Soup has always been my favourite food. From my bubby's supernal chicken noodle soup, to the ramen and pho of today, with pit stops for bouillabaisse, black bean and miso, I always choose soup first.
1. COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP (A.K.A TOM KHA GAI)
This coconut chicken soup is superbly light, more delicate than most Thai coconut soups. It's silken and coconutty, fragrant with lemongrass, with generous heaps of chicken and ultra-fresh button mushrooms.
Sorn Thai, 2550 Yonge St.
2. PORK RAMEN
Momofuku’s ramen has the usual ingredients but they’re … better. The pork comes two ways, pulled and in a sweet chunk. The garnishes have been carefully composed: atop splendid al dente noodles a pile of scallions, two crisp nori rectangles, marinated napa cabbage, sweet fish cake and on top a perfectly poached egg rather than the usual hard-boiled egg.
Momofuku Noodle Bar, 190 University Ave.
3. HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Hot and sour soups are a dime a dozen but most disappoint, offering all heat, no savour. The Paradise rendition bal- ances chili and vinegar, with shrimp, cloud ears and scallops among the generous lashings of tofu.
Paradise Chinese, 5505 Leslie St.
4. FRENCH ONION SOUP
The sine qua non of French onion soup comes in an ornate white baroque crock, its lid carefully blistered snazzy Comté cheese glued to toasted French bread. Under the erotically gooey cheese is brilliant beef broth and long-cooked onions caramelized to sweet submission. A charming dinner à la française.
Mogette Bistro, 581 Mt. Pleasant Rd.
5. CURRIED SHRIMP SOUP
The menu changes daily but they usually have a chowder and/or lobster bisque. All their soups are seafood-based and wonderful, but the one I love best is curried shrimp bisque. This ain’t my mother’s trad tomato-based bisque. Thai coconut cream wraps the spicy punch of lemongrass and chilies in a velvet cloak, with shrimp for more fun.
Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill, 100 Adelaide St. E.
6. PHEASANT AND CHESTNUT TORTELLI CONSOMME
Chef Alida Solomon channels my bubby’s chicken soup with her deep rich pheasant consommé. Her smooth waitstaff pour the broth onto Alida’s pheasant and chestnut tortelli. Afloat in the broth are crisp little bits of farro and dried apple fragments.
Tutti Matti, 364 Adelaide St. W.
7. CARIBBEAN PUMPKIN SPICE SOUP
Grace, Rodney’s resident soup-wizard, has been making their soups forever, according to her daily whim. Trust Grace. Her best soup is a deceptively simple pumpkin spice bisque with shrimp, a complex marriage between Grace’s Caribbean heritage — the pumpkin and the chili — and Provence, with depth from puréed fish and sophistication from saffron.
Rodney’s Oyster House, 469 King St. W.
8. RARE BEEF PHO
Golden Turtle dishes the best pho in town, built on beef broth perfumed with star anise. My fave, rare beef pho, has big thin slices of tender rare beef atop thin rice noodles. They garnish these meals-in-a-bowl with fragrant Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, chilies and just-fried onion shreds, to great effect.
Golden Turtle, 125 Ossington Ave.
9. BBQ DUCK WITH WONTON SOUP
My favourite soup dinner in Toronto. BBQ duck with wonton soup is strong meat broth with sesame-scented pork with shrimp wontons, thin fresh noodles and barely wilted green onions and bok choy, with chunks of hoisin-flavoured BBQ duck for fragrance and chew.
King’s Noodle, 296 Spadina Ave.
10. SOON TOFU
A complex Korean soup meal. The red broth is built on beef with chilies, onions and scallions, and it’s brimful of custardy super-soft tofu. At the last minute they crack a raw egg into it, for a perfect poach. Buk Chang Dong offers soon tofu with seafood, veg or beef dumplings, which are kissin’ cousin to wontons. I adore the complex flavours, the slight kick (I order it mild) and the sides.
Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu, 5445 Yonge St.
