Served cold: cooling, gourmet soups for the hottest months

Tokyo's à nu Shohei Shimono is a truly innovative restaurant where Chef Shimono combines his French culinary experience with Japanese, Western and Chinese influences. On the seasonal menu, the cold new potato soup, or vichyssoise, appears as an elegant, creamy and cooling dish that fits nicely into the concept of working with caviar and premium Japanese ingredients.

Café Ciel – London, United Kingdom

Café Ciel in London understands exactly what we need on a hot day: the gazpacho here is a silky, cold tomato soup with peppers and cucumber. The plate is crowned with crispy courgette flower tempura, and the floral details make it very summery. The classic Spanish base is given a Japanese twist here: the crunch of the tempura and the contrast of the icy soup work perfectly together.

Garrigue – Ansouis, Provence, France

At Garrigue in Provence, chef Nicolas Seibold works with modern, seasonal dishes. Their summer dish is Charentais melon gazpacho with cucumber-mint sorbet, which is a fresh, light and elegant example of how a fruity, cooling soup can appear in the world of fine dining. The Mediterranean-inspired melon soup simultaneously builds on the natural sweetness of summer ingredients, the freshness of mint and the clean, refreshing character of cucumber.

Jaylu – Seville, Spain

Jaylu in Seville is a modern take on Spanish cuisine, bringing traditional recipes back with a contemporary twist. The salmorejo with king crab is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes: a thick, creamy, chilled tomato soup meets the crab’s meaty texture and intense, clean seafood flavor. The dish is served in the crab’s own shell, with the crab meat inside, taking the experience to a new level. Salmorejo is a close relative of gazpacho, but with a richer, silkier texture – and Jaylu’s version is a great example of how a classic Andalusian staple can be transformed into a fresh, memorable dining experience.

Kiosk Budapest – Budapest, Hungary

At Kiosk, located in the heart of Budapest, seasonality is not just a marketing slogan: during the summer season, cooling dishes, including soups, regularly appear on the menu. In fact, the restaurant also gives us the opportunity to try their cold sour cherry soup at home, as they have shared the recipe. The basis of this summer favorite is sour cherries, which are cooked with cinnamon, cloves, lemon juice and sugar, then made creamy with sour cream and flour mixture and cream. The well-chilled, sweet and sour soup is a real retro summer dish, which can be prepared with whipped cream or gluten- or lactose-free alternatives according to taste.