During the Covid-19 lockdown, Han flew to Seoul in 2020, after being away for six years, to rediscover his roots and seek new insights and inspirations. There he worked as a sous chef for two Michelin-starred Mosu in Seoul and got married — over Zoom — to his Singapore wife (yes, ladies, he is taken).
It is the middle of the week, and dinner reservations at Nae:um are full. Diners in the 28-seater restaurant barely drink, but the decibel level within the shophouse space is palpable, and we understand why. People — mostly women — come here to see the oppa (boyfriend) of Telok Ayer, chef-owner Louis Han, who has been winning over diners with his charming smile and special brand of contemporary Seoul cuisine.
Fans will know Han from his days as the sous chef at Korean restaurant Meta — where he emerged as a finalist in the San Pellegrino Young Chef Award Southeast Asian leg — and former head chef of now-defunct Kimme, where he became a finalist for the 2019 World Gourmet Summit Rising Chef of the Year. Before his time in Singapore, he worked around the fine dining circuit in Seoul and Abu Dhabi, training in everything from the Mediterranean to Italian cuisine.
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