Pia’s French Onion Soup

Take a French classic, update it with a Québécois twist, and you’ve got a meal in a bowl. Reader Miyeko Simons turned us on to the French onion soup chef Adam Ryan created for Pia’s on Broadway in Orangeville.

According to Ryan, his soup is traditional because it contains more onions than broth to hold up the cheese-covered crouton. But Adam has dispensed with the usual bread covering that garnishes the classic French version. Instead, he tops his soup with crisp French fries and melted cheese curds in a nod to his Canadian roots.

“Basically, it’s a cross between poutine and French onion soup,” he says.

And then there’s the soup. Instead of a meat-based broth, Adam uses a heady mixture of beer, molasses, red wine and soy sauce. Even the flowers are edible.

“Yup,” he says modestly, “we sell quite a bit of it.” And at only $8 a bowl, it’s no wonder. Find it on the dinner menu under appetizers.

Simons enthuses, “It is an unbelievable burst of flavour, filling, and the price is right. Love it!”