Love (of food) in the time of COVID19: Soulara Review - Part 1
What s strange time we're living in! You will see that the unusual times has also had an affect on my style of blogging - I am usually quite direct and impersonal, focusing solely on the taste of the food. This time, however, I cannot help but wish to share some of the thoughts that have been swimming around in my head for the past few weeks. Please bear with me, and I hope this conversational, personal style of writing might be a little resonating during this lonely time.
Holed up in my home without being able to go out, I have had plenty of time to reflect upon how lucky I am to have a home in which to quarantine. Life must be even tougher than normal for the homeless. I am also reminded on a daily basis that the ability to socially distance is quite a privilege through harrowing videos and photos of those who live in slums, which flash across my computer and TV screens each time I turn on the news.
My thoughts go to those who might be quarantined with an abusive partner, with the impossible choice of either facing the danger at home, or the danger in the streets. Therefore, I feel that despite the inconvenience, those of us who are able to socially distance safely have a duty to ensure that we do our bit to help flatten the curve.
This is a food blog, which, despite the usual pragmatic and rather impersonal tone I adopt, was created for me to store fond memories of going out and sharing a meal with those I love. Each time I read one of my previous blog posts, I can vividly recall the people with whom I shared the meal, the occasion we were celebrating, and the lively conversation that accompanied the food and booze. Food is such a large part of what makes me happy and the main conduit through which I keep in touch with people, yet for the foreseeable future, I will not be able to do that.
The slight tinge of disappointment aside, my thoughts are again not so much for myself, but for the millions of people who work in the hospitality industry and who are terribly affected. I am worried that some of my favourite eateries might not survive. I am worried that people are struggling to pay their bills, struggling to keep staff on the books. On the other hand, it is wonderful to see that many restaurants and cafes have adapted by switching to delivery / takeaway mode, some even transforming into mini grocery stores and bottle shops.
There is a fine balance between supporting small businesses by partaking in these takeaway / delivery meals, and avoiding going out and social interactions where possible. I think it's not easy to land one way or the other.
Now, I come to the near-future of this blog. I am starting a series, somewhat pretentiously (forgive me, the literary nerd in me couldn't help myself) titled "Love (of food) in the time of COVID19". I don't foresee myself as being particularly active, because I think I will be trying to stay low and cook rather simple meals for the most part, but I will be reviewing a couple of meal delivery services, a couple of takeaways and deliveries.
So here we go. Part 1 of my Soulara review.
Soulara is a plant-based, healthy cooked meal delivery service. I have been eyeing off their meals for quite a while, but never felt like I could justify it because prior to the whole working-from-home thing, I worked long hours and more often than not, ate in the office. Having said that, the idea of Soulara has always intrigued me, and one silver lining I have found through the whole COVID19 business is the "excuse" to try it out.
Cost
Depending on the meal plan chosen, you can expect to pay an average of $10 per meal. The smallest plan is 7 meals per week - that comes at $11.50 per meal, and the largest plan is 24 meals per week, coming in at $8.50 per meal. The most popular plan is the 12 meals per week plan, but I suspect that might change under COVID19 conditions.
I have chosen the 15 meals per week plan, coming in at $9.50 per meal. It worked out for me because it covers my lunch and dinner for the whole week, and I get to try one particularly intriguing breakfast item. The total cost, shipping included, was just over $153.
Is it pricey? Yes, absolutely, particularly when compared to home-cooking. On the other hand, it is pretty standard for meal delivery services, and I figured I'm not only paying for the food, but the convenience and ability to not have to enter supermarkets.
Packaging
The meals arrived in a large silver box, packed with 2 large ice packs at the bottom and all the meals covered with an insulating material. I think the amount of packaging is necessary to keep the food fresh, especially as some people might not be home to accept delivery and therefore the food would be sitting out of the fridge for a couple of hours. Having said that, I did feel quite guilty about all the packaging which will be thrown away. I have checked that the material are all recyclable, so I plan on using them as a "home bin" for all my other recyclables before finally throwing them into the recycling bin; and I am keeping the ice packs for my future grocery shopping.
