Traveling to foreign lands can be an exciting and exhilarating experience for all of us. However, what truly makes these moments unforgettable is the pleasure of indulging in exceptional cuisine. Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, is now gaining recognition as one of the world’s premier travel destinations, beyond Asia. K-food, which stands for Korean cuisine, is also rising in popularity, aligned with K-pop and K-culture. ChosunBiz aims to introduce Michelin-starred restaurants in Seoul that offer a modern twist on traditional Korean cuisine. [Editor’s note]
“Sincerity is an openness of heart, which we find it in very few people.”
This quote from the ancient Greek poet Menander emphasizes that to truly move another person’s heart, you must offer your own with complete sincerity. No matter how luxurious the meal or extravagant the lifestyle, without sincerity, the experience won’t leave a lasting impression. What truly touches the heart is, in fact, another heart.
In South Korea, there is a fine dining restaurant that focuses on this power of sincerity. It is none other than Soul, a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Soul is run by the husband-and-wife chef duo Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun, and the name itself carries multiple meanings.
On one level, ‘soul’ refers to the spirit or heart, representing their intention to convey sincerity through their cooking. The name also has a deeper meaning when interpreted through Chinese characters, signifying ‘relief from a heavy heart.’ The chefs hope that Soul will be a place where guests can feel unburdened. This is also why the restaurant is located in Haebangchon, or ‘liberation village’, in Yongsan, Seoul.
Soul serves contemporary Korean cuisine, which is distinctive in its blend of tradition and influences from Western, Japanese, and other culinary cultures. Yoon, who specializes in Western cuisine, and Kim, whose expertise is in Korean cuisine, have come together to create their own unique story. Rather than staying within their individual specialties, they respect each other’s craft and build a shared narrative.
One of the best representations of this collaboration is the mulhoe (chilled seafood soup) and noodles they introduced this past summer.
The mulhoe features finely julienned and seasoned squid and scallops, paired with the crisp freshness of green apples and fragrant fennel, capturing the essence of summer. A generous topping of caviar adds a touch of luxury. While traditional mulhoe usually brings to mind a spicy red gochujang (Korean chili paste) broth, Soul reinvents it with a stock made from summer fruits like tomatoes and passion fruit. The result is a clear broth filled with the delicate fragrance of tomatoes and tropical fruits. Fresh Korean mint (bang-a), grown in the restaurant’s own garden, adds an extra layer of refreshing flavor.
When you take a bite, the crisp apple opens the experience with a bright, tangy burst, followed by the fresh taste of fennel. As you chew the squid and scallops, the flavors of the sea fill your senses, evoking the feeling of being by the ocean. The caviar and sesame seeds add a subtle nuttiness, creating a uniquely enjoyable texture. The thinly sliced seafood, resembling noodles, can also be slurped like a bowl of cold noodles, offering a playful twist.
The noodles served after the main course of grilled ribeye are equally noteworthy. Just as many Koreans crave noodles after a hearty meat dish, this familiar offering is sure to delight. The noodles are freshly made from buckwheat capellini, giving them a Western twist. The broth, rich with beef flavor, is balanced by the nutty aroma of perilla oil and the tangy bite of pickled gomchwi leaves. As you take a bite, the gentle fragrance of buckwheat lingers, leaving a distinct yet subtle aftertaste.
Beef brisket and pickled Jerusalem artichokes, used as garnishes, each make their presence known, and the perilla oil ties everything together in harmony. Adding a tomato-olive sauce transforms the dish into bibim guksu (mixed noodles). The sauce, made by condensing tomatoes, olives, and a smoky hint of paprika into a paste, gives the dish a pasta-like feel at first. But soon, the heat from chili oil emerges, bringing in a familiar Korean flavor.
Soul’s attention to sincerity extends beyond the food and into the restaurant’s design. This is evident in how the bar-style tables are structured, with the chefs standing at a lower level so they can make eye contact with the guests. They believe that the eyes are the ‘window to the heart’, the most direct way to convey sincerity.
At Soul, the chefs continue to refine their sincerity, pouring their heart into every dish they create, ensuring that each meal is not just a dish but an experience filled with genuine care.
―Could you each introduce yourselves briefly?
Kim Hee-eun (Kim): “I’m Kim Hee-eun from Soul. I was naturally talented in art from a young age, so I initially chose to pursue a career as a ceramic artist. However, I was captivated by the world of food and ended up walking this path instead. While I enjoyed making dishes, I found myself wanting to fill them with heartfelt food and share that experience. That’s why I shifted my career direction, graduated with a degree in culinary arts, and began my career in the Korean cuisine department of a hotel.”
