This January, there's a new way to enjoy the diverse culinary offerings of Vancouver, quite literally by the spoonful. The first-ever Vancouver Soup Festival is on from Jan. 10 through 31, and features numerous bowls of warming goodness at participating restaurants across the Metro region.
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup at Rhinofish Noodle Bar. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome
Curated by Vancouver Foodster, the Soup Festival in its inaugural year is aimed at giving restaurants who are not taking part in the upcoming Dine Out Vancouver Festival an opportunity to bring in new and returning clientele. And for further good fortune with timing, January also happens to be "National Soup Month."
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What better time to slurp, spoon, and savour the city through a global tour of soups. Restaurants are each offering three soups, one for each week of the fest, and diners have the option to place a vote for their favourites, with a winning soup announced each week.
While some restaurants have turned to their regular menu, others have come up with soups just for the festival.
Harrira, a traditional lentil and chickpea soup, from Moltaqa in Gastown (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
At Rhinofish Noodle Bar in Vancouver's Chinatown, their regular soup-er star bowls are part of the festival, each featuring a long-simmering housemade broth and noodles. Their signature Niu Rou Mian (Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup) stars a rich, complex broth with tender, juicy portions of meat and perfectly chewy noodles, while their inventive veggie soup also includes a clever bean curd skin roll amidst the fresh produce and silky noodles.
Over at Moltaqa in Gastown, the bold flavours of Morocco are highlighted in their set of naturally vegan and gluten-free soups. These are hearty, deeply savoury bowls studded with nourishing lentils and bright warming spices, perfect for dipping chunks of their fresh-baked bread. Bring some friends and kick things off with soup before tucking into a Moroccan feast.
Pozole Verde at Las Tortas in Vancouver (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)
Other participating restaurants give diners, at their leisure, a way to try Mexican soups at Las Tortas in Vancouver, or Thai soups at Ban Chok Dee in Langley and Maple Ridge. Also ladling up for the fest include both Vancouver locations of Liquids and Solids.
Full details about the soups, location information, and how to vote are provided online by Vancouver Foodster. Spoons up, Vancouver!
Vancouver Soup Festival
When: Jan. 10-31, 2019
Where: Participating restaurants in Metro Vancouver
