Liquid lunch
Winter has hit. Time to warm up the cockles and get toasty the tastebuds. Myffy Rigby soups up to explore the hot, steaming bowls of Sydney broths
No matter how you say it in regional Vietnam, we pronounce 'pho' delicious
Ramen
There are plenty of stellar places to eat this Japanese classic in Sydney, as well as a great many variations on how you can eat it. We recommend the classic Tokyo ramen with miso broth, ramen noodles, slices of roast pork, half a boiled egg (to enrich the broth) and fried garlic to top it off. This is a fantastic breakfast dish, and great if you're feeling a little fragile... or just a freak for egg noodles.
Eat it at Ichi Ban Boshi 360 Oxford St Bondi Junction 2022. (02 9369 3980).
Pho
Widely considered to be the national breakfast dish of Vietnam, a good pho (pronounced ‘far' or ‘fur', depending on where you are in Vietnam) will have a fragrant beef broth with plenty of body and flavour. You'll also find thin slices of beef (raw, cooked or both), meatballs, or a ‘special combination pho' which is likely to have testicles in it, too. Flat rice noodles make up the bulk of the dish and it's finished with a squeeze of lemon and crunchy bean shoots with torn basil leaves strewn through (mint is increasingly offered in Sydney these days but is an inferior garnish and cost cutting method).
Eat it at Pho An 29-33 Greenfield Parade Bankstown 2200. (02 9796 7826).
Minestrone
A traditional Italian soup, Minestrone is a hotpotch of unpecified ingredients. The classic staples are borlotti beans, tomato, odds and sods of cured pork, small pasta shapes (like stellini) and whatever vegetables are desperately in need of cooking. Italians let nothing go to waste so a minestrone could change from week to week depending on product availability. Whatever goes in, the end product is a hearty, legume-rich energy fix that keeps you going all day as well as being incredibly comforting if you're not feeling too well.
Eat it at Bel Mondo 20 Argyle Street The Rocks 2000. (02 9241 3700).
Laksa
Many's the argument that occurs over this Malaysian favourite that's become a Sydney staple. It all depends where you come from. Do you base the laksa on coconut milk or tamarind? Either way, the turmeric lends laksa its bright orange hue. The Malaya at King Street Wharf pioneered this dish in Sydney using cow's milk, although fragrant coconut milky varieties proliferate today, be they in chicken, beef or prawn or as combos like squid, chicken, tofu and fish balls (oft served with rice noodles and chopped peanuts). We find the prawn and roast pork combo ($10.80) at Fung Shing deliciously artery hardening!
Eat it at Fung Shing, Level 1, Shop F5, 401 Sussex St Haymarket 2000 (02 9281 7229).
French Onion
A great French onion soup requires plenty of duck fat to cook the onions and give the incredibly simple soup its flavour. Also vital is getting a great colour, which involves reserving brown onion skins to stain the broth. A mixture of onions helps, perhaps shallots and brownies. Top it with a great hunk of bread, toasted with gruyere cheese going all gooey and melty in the soup. Can't be beat.
Eat it at La Brasserie Restaurant 118-126 Crown Street Darlinghurst, 2010 (2 9358 1222).
Old School Soup
Sitting pretty and Warhol-esque on Oxford Street for over 20 years, Betty Urlich's soups (now served by son Ron) are still big hits with the boho crowd. Lentil, beef goulash, spicy cold gazpacho, tomato, but the most popular is potato and pumpkin.
Eat it at Betty's Soup Kitchen, 84 Oxford St Darlinghurst (02 9360 9698).