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Salads, Soups and Sandwiches to Savor
by Jaki Faulkner
on Friday, January 22, 2010 12:00 AM
It's a little tricky to pinpoint why anyone would open a salad bar in January. Poor season choice aside, Zest Express offers a warm stop-off that's perfect for a takeaway lunch or a quick and healthy snack to go.
Watching the traffic flow by through the huge glass windows, it's easy to see that Zest is on to a good thing. You can munch on a tasty Warm Goat's Cheese Salad or a heartier German Potato Salad with a light mustard mayonnaise dressing for a quick respite from the bustling shopping plaza next door, each costing around RMB45. There are plenty of eye-catching options, like the Spice Thai with chicken or steak, and the California Style with shrimp and avocado. If you can't devour a salad in these freezing temperatures, the daily homemade soups for RMR25 are obvious warmer choices, served with freshly baked bread rolls from Bastiaan Bakery.
Everything about Zest is as the name suggests; fresh salads, organic ingredients and homemade virtually everything gives greens a zing. Their partner company, Shanghai Organics, provides all the produce - so you can feel even smugger about minimizing your carbon footprint, confident that your food has only travelled as far as a farm in Pudong.
Though just opened, the wheels are already in motion to add delivery options, catering services and another store in Jing'An to Zest's resume, as it ravenously targets a hungry business lunch market. In the next couple of weeks, patrons can also expect breakfast dishes, with bagels, muesli and homemade unsweetened yoghurts.
Owner Mrs Ma spent a run at Hamilton House before, so she knows her food and clientele and relishes experiments in the kitchen, concocting new recipes. Even though she misses the opulence and grandeur of the Bund dining set, she is definitely able to offer a warm welcome and a smile to brighten up any winter lunchtime.
The Bottom Line: Healthy, home-grown soups and quick-fix salads, made with organic, locally produced ingredients.
