Soup in December. Really?
Well, God is having a bit of a wobbler right now with unseasonal rain and cold spells, so strangely it felt like just the ticket.
I’d heard good reports about the Suppa Club’s Gourmet Soup Bar, so I jumped in the Chook jalopy to investigate.
Tucked away in the bowels of Myaree’s light industrial zone, the artisan soup joint is surrounded by a cacophony of lock-ups, factories, greasy spoon’s, and the Australia Post depot.
The traffic was like an outtake from Mad Max with vehicles coming and going from every angle and cars banked up on verges everywhere.
There’s parking down the side of Suppa, so don’t be a flustered moron like me and spend ages trying to find a space elsewhere.
In the midst of this industrial chaos is a classy soup bar with a cute gazebo alfresco.
The inside was immaculate with a range of freshly-made soups in pots, fridges with chilled soups, and a display cabinet with toasties, wraps, pasta bowls and salads (an astute move that will came in handy when the hot weather arrives, but don’t worry they also have gazpacho and a range of chilled summer soups).
The friendly lady behind the till sounded like she had been plucked straight out of Hampstead with a plum London accent that wouldn’t have been amiss on an advert for Marks & Spencer’s Xmas puddings.
Wearing a trendy apron, she was extremely polite and helpful, giving an indecisive couple a taster of all the soups before they ordered.
You can get all the soups with two slices of fresh bread and a selection of toppings including chilli, spring onion and chunky croutons. There was about half a dozen to choose from, but I couldn’t go past the trio of mushroom (large with bread $12.99).
It was a wise choice – an amazing rich burst of fungi that rivals anything I’ve had in a top restaurant.
Just the right amount of creaminess, the perfect consistency and plenty of exotic flavour.
The saltiness was right on the edge, but after a few mouthfuls my tastebuds acclimatised. An amazing start.
There was a massive variety of soups in the fridge to takeaway including all the classics like hearty tomato, chicken, and minestrone, as well as an intriguing range of gourmet concoctions like lentil masala, Moroccan spiced lamb, chilled beetroot and horseradish, corn and chorizo, spiced zucchini, and even apple pie!
But I couldn’t resist the Hungarian Beef Goulash ($10.99)
The star was the soft, thinly sliced red pepper, which gave the soup a lovely sweet coda.
The little chunks of beef were good quality and the accompanying veg added a nice texture.
There was just enough heat – goulash shouldn’t be too spicy – and it was well balanced. My only gripe; I would have liked the consistency to be a tad thicker.
The Asian Fusion ($10.99) left my tastebuds highly confused.
It had the look and taste of thick pumpkin soup, but then I got a latent burst of exotic sweet-spice with traces of coconut and chilli.
It was like the broth from a laksa with hints of Thai green curry. A delicious and very original combination of flavours.
Bringing up the rear was the Spiced Zucchini ($10.99) from the chilled summer range.
It was a clean and refreshing affair with a little hint of spice to keep things interesting.
Another hit, if lacking the gastronomic fireworks of the previous soups.
The phrase hidden gem is over-used, but the Suppa Club lives up to that moniker and is a bijou amongst the industrial clatter of Myaree.
Suppa Club
1/5 Hayden Ct, Myaree
suppaclub.com.au
by STEPHEN POLLOCKS