Barbecue has long been an integral part of Korean cuisine. The meat arrives hot and plump from the glowing heat of the coals, enveloped in the intensely smoky flavor achieved only from a grill. A piece of fatty meat or two is rolled into a ‘ssam,’ stacked with rice, fresh vegetables, and mountain herbs within a crisp, cold lettuce leaf.
Glasses clink, animated chatter plays out, drinking games a requisite; and amid all this, a way to build 情 ’ Jeong’ — a notion deeply rooted in Korean culture, which loosely translates to ‘the feeling of a strong connection between people.’’.
This spring and summer, Chef Louis Han stages a Front Yard Barbecue, built on the fondest memories from his barbecue gatherings back home. From 1 March 2023 till the end of Summer 2023, Episode 5 at NAE:UM presents a Classic and Signature tasting menu at $198++ for six courses and $258++ for eight courses.
Both menus feature three cold and three hot dishes, with placements to counter the glossy richness of barbecue food. The Signature menu includes the additional episodic re-inventions of Chef Louis’s signature ‘duckgalbi’ snack, ‘somyeon’ noodles dish, and ‘kkul hotteok’ dessert. The result is a creative plating of contemporary Seoul cuisine that lends a breath of fresh air to familiar Korean flavors. Ahead are some highlights from Episode 5.
Kicking off the journey is a series of three snacks, nostalgically presented as if from a scene out of Chef Louis’s family home in Korea, where traditional pottery housed fermented kimchi, bean, and chili paste in their garden. These snacks conjure a simple aim — to whet appetites for the feast ahead. This includes ‘green pea’ green peas smoked lightly over applewood, and garnished with charred pickled shallots, citrus jelly, lemon zest and dill; ‘shima aji,’ Shima-aji or Striped Jack tartare, marinated with pickled chili fermented daikon atop a kimchi-tomato meringue; and ‘milssam,’ a house-made Korean crepe that wraps Bulgogi Wagyu beef, sauteed bell peppers and shiso leaf. Delectable caviar adorns the crepe, which nestles on fragrant pine nut cream.
Rice, the staple pairing for grilled meats, finds itself in ‘doeji-galbi bap’, or pork rib rice. What lends the most flavour to this dish is the Duroc pork that has been braised overnight in the oven. The marinade is a sweet-savory mix of soy sauce, apple, pear, onions, potatoes, and chili. The fork-tender meat is pulled from the ribs and tops three different grains — barley, short white rice, and brown rice — in a bowl. An edible garden bedecks with color, including carrot ribbons, pickled onions, and grated black truffle. At the side is a trio of condiments, featuring a selection of pickles and house-made kimchi.
Rounding up the experience is a palate-cleansing dessert, which spotlights the perennial fruit cocktail that appeared at every Korean barbecue of Chef Louis’s memory. The ‘melon lime punch’, includes a sorbet made from a blend of lime, mint and Chef Louis’s favourite melon fruit. This is set atop a thirst-quenching granita of soju and lemon juice, as well as a vanilla yoghurt mousse. Surrounding it are thinly sliced rock melons, balls of honeydew, aloe vera, roasted cashew nuts, finished with basil oil and the crowning of a melon tuille.
In the 8-course Signature menu, the first addition is a fourth snack of Chef Louis’s signature ‘duckgalbi’. Minced duck is wrapped around a rice cake and in keeping with this Episode, pierced with a skewer, and grilled over binchotan. The moreish meat skewer is glazed with a sweet chili sauce,sprinkled over with quinoa puffs,and served with Korean perilla leaf. For the same Signature menu, two additional courses welcome a reappearance of other constants, where the ‘somyeon’ goes hand in hand with grilled black pork belly; while the popular charcoal jujube dessert is now dressed up in another version – ‘kkul hotteok’, highlighting a quenelle of jujube ice cream spooned onto a warm glutinous rice pancake, topped off with a charcoal tuille ‘branch’.
The 5th Episode of NAE:UM continues to see Chef Louis proclaim an ode to his most cherished memories at home, where the days of spring and summer herald a hot grill, its barely audible hiss, and the hearty procession of meats, vegetables, and ‘banchan’ side dishes to come.
NA:EUM Restaurant
161 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068615
