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When Salad Stop opened in Singapore in 2009, co-founder Adrien Desbaillet says it was almost next to impossible. “People said we were crazy because you will never get Singaporeans to have salad for lunch. They love their food too much,” the 34-year-old Swiss national says.
But six years later, the brand has carved itself a niche, and salads and wraps have become a lunch-time staple in the Lion City — all thanks to Salad Stop adapting and turning local flavors and dishes into salads. It’s a strategy they’re also adapting in Manila, their first venture outside SG.
Together with Singaporean executive chef Tony Tan, Adrien met with members of the press and gleefully introduced us to Salad Stop and what we can look forward to, like the plans of offering a Kare-Kare salad dressing. It’s a good way to introduce and entice a market to something rather new.
Salad Stop after all, has only been in town for a good eight months. And at the moment, there are only a handful of establishments serving salads and wraps as a meal.
Because for a rice-eating market, salads and wraps may sound a little too light. Which is a misconception. Pegged at 500-700 calories per serving, Salad Stop dishes are quite the filling affair. It has generous servings of protein to go with the greens that are beautifully coated with the dressing.
You can choose to personalize your meals, but Salad Stop has a prepared menu of signature dishes to entice a noob. The Iron ‘Wo’ Man (starts PHP340) and the Coco-approved Tuna san (starts PHP340), are among the long line of signatures, while Cobb, Nicoise and Greek comprise the thin line of the classics.
“We opened in Manila in BGC Central in December 2014 and so far, the response has been good,” the 34-year-old Swiss national said. Their strat? To focus on original key dishes and localize.
“Like the Oh Crab Lah,” Adrien cites one of Salad Stop’s signature offerings that has been instrumental to their success there. “We reduced the spiciness because we felt it might be a little too hot for the Filipino taste.”
And much like Oh Crab Lah — inspired by Singapore’s Chili Crab — Salad Stop is taking inspiration from our favorite local dishes and our favorite flavor profiles. The Kare-Kare dressing, he says, is already in the works, while the Tamarind Citrus Vinaigrette is already in being offered. “We knew you guys like the sour flavor,” he says.
But there are other ways Salad Stop intends to localize, such as working with and sourcing ingredients from local farmers. “We also want to use more local and seasonal ingredients, like mangoes and avocadoes.”
This early, Salad Stop is proud to say that apart from sourcing 90% of their ingredients from local farmers, they are now also offering locally-made non-salad goods like glutten-free pastries, yogurt, and Kale chips — “which are not available in Singapore,” Adrien clarifies.
Salad Stop intends to open its fourth store in Greenhills, San Juan soon and have five Salad Stop locations by the end of the year. “The focus is to maintain our standards and continue to introduce the concept [to a wider market]. Hopefully, we can start rolling out weekly specials and get people to create their own,” he says.
Because get this: despite our renowned creativity, Filipinos, Adrien says, remains coy in personalizing their salads.
With upcoming flavors like Kare-Kare, we might just continue being so.
G/F OPL Building, 100 C. Palanca St, Legazpi Village, Makati. +63 8087569. 8am-9pm
Iron ‘Wo’ Man wrap (PHP340) has romaine, seared tuna, avocado, edamame, cherry tomatoes, mandarin orange, seasame seeds, in Wasabi Honey Soy dressing
Go Geisha! (starts PHP250) is a salad comprised of romaines, red and white cabbage, firm tofu, asparagus, carrot, soba noddles, snow peacs, edamame, seasame seeds, cucumber, sweet corn, and Japanese miso dressing
Oh Crab Lah (starts PHP250) has romaine, crab sticks, egg, vermicelli, cherry tomatoes, red onions, croutons, Singapore Chili Crab dressing
The Cobb Salad (starts PHP250) is one of three classic dishes on offer
Yogurt (PHP150) which is sweet, milky, and light
