Soup is quite literally the answer to all our earthly problems. Sick? Soup. Wanna lose weight? Soup. Your favourite character on Game of Thrones died? Soup.
If you're one of those individuals who dislike this God-send of a semi-liquid, here's your chance to change your mind. For those of you who actually like soup like me, here's your guide to finding some of the best soups in Colombo.
Cream of Chicken: Chatz
The Cream of Chicken soup at Chatz delivered exactly what they said they would. Creamy as hell and thick to a boot, this is one bowl of happiness we would happily go back for.
Chicken Sweet Corn Soup: Diner's Lounge
Chicken Sweet Corn Soup is one of the most easily found soups in the country. But, it's pretty hard to make it a memorable one. With an abundance of thinly cut pieces of chicken and corn, a wonderfully sweet and a super thick broth, the Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup at Diner's Lounge was fantastic.
Carrot and Orange Soup: OZO
Here's a combination you weren't expecting. Combining the sweet, the savoury and the citrus of an orange, we're gonna be honest, even we were a tad sceptical. Then again, hinting little bits of cheese and coming in large helpings, they managed to make it work. So much so that it ended up on our top 12 soups.
Daan's Chicken Soup: Cafe Blanca
Well, we don't have a picture of this one. But, Vishvi did manage to paint a pretty damn good picture through her words. A giant helping of a rather thin concoction with loads of corn, chicken bits, and egg whites, this started disappearing as soon as it touched home. Because it was THAT good, and our guys couldn't keep their spoons off of it. The sprinkle of pepper they had included was a pretty nice touch, which helped to enhance the flavours.
La Mien Chicken Noodle Soup: Happi Foods
Completed with a hearty helping of La mien noodles, this was a literal bowl of happiness. Salty and savoury in all the right ways with just enough steamed chicken, veggies and loads of silky smooth noodles, this particular bowl did cost us Rs. 600 and was worth every penny of it.
Doenjang Soup: Dae Jang Geum
I love Korean Food and somehow every time I end up in a Korean restaurant, I get some sort of soupy bowl. And the Doenjang Soup at Dae Jang Geum was by far one of my absolute favourites. A bottomless pit of murky brown liquid with heaps of tofu, pork and veggies in every spoonful, this was superb. 10/10 – would go for it again.
Tom Yum: Nara Thai
Coming in a bowl fit to serve at least 3 people, the Tom Yum soup at Nara Thai was Yum! Bursting with the authentic flavours of lime, spice, ginger, lemongrass and a wonderful balance between acidity and the savoury, this was by far one of the best TomYum's we've had to date. Plus, the surprise appearance of clams earns them like 50 extra soup points.
Nyonya Laksa: Santai Colombo
Santai Colombo's signature noodle bowl, the Nyonya Laka turned out to be a spicy combination of beautifully made noodles soaked up in a stellar Laksa broth. Combined with the deep fried tau pok, 2 chewy jumbo prawns and a side of laksa sambol, it was impossible not to love.
Cream of Chicken: Almonds
The Cream of Chicken Soup at almonds was essentially just chowder with added chicken bits. Beautifully packed with heaps of chickeny flavours, we liked it. But, we should warn you, there wasn't much chicken physically present at the scene.
Mushroom Soup: Bakes by Bella
Comprising of 3 different types of mushroom, the Mushroom soup at Bakes by Bella's was brilliant. Served in a healthy enough portion, this slightly grainy but delectable either way. Perfectly balanced in terms of flavour and all in all worth the money you pay for it.
Tom Yum Goong: Krua Thai
Essentially a small helping of this beloved classic, it turned out to be a wonderfully content bowl filled with veggies, prawns, cuttlefish and a more than healthy helping of lemongrass. While being thoroughly enjoyable, this particular soup is ideal for when you want to clear out your nasal cavities because of the sheer amount of lemongrass included in it.
Wild Mushroom soup: Cafe Bagatalle
Slightly grainy, gorgeously creamy and fully loaded with mushrooms, the Wild Mushroom Soup was an absolute showstopper in terms of the spicy, mushroomy and creamy aspects. A definite recommend on our part.
Nandu Rasam: Chutneys
Nandu Rasam translates to Spicy crab meat soup. And no surprise here as it turned out to be wonderful. with particularly strong flavours seeping in at every spoonful and pieces of crab meat layered to the point of being almost buttery in texture, we loved it.
Thus we come to the end of this wonderfully soupy adventure. Do let us know if you do happen to get any of these.