'Not another fine-dining restaurant in the city': Chef Corey Lee goes west with modern Korean eatery and vertical farm produce at Na Oh

Opening a restaurant in a far-west corner of Singapore — and in a car showroom, no less — might raise eyebrows, but this does not faze Korean-American chef Corey Lee, who is making his Southeast Asian debut with Na Oh. The modern Korean restaurant opens on 15 June within the sleek confines of the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) in Jurong West.

In a city-state where most chefs gravitate towards the Central Business District, Lee, who helms three-Michelin-starred contemporary Asian restaurant Benu in San Francisco, prioritises on offering a valuable addition to the local dining scene.

In a pre-opening interview with The Peak, he muses: "I guess if I were a young chef trying to make a name for himself or opening a restaurant hungry for accolades, I would be concerned. With my other projects now, I’m more interested in making sure the process will be stimulating, while working with talented people and offering a restaurant that’s actually contributing something.” 

“I think opening an approachable restaurant in an area that doesn’t have many options is a better contribution to Singapore than yet another fine-dining restaurant in the city centre,” he affirms.

Spotlight on Korean culture

With a name that embodies transformation — Na Oh signifies "moving from inside out" in Korean — the 40-seater features Korean cuisine, a return to Lee's heritage. This isn't just about replicating traditional dishes; it's about presenting "Hansik" through a modern lens, aligning with Hyundai's vision for HMGICS to share not only Korean cuisine but also Korean craft, design, and innovation. Besides Korean culture, the restaurant showcases state-of-the-art vertical smart farming technology.

While Benu is the restaurant that most associate Lee with, he explains that Na Oh is about delivering an experience that reflects Korean cuisine. “I felt that offering a menu that was more rooted in traditional cuisine would align better with Hyundai’s customer experience program and would be a better contribution to Singapore’s dining scene.”

Apart from the restaurant, visitors to the HMGICS can also take part in a tasting experience with freshly harvested greens, get a closer look at Hyundai’s manufacturing process through a Virtual Reality Factory Tour, as well as a ride on the locally-produced Hyundai IONIQ5 with a professional driver on Singapore’s first and only rooftop driving track that spans 618km. Reservations for both activities fall under the Discovery Tour. 

This marks Hyundai Motor Group's first attempt at combining a dining experience in its customer experience space.

Modern twist on traditional Korean cuisine

That being said, the restaurant's interpretation of traditional cuisine will be reimagined for the modern palate. (The restaurant will offer a four-course prix fixe seasonal menu for both lunch and dinner, with guests having the option to choose the jinjitsang — a Korean meal setting served with a variety of accompaniments. The menu will be updated throughout the year, highlighting creative dishes based on Korean fermentation and seasonal ingredients).

Take, for instance, the Pyeongyang naengmyun (Pyeongyang cold noodles). The cold dish is traditionally served in the winter because this is when crops were harvested, and the freezing weather allowed for certain preparations before refrigeration was available.

“Ironically, this is a dish that’s more suited for summer because it’s light, refreshing, and cool. To enhance these qualities, we use beef strip loin that’s been cured in sea salt, which results in a brighter flavour and texture than the long-simmered, braised cuts that are traditionally used."

Another way he’s leveraging modern technology? The classic traditional poached chicken dish, Samgyetang, is cooked in a heavy gamasot (Korean cast-iron pot) inside of a smart oven to control the exact temperature and humidity instead of being boiled over a fire for better texture. 

A compelling project 

Na Oh's unique setting within the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre has certainly sparked curiosity. "To be honest, my initial reaction to anyone who approaches me to do a restaurant is scepticism. That’s just how I’m wired, I guess," he admits. "I didn’t get into this profession to keep opening more and more restaurants, so when I agree to do something, the project has to be compelling."

“Hyundai wanted to provide something that would enhance their visitors’ experience through food. This premise is so different from how restaurants are typically opened as a business opportunity. I was inspired by the potential to do something unique and special in this space.”

Lee's decision to make this project his Southeast Asian debut wasn't random. "While I haven’t spent a lot of time in Singapore, I’ve visited enough times to know it’s a gourmet country. And, having spent time with many chefs and diners from Singapore who have come through our kitchens and visited our dining rooms, I think Singaporeans are not only passionate about food but also very into exploring different cuisines."

As Lee will be shuttling between San Francisco and Singapore, some have questioned his level of involvement. Lee assures that while he will be coming for the menu changes that happen every season, he’ll have to see how the restaurant evolves to know for sure. Lee also runs a one-Michelin-starred contemporary Korean barbecue restaurant, San Ho Won in San Francisco. 

From farm to table

As for the produce? It doesn't travel far. Na Oh boasts a state-of-the-art vertical smart farm located within the very walls of the HMGICS, which aims to showcase and demonstrate that robotics, technology, and automation can enable even a country like Singapore to ramp up agricultural activities.

This innovative system currently grows nine different crops in-house, with more being developed for the next phase, ensuring unparalleled freshness and control over the quality of ingredients.

At the smart kitchen, the same robotics and automation technology used to make the cars tend to the garden, complete with an in-house “gardener” who plants, manages, and harvests 30kg of fresh produce for the restaurant daily.

The smart hydroponics farm, which spans two floors of the building, is a self-contained hydroponics system that utilises robots for automated planting and harvesting of fresh greens all year round.

“We utilise Swiss chard prepared as Korean namul (marinated vegetables) flavoured with fresh-pressed perilla oil, an ice plant with icy kimchi shaved on top for our mulhwe (a spicy raw fish icy soup that’s usually served in the summer), and serve a daily selection of smart farm leaves ready for harvest with our muchim (salad), to be eaten wrapped inside of a kimchi pancake.”

Singapore and beyond

While Lee emphasises the importance of maintaining the essence of classic dishes, he acknowledges the role of evolution in keeping food exciting. "I think it’s important to make food that suits the local tastes; we want to make people happy. So if traditional dishes change a bit, that’s fine and how food evolves. What’s important is that we don’t lose the essence of a dish in the process, and maintain the qualities we love about it."

While the initial menu won't feature Singaporean influences, Lee remains open to future inspiration. "Not on our opening menu," he says. “Perhaps that will happen in the future, but I won’t force it. It has to be genuinely inspired so that it’s not contrived."

Na Oh will operate from Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner from 15 June 2024, and is open to the general public, with advance booking recommended.