Why you goPretty much every Sydneysider has their reason for having a soft spot for the Soul team, responsible for some of the most joy-filled Korean food in the city. Maybe you can’t get enough of their sticky, unctuous galbi short-rib from their refined, fine-ish restaurant, Soul Dining. Could be that you survived lockdown by barrelling through the deserted Surry Hills streets to pick up one of their generous Korean rice bowls from Soul Deli, packed with proteins and pickles. But now Illa Kim and her husband Daero Lee, along with head chef Sunny Ryu and sommelier Mae Lee, have taken on a third concept, one that fits snugly between the two existing venues: Bar Soul, which bills itself as a Korean tapas bar. The idea is to show that Korean food isn’t just a standalone thing of excellence, but a magical match for wine as well. And no, not only the obvious pairing with Asian food of rieslings and rieslings only. Korean food is complex and nuanced and it deserves drinks that are as well.
