Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Precision Korean-European cooking. Book early.
Sollip is one of London's most precisely executed set menu restaurants, blending Korean techniques with European cooking through the work of husband-and-wife team Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki. Named Top Newcomer by Harden's and ranked in OAD's Top 300 in Europe, it delivers at ££££ — but book 4 to 6 weeks out, as availability is tight across its four-day operating week.
Sollip earns its place at the leading of London's modern Korean dining conversation not through spectacle but through precision. Husband-and-wife team Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki have built a restaurant near The Shard that Harden's named Leading Newcomer of the Year when it opened in 2020, and it has continued to accumulate recognition since: ranked #266 in Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in Europe in 2024 and #306 in 2025, and awarded a White Star on Star Wine List. At ££££, this is a serious financial commitment, but the combination of a tightly executed set menu, a wine programme sourced through Noble Rot's Keeling Andrew & Co, and a room designed to disappear around you makes it worth the spend for the right diner. If you have been once and are weighing a return, this page will help you decide what to do differently.
Step into the pastel-shaded interior on Melior Street and the noise of Bermondsey drops away. The room is deliberately understated — Korean ceramics, considered woodwork, and floral arrangements that signal care without announcing it. Opinions on the space split predictably: those who want a dining room to frame the food find it quietly beautiful; those who want atmosphere and energy may find it plain. That division is actually useful information. Sollip is not the right choice if you want a buzzy room to match the occasion. It is the right choice if you want the food to be the event.
The kitchen's logic is consistent across both the four-course lunch and the eight-dish dinner: European technique, Korean ingredient logic, and Bomee Ki's pastry work threading through both. Dishes documented in the awards record include the signature daikon tarte Tatin with kimchi, toasted barley, roasted potato and burnt hay; nurungji (Korean scorched rice) with celeriac and mung bean jelly; courgette flower stuffed with crab and dubu; monkfish with red cabbage, onion and passion fruit; and a black pain perdu with ice cream, burnt vanilla and pecan. The four-course lunch has included a cast-iron pot of rice (so-tap) topped with Jerusalem artichoke jangajji, BBQ wagyu beef, and baechu purée. First-timers will get a solid read on the kitchen from lunch; returning diners who have not yet done the full dinner menu should make that the priority.
The wine list at Sollip is supplied by Keeling Andrew & Co, the buying arm behind Noble Rot. That provenance matters: this is a list built for people who care about producers, not just labels, with a selection oriented toward natural and minimal-intervention bottles from Europe's more interesting growers. The practical caveat is real , there is precious little below £100 a bottle, so factor this into your total spend calculation. At ££££ for food plus a wine list pitched at this level, a dinner for two will comfortably exceed £300 before service.
More compelling value proposition may be the non-alcoholic beverage programme. The tea service is exceptional by the account of multiple sources: infusions built around buckwheat, plum blossom, lotus leaf, and cacao husk. Beyond that, there is a chestnut and honey latte, a coffee kombucha, and a shot of pine liqueur (sollip translates from Korean as pine needle, so this is not an incidental detail). For returning diners who worked through the wine list on a first visit, committing to the full tea and non-alcoholic pairing on a return makes sense both for the experience and for keeping costs in check. If wine programme depth is your primary criterion for a ££££ booking in London, also consider CORE by Clare Smyth, whose list is equally serious but pitched slightly differently in style.
Reservations: Book 4 to 6 weeks out minimum. Sollip holds 300 Google reviews at a 4.7 average, carries Harden's Leading Newcomer recognition, and ranks in the OAD Top 300 in Europe , demand consistently outpaces availability, particularly for dinner. Hours: Wednesday and Thursday dinner only (6–11 PM); Friday and Saturday lunch (12–3 PM) and dinner (6–11:30 PM); closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Dress: Smart casual is the safe call; the room's restraint sets the tone and guests tend to match it. Budget: ££££ , at this price tier, plan for the wine list to add significantly to the bill; the tea pairing is a practical and genuinely worthwhile alternative. Location: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP, a short walk from London Bridge station.
See the comparison section below for Sollip versus its London ££££ peers.
For a broader sense of where Sollip sits in the UK fine dining picture, it is worth knowing that the Korean-European fusion format it occupies has few direct competitors in London. For Korean fine dining at a comparable international level but in New York, Atomix in New York City is the natural reference point. Elsewhere in the UK, the closest analogues in terms of creative ambition are destinations like L'Enclume in Cartmel and Moor Hall in Aughton, though neither shares Sollip's specific Korean lens. For a broader London picture, see our full London restaurants guide, our full London hotels guide, our full London bars guide, our full London wineries guide, and our full London experiences guide.
