Julio Zhang
Chef and owner of Soy Kitchen in Madrid's Almagro, a Chinese restaurant holding 1 Repsol Sol and a listing in the Michelin Guide.
- Repsol Soles
1- Restaurants
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Julio Zhang (full name Yong Ping Zhang) is the chef and owner of Soy Kitchen, a Chinese restaurant in Madrid's Almagro neighbourhood holding 1 Repsol Sol and a Michelin Guide listing. Trained at a culinary school in Shenzhen, he worked in Pamplona before opening his first Soy Kitchen in Madrid around 2014 and later relocating it to Calle Zurbano. He also runs Lamian, a sister restaurant on the original Soy Kitchen site, and describes his cuisine as Chinese technique applied to Spanish product.
From @Julio Zhang on Instagram
Gyozas de rabo de toro con cacahuete y bambú encurtido. Plato cocinado al estilo de Pekín, servido con una salsa sichuan y soja casera. --- Oxtail gyozas with peanuts and pickled bamboo shoots. A Beijing-style dish, served with a Sichuan sauce and homemade soy sauce. Come try it 👇 Reservas:
，En septiembre, SoyKitchen empezará a apostar más por una combinación entre la auténtica cocina de Sichuan y los sabores clásicos del antiguo estilo de Hong Kong. Aprovecharemos la calidad de los ingredientes que tenemos aquí para ofrecer a nuestros clientes una experiencia de cocina china mucho más
Cada ingrediente tiene un cuidado especial en cada paso de su transformación a la cocina de autor de Julio Zhang (@juliosoykitchen). Hoy nos enseña como limpiar una lubina y realizar un corte de flor, muy importante para la preparacion posterior. --- Each ingredient receives special care at every
Biography
Early years
Zhang, whose full name is Yong Ping Zhang, trained at a culinary school in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong as part of the school's final graduating class. He arrived in Spain around 2009, initially to experience Spanish food and culture rather than to open a restaurant.
Career
He took over Asador Almadía in Pamplona from its retiring owners and ran it for four years, spending the time getting to know Spanish regional ingredients, including sea urchins, cardoons, crab, lobster, foie, artichokes, and peppers, and won a pintxos competition there with a monkfish dish featuring artichokes and shrimp. He then moved to Madrid, where he opened his first Soy Kitchen in a converted neighbourhood bar near Plaza de los Mostenses around 2014. Soy Kitchen later relocated to its current address on Calle Zurbano in Almagro. Zhang also runs Lamian, a sister restaurant serving Asian fusion and hand-pulled ramen on the original Soy Kitchen site near Plaza de los Mostenses.
Philosophy
Zhang describes Spanish and Chinese cuisine as sharing similar flavors, and has said the key to dim sum is a thin dough, that a good cook is one who knows how to make good broths from meat, vegetables, and seafood, which takes patience and time, and that controlling the wok's heat is a matter of concentration.
Julio Zhang in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Julio Zhang’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·1 Repsol Sol, Soy Kitchen
- ·Listed in the Michelin Guide, Soy Kitchen (guide entry; no star or Bib Gourmand)
Frequently asked
Does Julio Zhang have a Michelin star?
No. Soy Kitchen is listed in the Michelin Guide and holds 1 Repsol Sol, but it does not carry a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand.
Where does Julio Zhang cook in Madrid?
At Soy Kitchen, his Chinese restaurant in the Almagro neighbourhood on Calle Zurbano, and at Lamian, his Asian-fusion and hand-pulled-noodle restaurant in Universidad on the original Soy Kitchen site.
What is Julio Zhang's cooking style?
He describes it as alta cocina china de autor (Chinese technique applied to Spanish product), spanning dim sum, wok dishes, and Sichuan-inflected flavors.
Where did Julio Zhang train as a chef?
At a culinary school in Shenzhen, China, as part of its final graduating class, before moving to Spain to work in Pamplona and then Madrid.
What did Julio Zhang do before opening Soy Kitchen?
He ran Asador Almadía in Pamplona for four years after its previous owners retired, learning Spanish regional ingredients, and won a pintxos competition there with a monkfish, artichoke, and shrimp dish.
Does Julio Zhang run more than one restaurant?
Yes. Alongside Soy Kitchen in Almagro, he runs Lamian, an Asian-fusion, hand-pulled-noodle restaurant on Soy Kitchen's original site near Plaza de los Mostenses.