In 2018, husband and wife Daero Lee and Illa Kim opened up a 30-seat restaurant in Surry Hills, wanting to bring a contemporary spin to classic Korean dishes. Since then, Soul Dining has achieved that and more, cementing itself as one of the leading Korean restaurants in town. At the end of 2023, the duo wanted to expand. So, they packed up ship and moved their modern Seoul diner to Wynyard in Sydney’s CBD. And while the new space is bigger, the great food remains. (If you're heading to South Korea soon, you can check out our guide on what to do there here.)
Take one of their signature dishes, kingfish with kimchi water, for example. Here, fresh, clean slices of kingfish sit in water imbued with kimchi, before being topped with ribbons of white kimchi, radish and avocado. Or the scallop ‘bori-bap’ – which is similar to one of Korea’s most famous dishes, bibimbap – and is made up with scallops and barley rice instead. The prawn tteokbokki is a must order. Inspired by the street food dish of chewy rice cakes covered in a sweet and fiery gochujang sauce, Soul Dining’s version includes an in-house capsicum sambal, ’nduja and chunks of sweet Yamba prawn meat studded throughout, taking the humble plate to another level. The bread course gets a modern Korean spin as well, resulting in bouncy wine-fermented rice bread, and not something you can order from your go-bakery.
The drinks list is no afterthought. Lee and Kim wanted to ensure the wines and cocktails matched the quality of the food and interiors, so they brought in sommelier Liz Dodd to curate the list. Cocktails, which are inspired by traditional Korean snacks and drinks, are laced with nostalgia, like the Melona and Sesame Sour. Plus, there’s a page dedicated to Korean booze, including plum honey wine, citrus wine and makgeolli, which is a traditional rice wine.
The interiors are dark and moody, featuring splashes of marble, charcoal walls and furniture, striking flora displays, and hanging statement lights – ideal for date night, or a long catch up with friends. We say: Soul Dining brings contemporary Seoul food to Sydney town and we’re better off because of it.
