The people behind Sydney’s First Korean Tapas Wine Bar

Husband and wife duo Daero Lee and Illa Kim have always been passionate about showcasing the depth of Korean cuisine, exemplified in the renowned and acclaimed SOUL Dining. Now, they embark on a new venture with Bar SOUL, a place that defies conventional notions of Korean food, where the true essence of well-balanced Korean tapas dishes is awakened through carefully curated wine pairings.

Illa and Daero, the founders of Sydney’s First Korean Tapas Wine Bar

ILLA KIM

Co-owner

Illa was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Kiel, Germany when she was 11. She later studied fashion design in Berlin before working at a PR/Marketing agency.

In 2010, she returned to Seoul to work for PLATOON KUNSTHALLE. There she met her now-husband and business partner Daero Lee, who invited her to join him in Sydney when he was offered a head chef position at Criniti’s. In 2018 they decided to become independent and opened contemporary Korean restaurant SOUL Dining in Surry Hills, followed by SOUL Deli in 2021. Illa is also a wine enthusiast and a DipWSET and her focus for the wine list is Korean food pairing with natural and low intervention wines

DAERO LEE

Co-owner

Daero Lee started his culinary journey at 17, working in a bakery in Seoul while attending a culinary high school to gain nationally accredited certificates. He worked at several prestigious fine dining restaurants before becoming head chef at Criniti’s. Daero yearned to create his own dishes and invested his mortgage money into opening SOUL Dining in 2018 and SOUL Deli in 2021, where he creates unique dishes drawing on Korean, Italian, French, German, Japanese and Australian cooking styles and ingredients, almost entirely made from scratch.

Warm comforting and inviting table full of food from our inspired Korean Menu

Sunny Ryu

Head Chef

With Head Chef Sunny Ryu at the helm, guests can expect an unforgettable dining experience. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge acquired over his illustrious career from acclaimed Michelin Starred restaurant Ryunique in Seoul, to his tenure in some of Australia’s most distinguished culinary institutions, such as Bennelong and Quay.