They say soup is soul food and we tend to agree. Few things warm the veins and give you that everything-will-be-okay feeling like slurping from a bowl of steaming, fragrant soup, with a chunk of crusty bread in hand to dip in when no-one’s looking.
 
But this winter the humble peasant food seems to have grown up a bit. Suddenly it’s everywhere. Playing with everything from broths to bisques in variations from creamy and stew-like to light and frothy, chefs are having too much fun infusing dishes with new spices, adding exotic garnishes and featuring unusual sides.
 
Like jeans or a LBD, soups can be dressed up or down, accessorised with artisan breads and a hint of luxe like truffle oil, or kept traditional and simple like the good old minestrone, as seen on MasterChef SA recently. Classics like tomato, mushroom and French onion soup never go out of fashion but are made with quality ingredients and a whole lot of love. And these days what sits alongside the bowl is as important as what goes inside.

Bread rolls are so last year; this winter we are seeing a lot of lavosh – the Armenian toasted flatbread. At Pierneef á La Motte, the King’s bread soup is served with braised veal knuckle karmenaatjie (a sort of croquette), roasted bone marrow and a baby pot bread, while at Azure, Bea Tollman’s famous chicken noodle broth comes with a mini chicken pie.  

Seafood-inspired soups are also – as always – popular. De Kloof regularly does a great bouillabaisse (a rich saffron and shellfish broth with mussels and crab), while DW Eleven-13 serves a mouthwatering chowder of mussels steamed in white wine finished off with coconut cream and a hint of curry. And Thomas Maxwell Bistro’s seafood bisque uses a roasted salmon bone stock prepared over three days.  
 
Chef Mike Bassett always devotes a course on his seven-course Myoga tasting menu to soups, and current options include a shredded spare rib, soy and mushroom broth. Butternut soup remains a favourite but seems to have lost its place to sweet potato, as seen at La Mouette where it given an Eastern kick with tomato harissa and spiced yogurt. The Red Rabbit Grill is serving a caramelised pumpkin winner with burned butter sage.
 
For a taste of the exotic you’re spoiled for choice. Try excellent Venezuelan street food at Cape Town newbie Orinoco like their sopa ajiaco (a Colombian potato soup with chicken, onion and capers); the barszcz (beetroot soup with a hard-boiled egg) at Pietermaritzburg’s Little Poland; or the sweet and sour bean curd soup with bamboo shoots and spring onion at The Good Luck Club in Johannesburg.

Looking for more souper options? Remember that soup is typical bistro fare, so check out our list of best bistros. You’re sure to find something moreish and delicious on their menus.
 
By Johannie van As