Liquid lunch

Warm your gut at comfy, cozy Soupesoup

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

My first visit to SoupeSoup coincided with the first flurries of winter, making me feel that maybe there is a silver lining to every dark storm cloud--even in November. There seemed no better place to be than inside this cozy eatery watching hot liquids being ladled out of simmering tureens. The wooden walls look like they belong in the study with Colonel Mustard; behind the counter is one of those enormous enamelled stoves from the 1940s and the large windows overlook the shivering passersby on the street.

The menu here changes daily, with at least four soups and two sandwiches to choose from. The soups are offered in small or large portions ($3.75/4.95) that can be combined with half or full sandwiches ($3/5), all served in blue-ringed china. A half-and-half combination is the perfect amount of food for lunch, and if you don't go during the packed noon hour you'll want to linger over a yummy Illy coffee and homemade dessert.

I tried a blend of racines sucrées, in this case rutabaga, parsnip and carrot. The presentation was lovely, a creamy apricot-coloured purée topped with a swirl of sour cream and finely slivered zucchini and carrot. It was distinctly fresh and incredibly healthy, although this "sweet root" soup was actually a bit bitter for my palate. The flavour reminded me overwhelmingly of turnip, which I've had a bit of an issue with ever since my mom told me turnips were just yellow potatoes when I said I didn't like them. Anyway, you'd have to be a real fan of that particular taste to eat a large bowl.

In contrast, the provençal soup was far more subtle. The light broth contained onions, red peppers and kidney beans, along with sliced olives and Parmesan to give it some extra interest. It reminded me of a ratatouille without the meatiness.

The chèvre, mushroom and zucchini sandwich on thickly sliced bread didn't skimp on the goat cheese, but it was a bit too pungent to pair with the root soup. The prosciutto, bocconcini and tomato combo was milder--delicious, straightforward and exquisitely fresh.

We finished up with a dose of caffeine and decadently sprung for two desserts. One was a lemon pie, which attested to its real citrus content with almost an entire rind as well as seeds under the slightly caramelized exterior. The fluffy filling combined with the sour taste was great. The raspberry crumble was topped with a scone-like pastry, and was also not oversweetened so you could appreciate the real taste of the fruit.

I went back for another lunch date a few days later. This time I opted for the chicken tikka soup, which contained slices of prime organic poultry meat, lentils, onions, curry spices and herbs. I think I detected some apples in there to add a certain sweetness. My friend tried something called Belge à la bière, which was a healthier version of traditional onion soup, made more substantial thanks to the addition of thinly cut potatoes. Instead of being covered with a mound of melted cheese, it was simply adorned with a piece of bread. The soups were both very successful but the sandwiches on that particular day--turkey, tomato and alfalfa or organic egg salad with arugula--weren't all that inspired. Even so, we both left feeling satisfied.

SoupeSoup gets very busy at lunchtime, but it's also open during the evening hours. It offers a warm after-dark ambiance, which shouldn't be hard to sample these days since the sun seems to set in the mid-afternoon.

SoupeSoup

Address: 80 Duluth E.

Phone: none

Hours: Tues-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-5pm; closed Sun & Mon

Best features: heartwarming healthy meals for cold days

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Credit cards: cash only

Wheelchair access: one step up

Alcohol: no

Price: $7/person before tax, drinks or tip

Rating: HH1/2 out of HHHH