RaviSoups
322 Adelaide Street West
647-435-8365
Lunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $25

With Environment Canada predicting a damn cold winter (not exactly their words), I’ve been trying to make a list of small comforts that will help me brace the frigid temperatures. One of the first things to make my list is RaviSoups, a new-ish weekday lunch place run by Ravi Kanagarajah, formerly of Mildred Pierce. Being up a few stairs on a not-too-exciting stretch of Adelaide, it’s hard to spot - but take note! It shouldn’t be missed.

The space is small and narrow, and the walls are covered in small black and white tiles that remind me of a bathroom. Luckily the yummy smells coming from the kitchen remind me that I’m not in the loo. The large chalkboard menu, which echoes the script on the outside sign, lists six soups (three vegetarian, three non-veg, $6.99-$7.99) and four wraps, plus a variety of espresso drinks. The menu is partially seasonal, and the fall/winter soup selection reflects hearty, earthy flavours like butternut squash with duck confit and corn chowder with crab. Along with the savoury offerings, there are yummy-looking, in-house baked goods (the lemon chocolate chip cookies stand out).

Continue reading A Soup-er Place »

Le Bar a Soup
164 Ossington Avenue
416-533-9825
Lunch for two with coffee (soup and sandwich or salad), including all taxes and tip: $25

There are four chairs and two stools inside the quaint Le Bar a Soup. That means this joint is all about the takeout. It’s all about the press too, as owner Nathalie Barin has got her fair share of attention since opening last February.

Maybe it’s partially due to location. Two stones’ throws from Dundas Street, the restaurant sits in a nondescript unit on Ossington Avenue. That’s smack in the middle of a burgeoning neck of town that, if it’s all right with everyone, I’m not going to describe as “trendy.” The Portuguese nook has been the next “in” hood for some time now, boasting galleries, new restaurants, and small bars so hip they don’t even put their name out front.

Continue reading A Resurgence in Soup? »

The Original Soup Man
260 Yonge Street (Eaton Centre, North Concourse Level)
416-915-7687
Lunch for two with all taxes and soft drink: $20-$30

Even if you weren’t a fan of Seinfeld, you’re probably familiar with the infamous “Soup Nazi” episode in which Jerry and friends put up with the strict rules and threat of hearing the dreaded “NO SOUP FOR YOU!” exclamation from the titular character in order to eat his heavenly lobster bisque and other creations.

What non-fans may not know is that like many of the characters and situations on the show, the Soup Nazi had a real life inspiration: Al Yeganeh, the owner and chef of Soup Kitchen International at 55th and 8th in Manhattan. From many accounts, Yeganeh was unimpressed by the notoriety that the show brought him, particularly the somewhat unflattering moniker that he was tagged with.

Continue reading Führer of the Food Court »