Na Oh

Lastly, the meal concluded with a makgeolli snow ice blanketed over strawberries, and served with a crunch rice cracker on the side. All good but slightly boozy from the pleasant fermented taste of the finely shaved bingsu.

The Young Chicken Stuffed with Glutinous Rice was tantalising. Refine in its execution yet surprisingly homely in taste, the hearty umami ginseng chicken soup (came with one refill only) was super slurp-worthy. The protein packed with soft glutinous rice, was succulent and fall-off-the-bone tender. The ginseng flavour was distinct but not at all overpowering. The Neungyi Mushrooms, Green Scallion Jang (sauce), and Chonggak (Ponytail Radish) Kimchi were lovely.

Then came the Jinjitsang, a traditional Korean meal setting that includes a variety of accompaniments. With 3 delicious-sounding options, we went with the Golden Queen Rice and Butterfish Gamasot (rice pot) as well as the Samgyetang.

The former was flakey fresh, clean-tasting and beautifully presented. I especially enjoyed it with the seasoned sauce and loved scraping up the nurungji (scorched rice) from the bottom of the pot with the well-executed protein. The Seasonal Gyeran Mari (rolled omelette), Nabak (water) Kimchi, and Dolgim (roasted seaweed) paired alongside were noteworthy too.

While the portion didn’t seem to be much initially with their starters, Na Oh’s summer prix fixe lunch ($78/pax) lineup was so satisfying! Appetisers were the simple yet silky housemade tofu with aged soya sauce; unassuming buckwheat pancakes with aged kimchi and leeks which act as wraps for the lettuces harvested from the in-house Smart Farm; and a refreshing tangy palate cleanser of sorts, Mulhwe - White Fish and Sea Cucumber in Icy Kimchi Broth.

Buckwheat and Mugunji Jeon 4/5
Golden Queen Rice and Butterfish Gamasot 4/5
Pyongyang-Style Cold Noodles 3/5