Each meal is individually packaged in recyclable material which are microwave safe. I realise this is a lot of plastic. In a bid to prevent furthering my environmental footprint, I have decided against plating out each meal in a pretty way (if you want to see what that might look like, go on the Soulara website - their plating is beautiful and makes their food look absolutely irresistible), so I will be photographing and eating out of the containers directly.
Delivery method
The delivery service engaged by Soulara is excellent. I live in a secure apartment complex. The driver followed my instructions and actually delivered the box right to my door - not just leaving it in my lobby, not randomly put outside my building - right to my door. Observing strict social distancing, we communicated over the phone and the intercomm, he left the box by my door, I yelled him a "thank you" through my closed door, he left, I disinfected the box before bringing it inside - all very smooth.
In addition, Soulara sends you a text message with live tracking the night before your meal is to be delivered, and gave a pretty accurate delivery window estimation. I was absolutely impressed.
Food
Let's get down to business.
This is the intriguing breakfast item I referred to above. You get 2 servings of this for the price of one meal. The colour in real life is a lot less vibrant that shown on the Soulara website, so it is difficult to see - but what is supposed to be intriguing about this breakfast is that the almond milk is blue due to the addition of spirulina.
Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that had been used as a dietary supplement for NASA astronauts during space missions. It is supposed to have anticancer, antiviral and anti-allergy effects. I suspect that in order to get the benefits of spirulina, one must engage in careful control of dosage control and I'd imagine specific methods of production need to be employed; and I don't know whether the commercially-available health food brands all do what NASA does. I just like the pretty colour - though now I realise it's not so pretty in real life.
What won me over with this meal is the taste. The little tub contained so much flavour and variety: you get a bit of oats, some linseed, chia, a variety of nuts, fresh blueberries and dried apple rings. It is gently sweet without tasting artificial, and despite the small serving size, very satisfying.
Packing in 37 grams of protein, 48 grams of carbs, 12 grams of fat (8 grams being saturated), 11 grams of sugar and 280mg of sodium, the udon gives you 422 calories in a 300 grams meal.
It tastes quite clean, but still satisfying. It was nicely flavoured with some soy sauce and sesami oil. I particularly enjoyed the shiitake mushroom and black fungus, both of which were cooked perfectly. The edamame and tofu gave us the protein as well as a nicely contrasting texture. I found the udon a tad too soft (I like my udon chewy), but honestly for a microwave meal, this is pretty good.
Wikipedia tells me "caponata is a Sicilian eggplant dish consisting of a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, with capers in a sweet and sour sauce". Soulara's version is accompanied by orzo, which I enjoyed because it's not a carb I usually consume.
The caponata gives us 18 grams of protein, 72 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fat (2 of which is saturated), 7 grams of sugar and 592 mg of sodium, coming in at 489 calories over a 350 gram tub. I found the flavours a tad unbalanced - too heavy on the oregano, to the point of distraction. Still, it wasn't bad. It was just OK.
This veggie-packed "broth" is more akin to a quinoa curry. This 400g total meal packs in 23 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbs, 25 grams of fat (11 of which is saturated) from all the coconut cream, 6 grams of sugar and 442 mg salt, giving us 437 calories.
The quinoa is cooked beautifully: fluffy and does not have that slightly papery / raw taste improperly-cooked quinoa has. I enjoyed dipping the simply cooked broccoli in the curry broth, but the tofu did not really have what I would consider to be a "salt and pepper" flavour or texture. I found it flavourful, but towards the last couple of mouthfuls it got a tad boring.
This was amazing. My favourite so far (to be fair, I have only been on this for 2 and a half days so perhaps its number 1 spot will yet be challenged), this gorgeous beetroot and kidney beans chili paired with vegetable "rice" (capsicum, corn and cauliflower) is packed with flavour. It gives us 17 grams of protein, 33 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat (3 grams saturated), 20 grams of sugar (this is very high by Soulara standard) and 502 mg sodium, totally 371 calories in a 400 gram meal.
It has a beautiful sweet-and-sour taste with a hint of smokiness. The chili also came with a small tub of cashew nut sour cream, which had a strange taste and texture on its own but once mixed in with the warmed up chili, really did a good job as sour-cream replacement! The only thing I wish is that it had more veggie "rice" so the sauce-to-rice ratio could be more balanced.
Stay tuned for part 2, where I review the rest of (admittedly, that should read "vast majority of") my Soulara order and give you my overall thoughts.
Stay safe, and stay at home, everyone.
Holed up in my home without being able to go out, I have had plenty of time to reflect upon how lucky I am to have a home in which to quarantine. Life must be even tougher than normal for the homeless. I am also reminded on a daily basis that the ability to socially distance is quite a privilege through harrowing videos and photos of those who live in slums, which flash across my computer and TV screens each time I turn on the news.
My thoughts go to those who might be quarantined with an abusive partner, with the impossible choice of either facing the danger at home, or the danger in the streets. Therefore, I feel that despite the inconvenience, those of us who are able to socially distance safely have a duty to ensure that we do our bit to help flatten the curve.
This is a food blog, which, despite the usual pragmatic and rather impersonal tone I adopt, was created for me to store fond memories of going out and sharing a meal with those I love. Each time I read one of my previous blog posts, I can vividly recall the people with whom I shared the meal, the occasion we were celebrating, and the lively conversation that accompanied the food and booze. Food is such a large part of what makes me happy and the main conduit through which I keep in touch with people, yet for the foreseeable future, I will not be able to do that.
The slight tinge of disappointment aside, my thoughts are again not so much for myself, but for the millions of people who work in the hospitality industry and who are terribly affected. I am worried that some of my favourite eateries might not survive. I am worried that people are struggling to pay their bills, struggling to keep staff on the books. On the other hand, it is wonderful to see that many restaurants and cafes have adapted by switching to delivery / takeaway mode, some even transforming into mini grocery stores and bottle shops.
There is a fine balance between supporting small businesses by partaking in these takeaway / delivery meals, and avoiding going out and social interactions where possible. I think it's not easy to land one way or the other.
Now, I come to the near-future of this blog. I am starting a series, somewhat pretentiously (forgive me, the literary nerd in me couldn't help myself) titled "Love (of food) in the time of COVID19". I don't foresee myself as being particularly active, because I think I will be trying to stay low and cook rather simple meals for the most part, but I will be reviewing a couple of meal delivery services, a couple of takeaways and deliveries.
So here we go. Part 1 of my Soulara review.
Soulara is a plant-based, healthy cooked meal delivery service. I have been eyeing off their meals for quite a while, but never felt like I could justify it because prior to the whole working-from-home thing, I worked long hours and more often than not, ate in the office. Having said that, the idea of Soulara has always intrigued me, and one silver lining I have found through the whole COVID19 business is the "excuse" to try it out.
Cost
Depending on the meal plan chosen, you can expect to pay an average of $10 per meal. The smallest plan is 7 meals per week - that comes at $11.50 per meal, and the largest plan is 24 meals per week, coming in at $8.50 per meal. The most popular plan is the 12 meals per week plan, but I suspect that might change under COVID19 conditions.
I have chosen the 15 meals per week plan, coming in at $9.50 per meal. It worked out for me because it covers my lunch and dinner for the whole week, and I get to try one particularly intriguing breakfast item. The total cost, shipping included, was just over $153.
Is it pricey? Yes, absolutely, particularly when compared to home-cooking. On the other hand, it is pretty standard for meal delivery services, and I figured I'm not only paying for the food, but the convenience and ability to not have to enter supermarkets.
Packaging
The meals arrived in a large silver box, packed with 2 large ice packs at the bottom and all the meals covered with an insulating material. I think the amount of packaging is necessary to keep the food fresh, especially as some people might not be home to accept delivery and therefore the food would be sitting out of the fridge for a couple of hours. Having said that, I did feel quite guilty about all the packaging which will be thrown away. I have checked that the material are all recyclable, so I plan on using them as a "home bin" for all my other recyclables before finally throwing them into the recycling bin; and I am keeping the ice packs for my future grocery shopping.
Each meal is individually packaged in recyclable material which are microwave safe. I realise this is a lot of plastic. In a bid to prevent furthering my environmental footprint, I have decided against plating out each meal in a pretty way (if you want to see what that might look like, go on the Soulara website - their plating is beautiful and makes their food look absolutely irresistible), so I will be photographing and eating out of the containers directly.
Delivery method
The delivery service engaged by Soulara is excellent. I live in a secure apartment complex. The driver followed my instructions and actually delivered the box right to my door - not just leaving it in my lobby, not randomly put outside my building - right to my door. Observing strict social distancing, we communicated over the phone and the intercomm, he left the box by my door, I yelled him a "thank you" through my closed door, he left, I disinfected the box before bringing it inside - all very smooth.
In addition, Soulara sends you a text message with live tracking the night before your meal is to be delivered, and gave a pretty accurate delivery window estimation. I was absolutely impressed.
Food
Let's get down to business.
 |
| Sunbliss Granola Bowl |
Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that had been used as a dietary supplement for NASA astronauts during space missions. It is supposed to have anticancer, antiviral and anti-allergy effects. I suspect that in order to get the benefits of spirulina, one must engage in careful control of dosage control and I'd imagine specific methods of production need to be employed; and I don't know whether the commercially-available health food brands all do what NASA does. I just like the pretty colour - though now I realise it's not so pretty in real life.
What won me over with this meal is the taste. The little tub contained so much flavour and variety: you get a bit of oats, some linseed, chia, a variety of nuts, fresh blueberries and dried apple rings. It is gently sweet without tasting artificial, and despite the small serving size, very satisfying.
 |
| Soya, edamame and black fungi udon |
It tastes quite clean, but still satisfying. It was nicely flavoured with some soy sauce and sesami oil. I particularly enjoyed the shiitake mushroom and black fungus, both of which were cooked perfectly. The edamame and tofu gave us the protein as well as a nicely contrasting texture. I found the udon a tad too soft (I like my udon chewy), but honestly for a microwave meal, this is pretty good.
 |
| Calming Caponata |
The caponata gives us 18 grams of protein, 72 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fat (2 of which is saturated), 7 grams of sugar and 592 mg of sodium, coming in at 489 calories over a 350 gram tub. I found the flavours a tad unbalanced - too heavy on the oregano, to the point of distraction. Still, it wasn't bad. It was just OK.
 |
| Abundance broth with salt and pepper tofu |
The quinoa is cooked beautifully: fluffy and does not have that slightly papery / raw taste improperly-cooked quinoa has. I enjoyed dipping the simply cooked broccoli in the curry broth, but the tofu did not really have what I would consider to be a "salt and pepper" flavour or texture. I found it flavourful, but towards the last couple of mouthfuls it got a tad boring.
 |
| Anahata chili |
It has a beautiful sweet-and-sour taste with a hint of smokiness. The chili also came with a small tub of cashew nut sour cream, which had a strange taste and texture on its own but once mixed in with the warmed up chili, really did a good job as sour-cream replacement! The only thing I wish is that it had more veggie "rice" so the sauce-to-rice ratio could be more balanced.
Stay tuned for part 2, where I review the rest of (admittedly, that should read "vast majority of") my Soulara order and give you my overall thoughts.
Stay safe, and stay at home, everyone.
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