The hum of anticipation for new experiences in a new space, interlaced with the quietude of returning to the familiar – welcome to the latest expression of NAE:UM.
Reopening on 21 August 2025 with a home that has changed, yet remains unmistakably itself, Michelin one-starred NAE:UM begins a new story. Not a reinvention nor just a continuation, NAE:UM today – dubbed NAE:UM 2.0 – is a natural culmination of Chef Founder Louis Han’s development as a restaurateur, from running NAE:UM over four years, nine episodic menus and over a hundred twenty creations, to opening GU:UM – a Modern Korean Steakhouse and HIDEAWAY – a private experience space, under the collective of the NAE:UM Group. His journey reflects a deepening refinement of purpose that comes only with time, experience, and the gradual defining of one’s identity.
His inaugural restaurant, NAE:UM, has always been more than a dining destination: it is the heartfelt physical manifestation of Chef Louis’ culinary being. Once inspired by nostalgia for his native Korea and shaped by his global experiences, his distinct style of ‘Contemporary Seoul cuisine’ was introduced with the restaurant’s opening in 2021. Through episodic menus featuring a series of dishes drawn from his memories, guests were taken on an exploration, from the mountain near his home, to the streets of Seoul and shores of Jeju. The restaurant’s name NAE:UM, drawn from Korean literary prose, describes ‘a pleasing fragrance that evokes memories’, and indeed, the Episodic menus were akin to scents suspended in time – fleeting yet evocative.
From revealing fragments of his life over time, Chef Louis now presents a deeply personal ‘Contemporary Korean cuisine’. His stories will no longer be told in episodes, but as a whole. NAE:UM’s new ‘storybook’ menu will unfold as a holistic and layered narrative of who he is today. Rooted in his Korean heritage yet broadened by global sensibilities, the cuisine is definitively articulated and shaped by maturity. A blend of modern techniques and inventive culinary expression – though boundaryless and contemporary in spirit – is nevertheless humbly grounded in Korean flavours, ingredients, and personal memories. This is showcased in NAE:UM 2.0’s Signature 8-course tasting menu ($268++). An abbreviated Classic 6-course tasting menu ($228++) will also be available for lunch on Saturday.
The hanok – a traditional Korean house that embodies harmony, simplicity, and quiet grace – lies in the heart of this evolution. The most recent Episodic menu, Episode 9: A Hanok Prelude was the first whisper of this vision: a dream of hosting guests in a space that marries tradition with modernity. Now, NAE:UM embodies the sinhanok, or “new hanok”, rooted in the past but reimagined for the present.
The dining room was once reminiscent of a modest chogajib mud house in the original 2021 design. Now it conjures the more stately giwajib, the traditional dwellings of Korea’s noble class. In its harmony of warm Korean aesthetics and refined contemporary design, the hanok-inspired space serves as an enduring reminder to Chef Louis of his Korean roots as he expands his culinary repertoire with unbounded creativity across time and geography.
The white jackets donned by the culinary team is a nod to baegui minjok – meaning “people of white”, which symbolises simplicity, modesty, and purity. Each detail, from the interiors to the illustrated ‘storybook’ accompanying each meal, reflects a philosophy of jeong – a deep, unspoken sense of care that turns a meal into a shared moment, and a restaurant into a home.
With its elegant contemporary vibe and Chef Louis’ thoughtful attention to every facet of the guest experience, memories will now be richer, more vivid and connected with his complete vision. NAE:UM is a place of lingering fragrance and of meaningful connections not just for guests, but also for generations of chefs who build indelible bonds together under Chef Louis’ nurturing leadership.
This is a forward-looking story in the journey of Chef Louis Han who confidently declares his identity and his clear vision of the future through a new expression of Contemporary Korean cuisine; hospitality as kinship; and dining as a gentle, contemplative rhythm to experiencing life.
