Battle of the Salads: SaladStop!

How can one possibly make eating a salad exciting? For one, it's not what you would normally crave on a hungry day and second, rarely do you hear someone say that it's their favorite food in the world.

Since salads don't have feelings, let's add drama by turning this into a competition. I'd pit each salad against one another and call this series - "The Battle of the Salads." A bit of disclaimer before we continue, these ratings are just based on my experience and personal observations. They can vary based on my feelings and level of hunger at the moment of eating 😆.

I will also take this chance to explain why I prefer to order a salad meal. I am building my strength because I would like to know how far my physical limits will take me. I used to think that animal protein was the way to go, until I saw the documentary "The Game Changers" and it made me think twice. The documentary interviewed elite athletes that switched from animal protein to plant protein. They maintain that switching to plant-based food improved their athletic performance. As I also observed in my own experience, the fullness that I get after eating plant-based food is satisfying - the kind that doesn't make me feel bloated and sleepy right after. I still eat animal-based protein but as much as possible, I want fruits and vegetables to take up a huge portion of my plate.

_{Is it exciting now? 😁}

How will this go? I'm going to feature food places in Cebu that offer salad on their menu. We're going to rate them according to their interior, their food choices and of course, their salad.

First up on the list is the Jai Ho salad from SaladStop! I've always wanted to come here ever since they opened a branch in Ayala Mall Cebu but I was intimidated by the price range. That was 5 years ago before I had the paradigm shift that changed my attitude toward eating clean. Like most, I always thought that eating clean was expensive and so I got discouraged to do it. My friend taught me that there are some cheaper alternatives for plant-based eating like monggo seeds, okra, ampalaya and that her food expenses went down when she went plant-based. I checked to see if these were true, and of course there were vegetables on the expensive scale but there truly were those in the cheaper side of the spectrum as well. My decision making is boiled down to "Would I rather spend on food that will make me healthy or those that will make me sick?" I'd rather spend more on the former.

_{Jai Ho salad in a wrap}


This SaladStop! Branch is located in Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue. My workmate and I were stressed from doing the day's work and we wanted to binge eat. His go-to binge meal is yakiniku while mine was a salad meal 😆. Weird? But I have good reason why I chose this as my binge meal. I could eat it without feeling guilty afterwards.

_{Outside SaladStop!}

_{The Interior⭐️⭐️⭐️/5}

_{To eat wide awake means to be mindful of what you place inside your mouth. For SaladStop!, it is to witness the whole process of preparing the salad from farm to bowl}


The interior of SaladStop! has a minimalistic and clean feel to it - suggesting that you are just there to eat. Though from where I was seated, I saw two people working on their laptops while munching on their salad bowl. They were not reprimanded or anything so I'm guessing it was okay to turn their tables into working areas too. It was a bit too cold for me, but maybe I'm just more accustomed to warm temperatures. Either way, their interior was okay.

Upon entry to the place, you will be greeted by the security guard and the counter. The menu is written in big fonts so you won't miss it. In case the main chairs were occupied, you could also go to the nook beside the cash register. It was unexpectedly just there.

_{extra chairs beside the cash register}

_{Food Choices⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5}

It was my first time to order but I immediately wanted something that wasn't sour. I stayed away from mangos and mustard dressing. One of their signature salads, Jai Ho!, seemed perfect for what I was craving for at that time. It was made of lettuce romaine, tandoori chicken, potato, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber with Indian spiced yogurt as dressing. You could see all the ingredients in front of you and how your salad is made. It was one thing to eat your salad amd quite another to see its preparation.

Aside from the Jai Ho! Their signature salads include the Go Geisha, Oh Crab Lah!, Hail Caesar, Man-go Wild!, Big Bird, