Since I started working on Flinders Street in the CBD a few weeks ago, I'm more and more frequently…read moremaking the trip to Soonta in James Place for lunch.
For starters, it's always packed. The small amount of seating is almost always full and the line is constantly out the door. Whenever I have been to grab a quick lunch, or just walked past, I've never seen it quiet. This is impressive by itself, but when you consider that there is another Vietnamese joint next-door, and one less than 50 metres down the lane, they must be doing something right.
They serve a variety of different quick lunch dishes - cold rolls, veggie salads, noodle salads, wonton soup, rice bowls and the famous bahn mi all make an appearance. With the exception of the bahn mi, all these options come semi-pre-made. The salad ingredients are pre-packed into takeaway containers, ready to be picked up by customers and have a 'protein' added to them. The bahn mi and rice bowls, however, are made in a Subway-like fashion, with ingredients pre-prepared and simply added according to the customer's instructions.
I tend to get the rice bowl. It ticks all the boxes. Big, filling, tasty, great value for money and meets the requirements of the $10 eftpos minimum. I've only ever had it with the roast pork, but other options include katsu (crumbed) chicken, lemongrass marinaded chicken, soy/ginger chicken and Vietnamese meatballs. Aside from this, a cup of rice, Asian greens, slaw, fried shallots, fried wonton wrappers, boiled egg, spring onion and chilli get thrown in along with either a soy or traditional Vietnamese dressing. I've never had a rice bowl from here that has been bad, the serving of meat is generous and the crackling has always been crunchy (which, let's face it, is what you order roast pork for).
The food is great - a little indulgent (especially if you pick the roast pork option) but the veggies make you feel like you're being somewhat healthy/less guilty about never bringing your own lunch to work. Soonta is great for a quick lunch to take back to work and make everyone else feel a bit jealous.