Gamtae Sandwich - Sea Trumpet, Duckett’s Caerphilly (£4) - teeny sandos. Bite-size but in the very best way
What can you tell us about Sollip?
Sollip is a new restaurant in Bermondsey that comes from husband and wife team Woongchul Park (formerly at The Ledbury and Koffman's) and Bomee Ki (former pastry chef at The Arts Club).
It was due to open back in March and managed only a few days before the lockdown happened. In the meantime, they converted to a Korean grocer. But now they're back up and running as a full blown restaurant, marrying the team's European cooking style with Korean influences in a fine-dining, paired back approach.
Where is it?
It's about a five minute walk from London Bridge station, just around the corner from another top restaurant in the area, Trivet.
The dining room is pared back in design and very calming.
What's the room like?
Much like the cuisine, it's simple, sparse and beautiful (and nice and socially distanced for these times, although there's no outside space). Particular attention has been paid to the ceramics - so everything from the light fittings to the plates have been hand-made and specifically sourced from Korean artisans. It's all truly beautiful and you'll want to take home pretty much every plate and dish that is placed in front of you. But it's not all aesthetics and hushed dining, the playlist is fun and we definitely heard the Game of Thrones theme tune on there...
What's the set up of the menu?
It's an a-la-carte affair - made of small and larger plates. While even the larger plates aren't huge in terms of portion, we actually found them to be perfectly sized - packing innovative combinations onto beautiful plates.
Meat-eaters and vegetarians are both well looked after, with some of the vegetable dishes being particularly inventive, as you'll see:
Here's what we had:
Fermented soy bean and aged cheddar gougeres (£3) - huge umami hit for such diddy snacks.
Beans & Pine Nut - Green Bean, English Pea, Broad Bean, Pine Nut Milk (£12) - If you missed out on the best of the English summer dining during lockdown, this dish would pretty much tick all your boxes.
Daikon Tarte Tatin - Chilli Chive Potato Cream (£14) - you may have seen this one starting to pop up on Instagram feeds. Bliss in tart form.
Sollip Cassoulet - Pork Belly, Cannellini Bean, 10 Months, Fermented Kimchi, Pork Broth (£20) - with some of their sourdough croutons on the side. A mini bowl of warming autumn goodness.
Braised Beef Short Rib - Cured Cucumber, Black Truffle Butter Rice (£24) - one of those dishes where you know you're supposed to give your dining companion a taste but you 100% don't want to let even one mouthful go.
Perilla Ice Cream - Granny Smith Granita, Sesame Rice Crispy, Perilla Seed Oil (£8) - cool and refreshing.
Fig Leaf Creme Brulee - Fig, Jeju Buckwheat, Bishop’s Stortford Honey (£7) - not really a brulee due to the absense of a crisp top, but the fig leaf flavour to the custard is intense and the buckwheat is hidden under that first layer.
Jochung Madeleine (£2.50) - the madeleine has been finished with a crisp coating. Much like the gougeres at the beginning, we can't see a madeleine on the menu without ordering it - you should also follow this principle.
And what about the wine?
That comes from Keeling Andrew & Co (the people behind Noble Rot) so just like the food you can expect it to be different and interesting.
Wines by the glass start at a very reasonable £6 for a glass of Chin Chin vinho verde which went down a treat with our snacks and starters and a glass of Garnacha ‘El Barraco from Gaznata in Spain was £7 and a great match for that eat-with-a-spoon beef. That said, you could push the boat out a bit more, with some high end burgundies if you wished. All of it's served up with flair and wit by GM Vita Gargiulo who comes here via The Fat Duck.
Overall thoughts
There's been a bit of a wait to get Sollip opened, and it's also been flying somewhat under the radar to date, but it's the very definition of "all good things". Unlike other openings of 2020, this restaurant has brought something quite new to the London dining scene with dishes that are both beautiful to look at and a joy to eat. If lockdown has left you craving something new and delicious, this is what you're looking for. Highly recommended.
More about Sollip
Where is it? 8 Melior St, Bermondsey, London SE1 3QP
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @sollip_restaurant.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Sollip. Prices are correct at the time of writing
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