Soul Soup Review

Well well, so I finally made it up to Edmonton and found my way into Carla Alexander's SOUL SOUP and it was really great.

To start with, I actually had to get there. It's a little hard to find for a Calgarian who is very unfamiliar with the streets of our capital city. But, I found it, main floor, sorta on the side of the Rice Howard building, corner of 100 ST and 101A Ave. Parking is available at a public lot just across the street or you might get lucky enough to find one of the maybe 20 spots available along the street.

I make it there, with some serious phone assistance from Carla herself and her lone employee Fawn. I walked in and it was amazingly funky. Dark rich tones and then these huge splashes of pink and these really great silver magnetic boards to display the soups of the day and the prices. There is a glass case for the glass bottled drinks (a few canned drinks existed) and a long glassed in counter that you could see the soup simmering away and Carla working her magic. There is limited seating behind a little bar with high stools. The plating is modern and funky, the soup is served in little vented no spill take away containers that are incredibly ingenious and handy. Soup is available in 4 sizes and you can have the fresh soup or the frozen varities.

Oh, and the smell. It was like walking into your grandma's kitchen just before your favorite meal. You know she made it just for you, it smells like heaven and you never want to smell anything else again. It was perfect.

Carla, herself, is amazing too. Super friendly, even having customers and friends alike just stopping in to say hello, knowledagble and passionate about her soups. Even the people sitting next to me at the bar while I sampled some gluten free fare were quick to mention how much they loved this place and how nice Carla was. The feel of the place has a lot to do with Carla herself. She greets everyone as they come in and is attentive and inviting. You speak more than two words to her and you immeadiatly want to come again. Her passion for her business, her products and her restaurant/store is immense. She is very aware of all, and I mean all, that goes into her soups and has notices posted about the origin and quality of the products she chooses. She was knowledgeable about the gluten free diet and it's specifics. She is even venturing into GF breads so that she may offer her GF clients a bun the same as her gulten eaters.

(the GF bread was not available, I did not ask about the pots, pans and utensils that she uses when baking and the posistion of the breads and flours in an effort to prevent crosscontamination... but... I will be returning, so when GF bread is available, I will)

I sampled two soups, A yellow curry and white fish cowder, and a Zuchini tomato black bean with cheddar cheese soup. I am not a huge fan of curry but it was really tasty and I enjoyed a few mouthfls before packing it up to turn it over to a friend who loves curry and said it was amazing and had just the right flavor. But... oh... the tomato based soup. It was sooooo delish. I revelled in every mouthfull. The cheese was stringy and perfect and the spice was just right, even for a whimp like me, and it tasted so good, so good you almost can't believe it's really GF but it is!! I bought a litre of it to take home... it was that good.

At the end of the meal there was one more reason why Soup Soup was worth the journey, there were an assortment of candies (all GF) rolled up inside the napkin. It was a sweet geture and made me smile. A lollipop and rockets go great with soup!

Below are a list of her gluten free soups available frozen and a price list and sizing..... the list is impressive and tasty.

8oz = $4 16oz = $6.50 32oz = $10 1l (fresh) = $20 1l (frozen) = $9

Seafood types: Spanish seafood stew Classic bouillabaisse

Malaysian seafood laksa Caribbean white fish w/okra & yam

Russian salmon w/dill & sour cream Trinidadian crab w/mango

Spicy wild salmon w/lentils Ghanian seafood

Vegetarian types: Classic Ribollita (no pasta) Mushroom in a lemon almond broth

Moroccan harira w/ apricots Turnip & yam w/oka cheese &pistachios

Meat types: Mexican beef & black bean Chicken tortilla w/ feta and corn

Smoked ham & red lentil w/ jalapenos

Fresh : Check with the staff about daily soups available GF, there is always at least one of the three that is Celiac friendly.

Thanks so much to Soul Soup, Carla, and Fawn for a marvelous lunch and a great experience. I am so pleased to know that I know the best place for soup in Edmonton.

Number and Address....

10020 101A Ave

Edmonton AB

(780) 409-8272

Check it out. You won't be disapointed. It really is soup for the soul.