Smart casual works reliably. The room is restrained and the clientele tend to dress accordingly , there is no formal dress code documented, but turning up in jeans and a t-shirt would read as under-dressed relative to the room's register. Think of it as a step below black-tie: clean, considered, comfortable.
No specific dietary policy is documented in Sollip's public record, so contact the restaurant directly before booking. Given the set menu format, advance notice of restrictions is essential , this is not a kitchen that can easily pivot on the night. Call or email as early as possible, ideally at the time of reservation.
Aim for 4 to 6 weeks in advance, especially for dinner. Sollip operates only four service days per week and the room is small. Its OAD Top 300 Europe ranking and sustained critical recognition keep demand high. Lunch on Friday or Saturday is the more accessible option if your dates are flexible , still book at least 2 to 3 weeks out. Walk-ins are not realistic here.
Yes, with a specific profile in mind. Sollip is right for a special occasion where the food itself is the centrepiece: an anniversary for two, a birthday dinner for someone serious about the genre, or a long-overdue meal with someone who appreciates this level of craft. It is not the right call if you want theatrical service, a high-energy room, or a venue that makes the occasion feel celebratory through atmosphere. The experience is composed and quiet; the memory comes from the plate. For something more theatrical at the same price tier, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library is the stronger option.
At ££££ in London, your main alternatives depend on what you are optimising for. CORE by Clare Smyth is the go-to if you want Modern British precision with deeper service polish. The Ledbury offers a more classic European fine dining experience with exceptional technique. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is the safer bet for someone who wants a guaranteed grand occasion with formal service. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is better if conceptual cooking with British historical references is your angle. None of these delivers the Korean-European fusion format that makes Sollip genuinely distinct at this price point in the city. Outside London, The Fat Duck in Bray and Gidleigh Park in Chagford are worth considering if you are open to travelling for a comparable level of ambition.
At ££££, Sollip is worth it if the Korean-European set menu format is what you are seeking. The OAD ranking, Harden's recognition, and Star Wine List White Star collectively confirm this is not a one-trick newcomer. The caveat is the wine list: pricing heavy on bottles above £100 means a full dinner with wine pairing will push well past £300 for two. The tea service is genuinely worth the trade-off if the wine spend feels uncomfortable. Compared to peers at the same tier, Sollip offers something you cannot get elsewhere in London, which is the primary argument for its price. For the technically curious diner who has already covered venues like hide and fox in Saltwood or Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Sollip represents a step into a different register entirely.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sollip | ££££ | Hard | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Sollip's room is serene and considered — Korean ceramics, woodwork, and floral arrangements set a calm, grown-up tone. The crowd tends to dress accordingly: neat and put-together without being black-tie. Think dinner-smart rather than casual. Trainers and jeans would feel out of place given the ££££ price point and the deliberate atmosphere.
Sollip runs a structured set menu — four courses at lunch, eight dishes at dinner — so dietary restrictions need to be flagged at the time of booking, not on arrival. The kitchen works with Korean and European techniques across intricate dishes, which means substitutions require advance notice. Contact them directly when you book to confirm what's possible.
Book 4 to 6 weeks out at minimum — this is a small, serious restaurant with limited covers and a loyal following. Friday and Saturday evenings fill fastest. Lunch on Friday or Saturday is your best shot at a shorter lead time if something opens up. Don't leave it to the week before.
Yes, and it's particularly well-suited to occasions where the food should do the talking rather than a big, buzzy room. Harden's named it Top Newcomer of the Year and it ranks in the OAD Top 300 in Europe — credentials that make it a defensible choice for a milestone dinner. The format is set menu only, so it works best for two people or a small group who want a focused, course-by-course experience rather than a sharing-plates celebration.
For Korean-European creativity at this price point, Sollip has no direct rival in London — the fusion is described as reasonably unique to the city. If you want a comparable ££££ husband-and-wife-driven tasting menu with strong critical credentials, The Ledbury is the reference point for precision cooking with a personal touch. For something with more Korean identity and less European influence, look at Juu San or Gaon if availability allows. If the set menu format doesn't suit, Bib Gourmand-level Korean spots offer more flexibility at significantly lower spend.
At ££££, Sollip is worth it if a structured set menu is your format and you want cooking that doesn't exist elsewhere in London. The OAD ranking (Top 266 in Europe in 2024, Top 306 in 2025), the Harden's Top Newcomer recognition, and the 4.7 Google average across 300 reviews all point in the same direction. The wine list, sourced through Keeling Andrew & Co of Noble Rot, runs expensive — little below £100 a bottle — so factor that in. If you want à la carte flexibility or a livelier atmosphere for the same spend, this isn't the right room.
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