It was at the end of the mid-day rush when we arrived at Ravi Soups for a leisurely lunch. The big beautiful communal wooden table was full one minute, but then cleared in the very next. It was as if the end of lunchtime bell had rung in a high school cafeteria and we were the only two people with spares.
Everything on the menu made my mouth water. My lunch date and I traded exclamations of what sounded super tasty for what must have been a very long while for the patient cashier. While he decided to stick with his tried and true miso beef, I went with the corn chowder featuring blue crab.
The soups arrived on personal lazy Susans with wedges of cheddar biscuits and a ramekin of sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Since we figured that the far end of the table at which we were sitting didn't make a stable base, the server was happy enough to take the spinning trays away. The food was great and our conversation apparently even better as we stayed talking long after we were finished our meals (but while trying to nurse our drinks).
I guess everyone working there was just glad that the lunch rush was over. After finishing her own lunch beside us at the table, our cashier asked us if we had a lighter (which we didn't) and one of the very friendly chefs (who I suspect was Ravi himself) approached us and sincerely said that we were welcome to stay until closing since his regular customers were rarely so blessed with time for leisurely chats and he was happy to see us having a nice time. Thanks Ravi! I do have lots of free time and when I'm not sweating it out in the kitchen trying to replicate one of your scrumptious recipes, I will definitely be back to let you do the cooking and inspiring.