Sydney’s Korean scene is going through another boom and, in many ways, Soul lit the spark. Partly it’s because owners Daero Lee and Illa Kim decided to transplant their hatted restaurant from Surry Hills to Wynyard in 2022, introducing Korean fine-dining to the big-restaurant-group part of town. But also it’s because their take on contemporary Korean feels exciting, clever and, somehow, very “Sydney”.

Take the signature cubed rice bread, steamed to maximal fluffiness and chew – when slathered in butter, it’s one of our best restaurant breads. Grilled octopus is overrepresented on the city’s menus, but it shines anew with fried gnocchi and sweet-sour chilli sauce chojang.

The familiar and unfamiliar combine again with the tteokbokki, the tubby ricecakes simmered in buttery porcini sauce, and in a delightful chocolate cake, served with soybean-paste caramel and brown-rice ice-cream. The room is expansive, but the nuance and the, well, soul are undeniable.

Must-order dish: The signature fermented rice bread

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