Bomee Ki: “I try to keep only what feels essential, whether in flavour, texture or form”

Sollip, a Michelin-starred restaurant, is one of London’s most distinctive establishments. Run by the couple Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki, it combines their native Korean culture, French techniques, and local ingredients sourced from the English countryside and surrounding orchards.

But how do they maintain the balance between these three elements? In so good.. magazine 34, Bomee Ki, who is both co-owner and pastry chef, explains it all. Below, we share an excerpt from the interview published in the print edition.

Discover so good.. magazine 34

How would you define your creative philosophy?

Refinement, clarity and intention. I try to keep only what feels essential, whether in flavour, texture or form. While visual touches can be necessary depending on the concept, I don’t usually add anything purely for appearance. Each part of the dessert should feel intentional, so that guests can fully enjoy it without confusion or distraction and everything on the plate should be there.

That’s how I like to work. Whether it’s a recipe, a process or the space around me, everything should have a clear reason and work in a clean and efficient way.

Apparently there are three fundamentals in the way of working desserts and the rest of the menu at Sollip: local produce, European and French base and techniques, and roots and constant allusions to Korean gastronomy. Do you have a formula to maintain the balance between these three principles?

There’s no fixed formula. The balance shifts naturally depending on the idea, the season or the situation.

Some dishes begin with a memory from our childhood in Korea and take shape through French technique and British ingredients. Others might start with a specific ingredient, especially one that’s seasonal and grow from there. I don’t really try to force the identity. I believe that my perspective and experiences already carry all three elements.

How do the French techniques and references learned in your training find a balance with Korean cuisine and pastry?

It depends. Some things come together quite naturally, while others take more time and testing than expected. Sometimes unexpected things come out of that process.

In traditional Korean desserts like tteok(rice cake), beans and grains are used often. I believe that is one of the biggest differences from other desserts. The ingredients and the structure are very different. Many people find the use of beans and grains in desserts unfamiliar, but I enjoy working with them and have been exploring ways to bring them into balance. Because they are high in starch, I usually need to test more to get the right texture and flavour.

For example, the Black Pain Perdu, which began with seoritae (Korean black beans). I wanted to keep their nutty and slightly earthy flavour but still smooth textured ice cream, which took quite a few tests to get right.

For Sauternes & Doraji, I used yakgwa as inspiration and reworked it with sable. Traditionally, yakgwa is made by deep-frying flour dough and coating it in grain syrup, making it rich, chewy and sweet. Instead of frying, I kept it lighter and less sweet. The result came out better than I expected and went straight onto the menu. I enjoy finding balance in combinations that don’t seem to go together at first.

Discover the full interview and these recipes from Bomee Ki in so good.. magazine 34