“From Bangkok to Mumbai: markets, pantries, and locals I kidnap them all. My kitchen is my partner.” The Flavour Thief
Sounds a bit suspicious to me. Let’s see what this so-called thief of flavours is all about…
Restaurants in Lebanon aren’t really known for serving hearty chunky soups. Here, you find the standard onion, pumpkin, mushroom, and lentil soups, which are usually served on a seasonal basis. Some restaurants offer only 1-2 options on any given day, and that’s IF they even serve soup to begin with! However, don’t get me wrong, some of the soups I’ve tried in Lebanon are quite good, even the standard flavours. By the way, the Mushroom Soup at Centrale Beirut is probably my favourite mushroom soup I’ve tried to date.
And in comes The Flavour Thief!
The Flavour Thief goes by the motto “Justice for soups!”, and soups are indeed finally receiving justice with her flavourful gourmet soup creations that I dare you to find anywhere else! THESE are the kinds of soups we need to see more often on the menu!
About The Flavour Thief
Youmna Sargi is a former senior art director who decided to pursue her passion for all things food and cooking. She started by taking a few food styling and photography workshops at Le Cordon Bleu in London, continuing on to train at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Thailand.
Every month, Youmna hosts a number of guests in her home for a soup party, where she showcases 4 of her homemade soulful soup creations with stolen flavours and spices in her kitchen, her mischievous accomplice.
After tasting all the soups, guests place their orders for the following weeks based on which concoctions they liked most. Or order them all as we did!
Sluuurrp.
Every week, one of these soups is cooked up in Youmna’s kitchen (presumably using more stolen ingredients) and then hand-delivered in cute handmade colourful bags every Thursday.
Based on my firsthand personal experience, this month’s soups by The Flavour Thief are hearty, packed with flavour, super filling, and, most importantly, SCRUMPTIOUS! Definitely slurp-worthy. We enjoyed them with Drayke gluten free corn chips, croutons, and mini sandwiches prepared by our lovely thief; I mean host.
Here’s The Flavour Thief March Edition Menu!
Week 1 (March 23, 2017): “Snatched in Jaipur” – It starts with raw cauliflower seasoned with olive oil, paprika, turmeric, madrioevery, and cumin, which is slowly roasted until golden. Next, it’s “riced” in the blender and then cooked with carrots, kale, and a splash of coconut milk.
Week 2 (March 30, 2017): “Scandal in Marrakesh” makes for a chunky, hearty soup! – Onions, garlic, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and chickpeas paired with torrefied cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon with a squeeze of lemon.
Week 3 (April 6, 2017): “Another Kidnapping in Sicily” – This was my favourite. An all-green soup made of orzo, celery, zucchini, onion, garlic, peas, and swiss chard combined with basil, rosemary, and wild thyme herbs and homemade pesto for an extra kick of flavour!
Week 4 (April 13, 2017): “Arrested in Bangkok” – Classified as a “mildly spicy” soup by The Flavour Thief. This one showcases onions, garlic, ginger, coconut oil, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, Thai red curry paste, quinoa, and coconut milk, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon. It’s kind of more than “mildly”, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Pricing
Price for 1 Liter = 25,000 LBP. This presumably makes two full meals for regular-sized humans who have regular-sized stomachs.
What’s next for The Flavour Thief?
The Flavour Thief plans to offer salads and cold soups during the hot summer season, which I can’t wait to get a hold of!
I am, however, a bit disappointed that hot soup won’t be offered. Yes, I’m that weird girl who likes to have soup even in summer! For now, I’ll just happily slurp another big bowl of Another Kidnapping in Sicily.
The Flavour Thief
Contact: +961-3-580119
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