By Eden Ramsay (@EdenRamsay)
Sana SoupHouse, 387 Graham Avenue (EDEN RAMSAY PHOTO)
Zuppa toscana soup (EDEN RAMSAY PHOTO)
There is just something about soup. It’s often exactly what you need on many occasions. It’s also the perfect cold weather food, especially during this year’s frigid Winnipeg winter.
Newly opened this week, Sana SoupHouse at 387 Graham Avenue, serves up a menu of gourmet soups and sandwiches that changes daily. Not only are they always keeping their menu fresh, but ingredients are also bought fresh daily. Gourmet soup has a new home in downtown Winnipeg.
I was surprised to see the slightly upscale, modern decor of the soup establishment. Cherry-stained wooden tables, with modern, black cushioned chairs, and fresh flower centerpieces make up most of the dining area. You can also take a seat at their beautiful, marble counter top on one of their modern bar stools. The colour palette of cherry red, black, crème, and pale hardwood floors create a striking colour palette.
Modern decor, a marble countertop, and a striking colour palette are found inside Sana SoupHouse (EDEN RAMSAY PHOTO)
All this modern decor is balanced by a nod to comfort food history. A vintage, refurbished stove and rustic accents, including a retro soup pot, overlooks the seating area. The place also pays homage to its hometown with vintage portraits of Winnipeg and a colourful, painted wall mural of Winnipeg’s Esplanade Riel bridge across from the washroom area.
The soups are a great value. A regular soup costs $5.50, a large $7.50, and with a sandwich, it will only cost you $5.00. Gourmet sandwiches are also reasonably priced at $5.50. Drinks such as coffee, tea, milk, and juice are available for $2.50 each. If you’re craving something on the sweeter side, large, delicious-looking cinnamon buns can be purchased for $4.00 each.
I ordered the grilled ham and pineapple sandwich of the day. Large pieces of warm havarti covered thick slices of ham. A fine, pineapple sauce with a hint of habanero spice finished off the sandwich. This one had just the right amount of salty, sweet, and spicy flavours packed inside two, neatly-sliced, marbled-rye bread slices.
I had to try Sana’s take on a classic soup choice – chicken noodle soup, or in their case, royal chicken soup with noodle. This option had a flavourful chicken broth with plenty of angel hair noodle, carrot slices, large mushroom chunks, and chopped parsley.
My favourite soup of the day was the zuppa toscana. This classic Italian-style soup was made with a cream based sauce and russett boiling potato for texture. Soft pieces of kale and large slices of hearty, spiced Italian sausage, and bacon bit garnish created one truly satisfying, flavourful soup.
Try Sana SoupHouse’s modern take on wholesome comfort foods and remind yourself just how amazing a great cup of soup can be for the soul.
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Eden Ramsay is a Creative Communications student at Red River College. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and majored in graphic design. She loves culture, design in its many forms, and exploring the world around her.
