Comfort food is a must heading into the Fall and Winter seasons, and with your health and happiness in mind, we went to the heart of the Entertainment district to find out whether a Toronto soup institution has what it takes.
Venue: Ravi Soups – 322 Adelaide Street West
Cuisine: Soup & Sandwich
Food: Wrap and Soup Combo – $10.99
Luke: Roasted Free Range Chicken Wrap with Roasted Yams, Spinach, Caramelized Onions, Tomato Chutney and Chipotle Mayo / Porcini Mushroom and Wild Rice Bisque with Truffle Oil and Crispy Shallots
Dan: Curried Goat Wrap with Spinach, Roasted Yams, and Mango Pineapple Salsa / Curried Apricot & Red Lentil Soup with Lime Creme Fraiche
LLBO Licensed? Yeah baby! Soup ain’t the only liquid sustenance available at this fine establishment – they got beers, and brewskis, AND cold ones. Possibly also warm ones hidden in the back.
The Pick:
Dan: My pick this week, and after all the North American-style feasting on turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving I need something a little different. Something healthy. Something with vegetables. Enter Ravi Soups. This place is a hidden treasure. There is also a second location in my neighbourhood, on Dundas West, just north of Bloor.
At the Restaurant:
Luke: This place is no chain restaurant, though! And the Adelaide location is well-situated. With so many other great places to eat nearby, this place was actually tough to spot from the street. Inside, there is a very cool vibe: dialed-back hippie decor (loved the giant driftwood table) meets energetic CBD lunch spot. On that note – and since it is OCI season – Ravi’s is a short walk from the Bay Street towers where many of our readers will be locked down next summer. I strongly suggest getting out of the chaos at lunch time.
Dan: Totally true, just don’t give away the secret to the whole office. After arriving, I noticed that service didn’t seem high on the priority list here. The counter-order lady was barking at us the second we walked in. To be fair though, the lunch rush began pretty much right after we arrived.
Luke: In making my order, I did feel somewhat hurried. And they definitely could make better use of the space. The counter, tables and drink fridge were too cluttered. I was really pleased, though, to discover the patio in back. Al fresco dining is tough to find in these parts and this little (slightly run-down) patio was a fun place to eat. Barely did I have a chance to take in my surroundings when the food arrived. Honestly, Dan, it took them 3 minutes took make our food.
Dan: So what? The food was quick, who cares? I think the people running the show at Ravi focus on letting the food do the talking, leaving atmosphere and service off the priority list.
Luke: I’m definitely not complaining. The efficiency made the quality even more impressive!
The Food:
Dan: Mother of god. My soup was righteous. It was rich with lentil-ey goodness, but somehow still light. The sweetness of the apricots was mellowed out by the drizzled lime fraiche, and there was an underlying spiciness from the curry that fit perfectly with the rest of the dish. Topped with some pieces of fried onion, there was a bit of a crunch to some bites, which I found to be an interesting addition.
Luke: I’m not surprised that you addressed the soup up front. I thought we were coming here for soup, but it was the wraps that really blew my mind! Both the lamb and the chicken were slow-roasted and expertly-spiced. I love Indian cooking generally, but finding the right heat-level can be difficult. This place nails it: the wraps are just hot enough to wake the palate but not so hot as to overwhelm the freshly ground cardamom and cinnamon notes. The toppings were excellent too! Their use of fusion reminded me of why I love Toronto food so much. The Indian-style chipotle was a delight and the chutney perfectly played off the sweet potatoes. In fact, the toppings were so good that they stood on their own. I could have done without the spinach.
Dan: I loved the spinach, but I’m the kind of person that likes green veggies with every meal. I honestly couldn’t say which wrap was better than the other. Loved ‘em both.
Luke: The soup I chose (germophobia prevented sharing here) was very good, but not spectacular. Like the wraps, the soup had just the right amount of heat. Also, I really appreciated the freshness of the porcinis and the way they were chopped – a coarse shred, not too chunky. Still, it was somewhat on the salty side and could have been served at a hotter temperature. Next time I would definitely go with what you ordered or maybe the chowder.
Dan: Ha! I knew it! I knew you messed up by ordering that mushroom soup! Mixing pan-Asian fusion wraps with traditional European soup was a recipe for disaster. That said, I bet the corn chowder with blue crab that you passed on would have blown your mind.
Amenities & Service:
Luke: This is not a table service kind of place, but the staff were solicitous. They were clearly more than time card punchers; they seemed to take pride in the food. I also liked how the kitchen was open and the cooks said thank you as we left.
Dan: Solicitous huh? You’re going to get us fired from the Obiter if you keep this up. I like that the combo comes on a ‘lazy-Susan’ rotating platter. Nice touch. Overall, I’d say that Ravi run a pretty tight ship in terms of delivering and clearing food — prompt and effective. No frills, but hey, it’s the food I’m after.
Score:
Dan:
Food: 4/5
Service 3/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Luke:
Food: 3.5/5
Service 4/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Overall: 3.5 sossbosses out of 5
#nosossforyou
LUKE JOHNSTON AND DAN MOWATROSE, Contributors