MOROCCAN SOUP BAR - OUTRIGHT WINNER OF THE 2005 CHEAP EATS AWARD

A restaurant with no menu, no meat and sometimes no charge has been
awarded the title of 2005 Cheap Eats champ.

Moroccan Soup Bar in North Fitzroy does not serve alcohol, and seldom
serves soup, yet has won a following for its vegetarian take on traditional
Moroccan cuisine, and for owner Hana Assafiri's fiery approach to running a
restaurant. According to Assafiri, who grew up in Australia and the Middle
East, "a restaurant's success is not in its name but in the way service and
food is delivered".

The staff's culinary skills and authentic approach to hospitality have been
integral to Moroccan Soup Bar's success. Bookings are always tight and
tables are always crammed with diners digging into platters of pickled
beetroot and hummus, rich roasted eggplant and the celebrated chickpea
bake with yoghurt and slivered almonds.

Assafiri sees the restaurant as a sustainable way of promoting generosity
and dissuading ignorance, offering customers a view into another culture.
According to Assafiri, "food talks to the curious". To push the point, each
night a free meal is bestowed on a patron, often to the least suspecting.
Once it was someone who had criticised staff for their foreign approach.
The diner has returned with friends.

The Moroccan Soup Bar
183 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North VIC 3068, ph: 03 9482-4240

Source:
http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au/profile?id=30684533
======
I know this is melbourne, but it seemed so unusual to be deserving of a posting in the 'News' area.