The SOUL Dining Team Has Transformed Its Charming Corner Terrace Into the Sleek Bar SOUL
SOUL Deli has moved a few doors down, and in its place comes a welcoming neighbourhood bar and all-day diner.
After wowing Sydneysiders with their hatted restaurant SOUL Dining and their homely cafe SOUL Deli, husband-and-wife duo Daero Lee and Illa Kim are back with their third venue. This time, they've set up a sleek all-day diner and wine bar in a corner terrace — in fact, in the same corner terrace that SOUL Deli had been occupying for the last two years.
Lee and Kim's beloved purveyor of coffee, fried chicken rolls and Korean doughnuts has recently picked up and moved a few doors down into the lobby of the ADGE Hotel. Still serving up the same top-notch breakfast and lunch treats, SOUL Deli's new home swaps the minimalist white design of its original digs for vibrant pastel hues.
Back in the original SOUL Deli spot at 185 Campbell Street, Bar SOUL has arrived with a tapas-style menu of Korean snacks paired with wines from near and afar. The 30-seat bar retains the charm of SOUL Deli's original space, with an inviting interior brought to life by traditional folk Minhwa prints, plus a dog-friendly al fresco dining space where guests can get some vitamin D.
"Korean food is rarely associated with wine. After exploring the offering at Bar SOUL, we wouldn't be surprised to see more of these ventures pop up across Sydney," says Kim. "Pairing a Touriga Nacional with our dry-aged duck with sweet potato puree and Korean cabbage salad is a revelation."
Other standout snacks joining the duck on the dinner menu include potato crumpets with kimchi crème fraiche and smoked trout roe, grilled octopus skewers, fried spatchcock, slow-cooked pork jowl and scallop crudo.
While this all sounds like the making of a killer nighttime haunt, you can also head in from 7.30am every day for breakfast or a boozy lunch. The daytime menu is filled with a blend of Korean favourites and Australian cafe staples. Bread sits at the centre of the offerings, with standout dishes like toast topped with burrata, roasted beetroot, quinoa and blood orange; Murray Cod fish burgers with pickled cucumber tartar and fennel on potato buns; and MB9+ wagyu open sandwiches.
Manning the kitchen is Head Chef Sunny Ryu, who hopes to give patrons the experience of "finding something unexpected within the familiar". Ryu brings experience from an accomplished career, during which he's worked across acclaimed restaurants in Australia and Korea, including Bennelong, Quay and Seoul's Michelin-starred diner Ryunique.
No matter which time you head in, it's best to lean into the theme. Where else can you pair a loaded fish burger with Bokbunjajoo Black Raspberry Wine, or gang-doenjang with a glass of Mudgee rosé?
Bar SOUL is now open at Shop 1 and 2, 185 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. It's open 7.30am–2.30pm Monday–Sunday and 5.3pm–late Tuesday–Saturday.
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