Soup Plus, Sydney

EDIT JULY 2006: Soup Plus has now closed.

If jazz is chocolate for the soul then Soup Plus is the Lindt box of Connossieurs.

We checked out its new premises on Margaret Street which is a little more light and airy than its previous incarnation, with a glassed wall facing onto the street. Tables are placed at 90 degree angles to the tiny stage, with smaller round tables upstairs on the balcony.


Music starts at 8.30pm on a Friday night and you can upgrade your $25 gig ticket to include a 2-course meal for $20 extra. We succumbed, and elected to have a main and dessert each.


Veal rump steak with roasted vegetables


Immortal sin


Pecan pie

The food was okay. My steak was more medium than rare and the cakes are bought in from elsewhere. However this was more than compensated by the $3 glasses of wine (yeeha!).

To be honest, I probably would have been just as happy with a bowl of their $5 soups. They also do cheap pies, crepes and nachos.

But yes I know, Soup Plus isn't about the food. It's about the music. And tonight's performers Pigfoot Fever didn't fail to please. They belted out a number of bluesy crowd favourites (including the must-grunt Mustang Sally) and didn't take long to convince one audience member to start dancing on the table. Almost instantly, the front tables were quickly moved aside and soon everyone was up twinkling their toes.

The lead singer in particular, Chloe Walker, had a fabulous voice -- strong, gutsy and delivered with the perfect undertone of feistiness -- and what is it about saxophonists and mandatory X-factor?

Letting the music wash over you, knees wobbling during the sax solos and spine tingling from those thrilling high notes, all I really craved was a bean bag, a martini and inexplicably, the urge for a cigar--and I don't even smoke.


The saxophonist multi-skilling on the harmonica


Soup Plus. Great music. Great staff. Great night out.

Soup Plus (CLOSED)
1 Margaret St, Sydney
(cnr Clarence St, behind Wynyard Station)
Tel: 02 9299 7728

Music: Mon-Thu 8pm. Fri & Sat 8.30pm

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No soup for you: Soup Plus closes