TORONTO STAR - JUNE 29, 2005 Subterranean soup spot is a hit CHRISTIAN COTRONEO LUNCH Every day, around 11 o'clock, an underground railroad starts churning beneath the city's financial heart. Men and women decked in office casual retreat from desks, cubicles and boardrooms — and form a train in the bowels of the Toronto Dominion Centre at King and Bay Sts. They chug along a line of kettles, each burbling with its own brand of soup. This is the daily lunch express known as Soup Nutsy. Inspired by, but not actually related to the "Soup Nazi" of Seinfeld fame, this subterranean soup spot has been lining Bay St. bellies since the day it opened in May, 1998. And with three, or more, ladling out as many as 14 varieties, it chugs right on schedule for these time-pinched office dwellers. Most don't venture beyond the medium bowl for $6 ($7 if it contains seafood), but extra large bowls, promising to fill at least two bellies, run $13 ($15 for seafood). Forget to pick up your bonus stick of bread or bag of celery and carrot, however, and things nearly go off the tracks. When all the momentum is heading toward the cash register, you've got to try and reach back for two of the free sides — a choice of bread, fruit or celery and carrot — that come with each soup. Patrons, all holding bowls of piping hot soup, wait nervously as you grope for whatever is closest. You can recover in a magnificent patch of greenery outside the building, sunning and slurping soup in the valley of gleaming financial towers. But this soup, hot and heavy, is the stuff of runny noses. Best to bring lunch into air-conditioned climes. And close the door before slipping on a bib. Heaping portions and small plastic spoons can wreak havoc on Bay St. button-downs. Of course, you can opt for a sandwich ($3.49), rice bowl ($3.99/medium, $4.99/large) or a fresh-baked cookie (75 cents) — all made on site. But the lunch train is powered by nothing less than slow-simmering soup. The tomato-roasted pepper fusion is starved for spice, practically begging for a dash of character. And equally plain cream of shiitake mushroom comes close to the standard-issue variety you might find elsewhere, including, heaven forbid, the aisles of your local grocer. Still, its creaminess is a cut above Campbell's, and the broth teems with lumbering, fresh mushrooms. At first, the sherried beef stroganoff bears an uncanny resemblance to the cream of mushroom. All you find in the shallows are a few straggling peas and the ubiquitous mushroom. Dig a little deeper and strike the mound of meat that anchors the bottom. Thick morsels, tender and tough, dominate the depths. Bristling with ingredients, the West African Senegalese Peanut Chicken Soup can get messy if you lose your focus. The chicken, flaky and tender, swims in a spicy broth. And peanuts provide a surprising crunch. But by far the biggest surprise is how thoroughly grounded you are after just a single serving of the Soup Nutsy's wares. Never mind the thin, drinkable gruels of so many cans and kitchens. Indulge in anything more than a medium-sized bowl, and seriously risk derailing the rest of your day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soup Nutsy: Toronto Dominion Centre, Ernst and Young Tower, Concourse Level, 222 Bay St., 416-304-1383, www.soupnutsy.ca. HOURS: Monday to Friday, soup's on by 10:30 a.m., doors close by 5:30 p.m. FINAL TAB: $8 (for one) TIME: 6 minutes IDEAL PARTNER: Someone with no time for the subtleties of soup RED FLAG: Dawdlers beware. This train does not do reverse.