When I was invited along to taste the wares of Soupe du Jour, I was intrigued but not necessarily excited. I mean, soup is soup, right? To me it just brings connotations of grabbing a quick lunch from Sainsbury’s when it’s reaching the end of the month, or slurping on something bland when I’m sick – it is very rarely something I deem worthy of sharing with the masses. It is an impressive feat then, that after I left Soupe du Jour I was not only stuffed, but was still surprised that it had tasted so good!
Every day the soups are handmade on the premises, with fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and trusted suppliers. The proof of the quality is in the tasting, and I tasted a lot. There are five standard soups, joined by two on rotation which are voted on by customers each week, and of course the Soupe du Jour (the soup of the day). Each soup is dairy free and gluten free, and served with a German bread as standard, with the option to add toppings and extras as you please. I was served the following:
Tomato: The soup that we all expect very little of, but surprisingly was one of my favourites here. Thick, creamy and topped with a Parmesan crisp – I couldn’t stop commenting on how good it was!
Carrot: Made with ginger and coconut, this had a Thai undertone to it and again, was the total opposite of the watery carrot soups I’ve endured before.
Vegetable and Chicken broths: Water consistency soups, perfect for a nasty cold or just a simple lunch, flavoured with celery, cabbage and carrots, with shredded chicken for the non-vegetarians.
Chilli: The chunkiest of the soups and extremely hearty. Spicy with a smoky undertone and padded out with kidney beans and sweetcorn; they wouldn’t tell me their secret ingredient for the back-of-the-throat kick and that just entices me to go back again.
Oriental parsnip: Smooth fro the coconut milk and flavoursome from cardamom, the crowning glory was the topping of cumin popcorn – a genius little quirk that didn’t disappoint.
Beef stroganoff: My second favourite along with the tomato, this was like a creamy mushroom sauce with juicy chunks of beef. I took some extra home with me as I loved it that much.
Truffled celeriac: The ‘soupe du jour’ took me completely by surprise. I’m not even sure I’ve ever eaten celeriac before but with truffle it was rich of course, but not overwhelming. The topping pomegranate seeds made sure there was sweetness to even out the taste and gave it that satisfying crunch too.
It wasn’t just the soups that blew me away though. I fell held over heels with their savoury scones, made on the premises. The rosemary and sea salt one has a special place in my heart for the rest of time, and dunked in the beef stroganoff soup, I was in food heaven. As Summer approaches, they will be introducing gazpachos and delivering to nearby office in the City area too. For a quick and easy lunch, there is choice – and I highly recommend that you make that choice Soupe du Jour at some point in the near future.
*I was kindly invited to Soupe du Jour (Houndsditch) to review their range. All opinions are unbiased and truthful.
Never miss another blog post! Follow Charlie, Distracted on Bloglovin’
Follow me on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest