Souplantataion - Enter at your own risk...

Like many people here in L.A., I've driven by Souplantation (on the corner of 3rd st and La Cienega) umpteen million times. What kind of restaurant, I asked myself, could devote itself SOLELY to....soup! How is that possible? And how good could the soup possibly be, made in giant batches large enough to serve the hundreds who passed through its doors each day? I was fascinated...

So last Sunday, I let my curiosity get the better of me. My best girl friend was sick with the flu, so the only thing she could stomach was soup. And because I'm essentially puddy in her hands, off I went to fulfill her request. Of course, it WAS partly selfish - I couldn't wait to discover what might lay behind those soup-driven doors.

The first thing to note is that, surprisingly, Souplantation offers more than just soup! The first stop on your tour is the salad bar. Unfortunately, the salads looked like they'd been out all day, marinating in the dressing until practically soup themselves. But I'm a sucker for a chinese chicken salad, and I figured I'd at least try it. Next it's on to the main event...For a place dedicated to soups, I was disappointed to discover there were only 6 options on the day I arrived! A sad and watery-looking chicken noodle, a tomato-based vegetable, an oily french onion, a congealed beef stew, and a few others. All came served in giant vats from which you served yourself. After being chastised by an elderly couple for jumping the line (should you brave a Souplantation experience on your own, take heed of the unwritten social rules there!), I finally settled on the french onion and the vegetable - both safe bets I figured.

But oh how wrong I was! The french onion was fine - not horrible but not great - but the vegetable was down right offensive. I think I stomached one bite, maybe two, of what tasted like stomach bile before the huge chunks of cauliflower scared me off completely. Who the fuck adds whole cauliflowers to a vegetable soup?! The chinese chicken salad salvaged what could have been a wholly disappointing meal - despite being somewhat soggy, it had a good, light flavor and all the right ingredients.

All in all, I can't say I completely regret my Souplantation adventure. I'd been eyeing the place for a good two years now, and it's nice to know what I'm NOT missing. I think I'll stick to my cans of Progresso from now on, and leave the 'plantation to the old folks homes!

Souplantation: http://www.souplantation.com/
100 N. La Cienega Blvd (at 3rd Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90048