Yoon Dae-hyun (Yoon): “I’m Yoon Dae-hyun from Soul. While I started in Western cuisine, I’ve always had an interest in Korean cuisine. As a Korean living in South Korea, I knew I would eventually delve into Korean food.”
―How would you describe the restaurant, ‘Soul’?
Kim: “As the name suggests, it embodies the meaning of ‘soul’ or ‘spirit.’ Additionally, when broken down into Chinese characters, it signifies ‘releasing a heavy heart.’ We hope that Soul can be a place where people feel a sense of liberation from their daily struggles. That’s also why we chose to locate our restaurant in Haebangchon, which translates to ‘liberation village.’”
Yoon: “I completely agree. No matter how down you feel, eating delicious food can lift your moods. We wanted to pour our sincerity into creating a space where people can fully enjoy themselves, no matter their mood.”
―How do you convey sincerity in your work?
Kim: “We believe dining is more than just a meal; it’s an experience. We hope our guests can feel a range of emotions, from the subtle care in the smallest details to the joy of gourmet dining. Soul strives to be the kind of place people want to return to with their loved ones. We’ve put a lot of thought into creating different enjoyable elements throughout the restaurant, beyond just the food. One way we convey sincerity is by making eye contact with our guests. We even redesigned the restaurant to ensure that the chefs and customers can meet at eye level.”
Yoon: “Recently, a friend who specializes in meat processing treated me to a pork dish. He butchered half a pig and spent over six hours explaining each cut and grilling it with the utmost care. I was deeply impressed by this, and it struck me as the epitome of sincerity. I think true comfort comes from countless layers of consideration. The temperature of the restaurant, the atmosphere, the timing of the dishes—everything must be perfectly aligned. When our guests feel at ease, we know our sincerity has reached them.”
―How does Soul reinterpret Korean cuisine?
Kim: “We like to merge the unique aspects of Korean food culture with Western cuisine or find common ground between the two. For example, in Korea, we pan-fry potato pancakes in pork fat and dip them in onion pickling juice. We apply this idea to a similar dish like gnocchi. We also serve a traditional Korean rice cake, jeungpyeon, made from fermented makgeolli (Korean wine), as a pre-meal bread with three different types of butter.”
Yoon: “With a little imagination and curiosity, new dishes can be born. For instance, when making aioli, adding perilla oil gives it a distinctly Korean touch. We also think about how food culture evolves. What we eat today might be considered traditional in a few hundred years, and this opens the door to endless possibilities. Crossing the boundaries between East and West is one of Soul’s biggest attractions.”
―What is the charm of Korean cuisine?
Yoon: “The charm lies in its variety and diversity. Korean food blends well with other culinary traditions. Even traditional dishes can easily be adapted with a modern twist. For example, butter goes perfectly with kimchi fried rice, and yangnyeom (a sweet and spicy sauce) chicken, though originally a Western dish, has been transformed into something uniquely Korean. Korean cuisine can absorb and adapt any food that comes its way, and that’s its charm. Of course, we can’t forget the traditional aspects of Korean cuisine, like fermentation and its health-boosting qualities.”
―How have you prepared for this fall’s course?
Kim: “Although it wasn’t intentional, this fall marks the beginning of ‘Season 2′ for Soul. We plan to unveil a variety of new dishes and even update our interior. The Soul logo is made up of symbols representing mountains, the sea, and the sun. This reflects our ambition to bring the finest ingredients from land, sea, and sky together on a single plate.”
Yoon: “To give a little preview, we’re also developing mushroom-based dishes. We’re researching how to maximize the unique flavor and aroma that mushrooms possess. In particular, emperor mushrooms, when perfectly grilled, have a juicy, tender interior that almost resembles meat. Rather than simply offering a ‘delicious mushroom,’ we want to show people that mushrooms can produce flavors they might not have imagined.”
―How do you want Soul to be remembered?
Kim: “I’d love for it to be remembered not just as a place with great food, but as a place where people had a truly memorable experience. Food is important, but what makes people want to return is the service. Soul has grown significantly since 2019, and we’ll continue working hard to ensure our guests feel that change. We’ll keep pouring our passion into every detail so that our sincerity can be felt, even in ways that aren’t immediately visible.”
Yoon: “Rather than being remembered, I’d like Soul to be a place that people think of. When you say ‘remember,’ it almost sounds like the restaurant no longer exists (laughs). I want Soul to be a place that has consistently done well and will continue to do so. We want to be known as a restaurant that embraces tradition but also reinterprets it in a modern way. Ultimately, we hope to bridge the gap between fine dining and everyday customers in the world of gourmet cuisine.”
