu.
- Cuisine
- Contemporary Korean
- Neighbourhood
- Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT
- Telok Ayer (DT)
- Chef
- Louis Han
- Indicative price
- Lunch S$198++; dinner S$268++
- Address
- 161 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068615
Nae:um is a one-star contemporary Korean restaurant on the second floor of a Telok Ayer shophouse, where chef-owner Louis Han cooks what he calls contemporary Seoul cuisine across a tightly scripted tasting menu.
Signature dishes
- Dongchimi — a chilled shot of tomato and radish-water kimchi
- Gwanja — raw scallop with white soy, fermented garlic shoots and ikura
- Memilmyeon & Mandu — cold buckwheat noodles with white kimchi and a morel dumpling, the signature course
- Jeonbok — Jeju abalone with seaweed vinaigrette and caviar
- Darae Changmyeon — a signature dessert
Menus are seasonal and change through the year, so specific courses vary.
The concept
Han pairs Korean heritage flavours with modern Western technique, building each menu as an episodic narrative drawn from his own memories. The name means a fragrance that evokes memory, and the food follows that idea course by course. Fermentation, kimchi and seasonal Korean produce run through the meal, plated with an open kitchen and dry-aging cabinet on show.
The chef
Louis Han was born in Gangnam, Seoul, in 1990 and started cooking at 14. He cooked at the Grand InterContinental Seoul and in Abu Dhabi before moving to Singapore in 2016 on the opening team at Meta, then led the kitchen at Kimme. He opened Nae:um in 2021 and won the MICHELIN Young Chef Award in 2022.
Getting there
161 Telok Ayer Street, on the second storey of a shophouse at the Amoy Street edge of Chinatown and the CBD. Telok Ayer MRT (Downtown Line, Exit A/B) is about a four-minute walk.
Prices
The eight-course Signature dinner is S$268++; the five-course Brief lunch (Thursday to Saturday) is S$198++. With drinks, budget roughly S$300 to S$350 per person at dinner. The ++ means service charge and GST are added on top.
How to book
Book online up to 60 days ahead for parties up to 14. Smaller or private bookings go via WhatsApp (+65 8830 5016) or [email protected]. With only 24 seats, reserve well ahead for a weekend dinner.
Opening hours
Lunch Thursday to Saturday, 12:00 to 3:00pm (last seating 1pm). Dinner Monday to Saturday, 6:00 to 10:30pm (last seating 8pm). Closed Sunday.
The room & dress
The 24-seat room reopened in August 2025 after a renovation as Nae:um 2.0, drawing on traditional Korean hanok architecture — hanji-textured walls, earth tones, wooden beams and a curved travertine wall. There is a mix of banquette, table and counter seating plus a semi-private nook, and it reads like a cosy living room. Smart casual; children aged 8 and up.
A little history
Han founded Nae:um in 2021 during the pandemic, earning his first star and the Young Chef Award in 2022 and retaining the star every year since through 2026. It is one of only two starred Korean restaurants in Singapore, alongside two-star Meta.
Who it’s for
For diners who enjoy narrative, seasonal tasting menus and Korean heritage cooking through a modern lens — a strong pick for a special-occasion couple or a food-focused visitor. Not the place if you want a quick or casual meal.