Soul Dining — Restaurant in Seoul

I’ve visited several Michelin-starred restaurants, mostly in Europe, where the recognition has consistently meant outstanding food, wine, and an exceptional experience. With this in mind, we were excited for our visit to this restaurant in Seoul.

The food composition was impressive, but sadly, that was where our satisfaction ended. The restaurant lacked a warm and welcoming atmosphere; it’s located in a basement with harsh, bright lighting, and the staff, equipped with earpieces, moved around like a security team rather than a service team.

The most disappointing aspect was the person introducing himself as the “Sommelier.” We requested the 7-glass wine pairing, but were informed they didn’t have enough wine for that option. Reluctantly, we went with the 4-glass option. The initial glass of champagne was enjoyable, but every subsequent wine was underwhelming—far from the quality you’d expect at this level, served in miniature glasses at premium prices. Each pour should have been a standard 1dl, but it certainly didn’t feel that way. Perhaps we were just unlucky and caught them at the end of their stock.

The experience reached its low point when, barely a minute after 10 pm, the “Sommelier” came over and bluntly told us we had to leave as they were closing. Closing at 10 pm is fine, but a courteous heads-up 15 minutes before closing would have made all the difference. To us, this was a restaurant with more “Shine” than “Soul,” lacking taste and ambiance. Thankfully, we had far better experiences elsewhere in vibrant Seoul!

Definitely would not...

Found this place last min. Went down and was greeted by Luke who speaks great English. Requested to change a dish and they agreed which I truly appreciated. Was seated down and the amazing journey starts. Each of the dish was tastefully created and served. First dish was served as a flower, the abalone was served with sauces that was so good, mushrooms with custard was so fine! Interesting pancakes served with rice cakes was great combination, fish was fresh, duck was well prepared and tasted really good. Then came the dish we changed. Instead of beef served in 3 ways, we were served with fantastic pork served in 2 ways. It tasted so good with all the different side dishes! The desert was also amazingly served. It is named ceramic! I understood why when it was served. The details of it resembles so much like a ceramic port.... So beautiful. Dinner was completed by cup of tea and 2 small bites that was really refreshing. Overall amazing experiences.. food was fantastic, environment was great (choose hall dinning if you are not used to seeing people cook in front of you) and staff was extremely warm and friendly. Special mention to Luke, Chef Yun & Kim for making our dinner so special. Thank you for the 2 small gift at the end. Truly appreciate. If you are in Seoul... This is a must try. Happy Dinning. We will be back with the change of menu...

Located in a basement of the quieter area near Namsan Tower, Soul offered a private open kitchen fine-dining experience to a limited number of customers per night. I was impressed by the aesthetic appeal of the dishes, particularly the ceramics tableware and the autumn vibe of every dish.

The 14-course omakase menu was a blend of the Korean culinary ingredients and modern contemporary techniques. I enjoyed the wifey Chef Hee Eun Kim’s interpretation of her childhood memories into the dishes, such as the signature, brilliantly marinated and grilled “Mrs. Abalone Kim”!! Other than this, I found the rest of the dishes either too mild or too strong in flavours and lacked the complexity in texture for a Michelin-starred dinner (especially the desserts)

I also found the open kitchen experience slightly awkward. Unlike Japanese sushi bar or izakaya where you were able to observe the chef’s culinary magic, here at Soul I could barely see any cooking done. There were a few chefs wandering around, chatting away and awaiting orders, while Chef-owner Kim and Sous chef were cooking at the far ends with their backs towards customers. So rather than being in a fine dining kitchen, I felt like I was in a culinary...