Ask the Soup Nazi

Illustration by Bob Aul Away with anemic consommés and bland, canned broths. Give us instead the world in a bowl, a symphony for the senses, a porcelain canvas upon which a chef's vision is writ large! The following five fit this finicky bill.

•CBS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, 7212 Orangethorpe Ave., Buena Park, (714) 670-1601.Everything from shredded duck soup ($6.95) to such exotica as abalone with chicken ($9.95) and crab with shark fin ($15). Truly a slurper's Taj Mahal.

•BAMBOO BISTRO, 2600 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 160, Corona del Mar, (949) 720-1289.At this Vietnamese/Thai fusion, try the Thai chicken soup with coconut milk topped with ground peanuts. Jasmine rice is served on the side ($7.95).

•PESCADOU, 3325 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach, (949) 675-6990. Soup addicts rightly rave about their lobster bisque ($6.50), 12-vegetable potage, and split pea with bacon. The latter two might come with the day's prix fixe ($15.95). The bisque is always available.

•EVA'S—A CARIBBEAN KITCHEN, 31732 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, (949) 499-6311.Trinadadian callaloo, a hearty spinach-and-okra concoction with a clam-lobster base (cup, $3; bowl, $5).

•INKA MAMA'S PERUVIAN CUISINE, 26676 Portola Pkwy., Ste. B, Foothill Ranch, (949) 951-6262. Sopa de frijoles, a rich mixture of chicken or beef with carrots, peas and white beans ($9.45). Afterward, you'll be ripe for a snooze!