Hmmm… Everything I read about this place has been extremely positive. And it’s been so damn cold for so long, soup seems like an ideal lunch option. I also love the concept of getting three different flavors to get to try at once (the trio is $6.25). When I heard about this place, I had flashes of the soup nazi episode on Seinfeld.
Alas, I can’t say I was overly impressed with any of the soups I had. The online favorite seemed to be the tomato bisque, finished with a drizzle of sour cream and a bit of cheese. So that was my first choice for my trio. Okay, my biggest problem with it was that it was so thick it was almost the consistency of pudding. Flavor-wise it wasn’t bad I guess, even though all of the soups benefited from pepper and salt (which is located in packets by the soda machine).
The chicken noodle was probably my favorite I guess—interesting use of a different shape of noodle than your typical egg noodles—these were more like shells. Again though, it needed salt and pepper to liven it up. I had maybe a couple chunks of chicken in there (very small ones) and a few noodles. Not too much else to it (as in veggies, etc).
The chicken velvet rounded out my trio, and is one of the two soups they offer daily (they change the other choices up). It was mostly a really heavy creamy taste with not too much seasoning to it. I think I had like one piece of chicken in mine. I have had some really good bowls of chicken velvet soup, and I get it isn’t overly complex, but this was just too bland for me. No way I could finish a larger bowl of it. I also had a taste of @wibia’s beef barley and it was one of the better ones as well—I think maybe I prefer their broth-based soups. The potato leek he also ordered also suffered the fate of the chicken velvet—just kind of bland.
They also serve Amelia’s bread, which is a nice local addition, although my “baguette” was quite flat and hard (maybe a day old or something). @wibia’s semolina was fresher. My favorite thing of the whole meal was the potato salad that I ordered as a side actually. It was red potatoes in a creamy base and it had blue cheese crumbles and fresh dill that came in a separate little compartment in the lid of the plastic container to sprinkle in. Very cute (even though I don’t know why putting the cheese in from the beginning would be bad).
The only weird thing about the physical location is that it is very small. A counter to order and then 10-12 seats along bars along the walls. In the winter, when you want hot soup, the door is constantly opening and freezing you if you are eating inside. And in the summer, when that won’t be a problem, I personally won’t be having the same craving for soup. They do have some good sounding salads, and based on liking the potato salad the best, that might be the way to go. A lot of people were coming in for carry-out though, so maybe that's the majority of their business.
Full disclosure, hubby claims I am not a big soup person, but I tell him I am just picky about my soups. But who knows, maybe he’s right. I do really appreciate a small quick lunch place downtown (just off the Circle) that is independently owned, and that they utilize lots of local products as well. The people working there were also really friendly.
Anyway, I am guessing people disagree with me based on reading stuff online, so what soup have you had that you really liked?
Soupremacy
7 East Market Street
Indy 46204
317/423-0780
I simply LOVE soups. And I was excited to find out we now have an actual soup restaurant in downtown (I know, in addition to the bland offerings at Au Bon Pain). But I agree with this reviewer's observations for the most part. The soups all lack seasoning. Please add some salt and pepper to the mix. Soups were all fairly bland. My favorite was the chicken velvet by far. The others I tried were ok, but way to bland. This is a restaurant the specializes in soup. There soup, therefore, should be pretty awesome, not merely mediocre.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the potato leek, but they offered to add bacon and I'm never one to say no to that! I also liked the lobster bisque, though I've had better it was still tasty. I really like the friendly service - I nearly dropped my soup when adding napkins and they remade it for me, despite my protests. I'm looking forward to trying the salads as it warms up.
ReplyDeleteI love this place! I prefer the lentil soup with rosemary olive oil drizzled on top. I can get a cup of soup and chunk of wheat baguette for less than $4 - that's AMAZING for lunch anywhere, let alone downtown. It's within walking distance of work and the perfect place to pop into and take lunch out onto the circle in warmer weather.
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