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These are interesting times with the clash between Islam and the West. And so the decadent west clashed with the east one Friday night in Australia.
This wasn’t a night of violence. Richard Berry and Kylie’s jaws hit the table though.
The first interesting thing you should know – and they should have been warned – about the Moroccan soap soup kitchen Soup Bar (183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North 3 9482 4240) is that it sticks to its values. There is no alcohol. Not even BYO. And the waitresses serve the vegetarian meals in traditional headscarves.
There are many ingredients to a good meal, the company, the food and the comfort.
Sadly, even the shortest of the seven of us could barely squeeze their legs under our round table. Being a tall one, I uncomfortably sat side on. And I smiled at everybody pretending that I could hear everything above the chatter.
The, I assume, Moroccan woman with teeth straight out of the souk asks us how hungry we are on the scale of one to ten.
Kate 5, RB 12, Will 8, Christina 6, Kylie a begrudging 7, Jak 5, and me 5. We are sensibly recommended to order for six.
We are delivered various permutations of cous cous, rice eggplant and chickpeas. Nice enough.
Now it past midnight. We’ve been down the pub smoking and drinking. It’s time, as one Australian Prime Minister once said. Somehow, although a Greek Scholar, I don’t think he wasn’t talking about a kebab.
Since that night we’ve all met people who rave over soup kitchen. They tended to be right-on media/book editor types. Just like us, really. Not students.
So here’s the verdict: It’s cheap and the food is passable. But there are better places that are cheaper.
If you want comfort, to talk or simply unchipped plates go somewhere else.
But hey, the local food press rave about this place. So what do I know.
I wonder if George Bush would consider it a threat.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting; each time I’ve been it’s been a little too trendy for what it’s made out to be. Waitresses looking more like cashed-up students and nice crockery. I’ve never seen a headscarf in there at all. The owner-woman is dead-scary, though!
you are right. She is very scary.
I’ve only been there once a few years back and the woman is very scary indeed. I hope she’s not cooking! I quite enjoyed the food so I’d love to hear of the other places that you mentioned if they are even better, Ed.
As one of the diners whose jaws hit the table at the announcement of no alcohol, I was prepared to forgive that, anticipating that the food would be amazing. It wasn’t! Sure it was cheap and great for students and hippies, but the food was pretty ordinary - I’d recommend going to the Hare Krishna restaurant Gopals (if it’s still around?) for much better vegetarian fare, and just as cheap.
Well, Lentil as Anything in Blesington St St Kilda can equal the Soap Bar with chipped crockery, has a diverse range of dishes and you can pay what you want. Sometimes I pay more than I should. Othertimes less. And you might bump into Missy Higgins in there.
Put it this way guys, if you’re close by, and enjoy the occasional impromptu delight of consistently unusual tastes, the Moroccan Soup Bar provides a vibrant and refreashingly chaotic environment to eat cheap (~15pp). Yet if you’re a ‘foodie’ and feel compelled to pay for dinning cloth and sommeliers, best book a napkin south of the great cultural divide. (Now thats a threat… between north and south!)
I like the scary chick! Including her cooking. You’re right Ed, and thank Allah somewhere sticks to its values. Obviously the rate of return on the cleaned chipped plates is testimony to the value it provides. So Souk, and no Soap, forget the old Soak and give the Soup a go!
Hi Will. You’re right, if it’s close by it’s probably brilliant, just like Lentil as Anything down here. And she is a character. Christina will tell you the word f–die is banned in this house although I have been known to haunt some of those establishments you mention. btw when’s your night at Vue de Monde. We’ll come along to that one. Keen to hear a report from the battlefront as I had a soso industry lunch there recently (whichisn’t a good way to judge places)