Memory on a Plate: Inside NAE:UM’s New Chapter on Telok Ayer Street

circular connection
1 day ago
2 min read

This MICHELIN-starred restaurant reimagines Korean cuisine through personal storytelling, seasonal expression and a softly refined dining environment.

Elegant interior with wooden sliding doors, a backlit sign reading "NAE.UM," and a vase with dried flowers. Warm, minimalist ambiance.

Image: HW Construction

At 161 Telok Ayer Street, NAE:UM presents a quietly confident approach to fine dining that centres memory, narrative and space. Since opening its doors, the restaurant has earned one MICHELIN Star each year from 2022 through 2025, reflecting its consistency and culinary maturity. In 2025, it was also named among Singapore’s best restaurants by Tatler, a recognition of both its evolving menu and its thoughtfully refreshed interiors.

Modern restaurant interior with round wooden tables, brown chairs, and elegant table settings. Soft lighting and minimalist decor.

Image: NAE:UM

NAE:UM means “a fragrance that evokes memories,” and this sentiment is felt from the first course to the final detail. Chef Louis Han, born in Gangnam and trained across Lebanon, Abu Dhabi and Singapore, creates contemporary Korean tasting menus that are deeply rooted in tradition while shaped by his international journey.

Elegant food presentation on minimalist wooden stands. Background features two shoji screens on a beige surface, creating a serene ambiance.

Image: NAE:UM

Each dish reflects a personal reference, told through refined technique and restrained composition. The menu evolves with the seasons and is presented as a series of chapters and moments, where courses such as buckwheat with white kimchi and morel dumpling or Iberico ribeye with galbi glaze, garlic chive and perilla-layered onion reveal a balance of memory and craft.

Modern kitchen with beige tones, pendant lights, white countertops, shelves holding pottery, and a vase with dried flowers in front.

Image: NAE:UM

The interior of the restaurant complements this philosophy with equal subtlety. In 2025, NAE:UM underwent a full renovation that introduced a softer, more spacious layout. Natural materials, pale wood walls, layered textures and shoji-style panels bring warmth and flow to the room.

Images: HW Construction

The design draws from Korean elements, interpreted in a minimalist and contemporary language that encourages stillness and presence. This transformation was guided by Tsukurto, the design studio behind the spatial concept, and built by HW Homeworks, whose precision and care helped realise the vision without distraction.

Image: HW Construction

From the ingredients to the interiors, everything at NAE:UM is composed to bring forward memory and feeling. It is a restaurant that invites guests to pause, reflect and savour.