V Rating: VVVVV
Where: 183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North
When: Lunch: 12 - 3pm, Tues- Sun Dinner: 6 - 10pm, Tues-Sat.
Tel: (03) 9482 4240
Price: Entree: $5 - $10. Main: $8 - $12. Banquet: $16.50 p/person.
Bookings: No.
Licensed: No.

Entering the Moroccan Soup Bar [MSB] often requires two attempts- hungry eaters beware! The first attempt almost always involves opening the door to be met by a waitress shaking her head- you want a table? No worries, come back in an hour (if you’re lucky)*.

But when you enter the second time, with the confident swagger of a diner who has a table waiting for you and your posse, it becomes clear very quickly that a table at MSB is well worth the wait. As one of a cast of ‘Melbourne Institutions’ MSB is one of those places I’ve always meant to go to since I returned to the Victorian capital. Two and a half years later, here I am with my best friend, another good friend and my best friend’s new girlfriend who I was meeting for the first time. It was a night of ‘firsts’ and all were excellent.

MSB produces Moroccan-inspired vegetarian food- and it’s not always (in fact, I’m informed, not often) soup. The style and presentation of the food reflects the décor- warm and comforting with minimal fuss. The atmosphere is vibrant and noisy- it feels like your sitting at someone’s kitchen table, eating off the everyday mismatched crockery rather than the ‘good china’. The decoration is eclectic- on one side the wall is filled with shelves that hold various Moroccan-style vases, jugs and crockery. The room is brightly painted in deep shades of brown, red, aqua-green- they reverberate the warmth generated in this busy restaurant.

A small glass of mint tea arrives as soon as you’re seated. It is warm and refreshing- with more bite to it than I expected. Then owner Hana Assafiri arrives. She is a slight yet commanding presence in this small restaurant- she definitely runs the show. She offers us the choice of the spoken menu (there is no written menu to peruse) or the $16.50 banquet that includes entrée, mains, coffee and sweets. Food allergies and intolerances are catered for- Assafiri checks with us if these are an issue. The banquet is recommended as the most economical option and we opt for it.

We’ve also arrived unexpectedly during Assafiri’s crusade to ensure people are educating themselves and thinking about issues bigger than the immediate desire to satiate our appetites. Of four of us, two have seen An Inconvenient Truth. They are to dine for free she informs us. It’s a policy that may run her out of business- one night last week she had a restaurant full of people who had all seen it.

Within two minutes the entrée arrives. A plate of flat, warm pide arrives, carved in big triangles for us to enjoy with the platter of dips and other goodies that are placed in the centre of the table. The platter includes house-made hummus, marinated carrots, olives and a cauliflower dip. It’s a generous serve and once you’ve begun it’s difficult to stop.

Self-control is essential here. Around fifteen minutes later the mains arrive- all at once they are placed in the middle of the table. The banquet. Tonight’s banquet includes lentil dhal with saffron rice and a vegetable stew with spicy vegetable rice. The stew has a rich tomato-base with large chunks of carrot and zucchini through it and a little bit of heat and spice to warm us up. There is also a chick pea bake which two of my companions familiar with MSB meet with delight. It is a dish made with just-cooked chick peas (another reminder why preparing chickpeas from scratch is so much better than those from the can), slivered almonds and spices with tahini and yoghurt to bind it together. To add to the texture of the dish there are crunchy pieces of baked and crumbled oven-baked flat bread (pide) through it. Delicious.

The food is generous and presented in a way that celebrates a way of eating that is about sharing good food and eating together. Much later after we have eaten more than we needed, sweets arrive. They consist of a small plate of delights (including a slice with a crushed pistachio-centre) served with a traditional cardamom coffee. They are ‘sweet’ in the subtle way of Middle Eastern treats. A perfect way to conclude a hearty meal.

The MSB is an experience for any occasion (although be warned that it isn’t licensed) - the banquet can cater from two to a room full of people and the menu changes frequently. If you’re looking for somewhere informal, relaxed and intimate- MSB will hit the spot.

*Luckily three doors down is a very cosy bar, Deco, where you can pass the time in a deep lounge chair, a comfortable couch or around one of the small tables that are placed through the main bar. Drinks from the bar include a range of imported and local beers and a small selection of Australian wines by the glass.

Share This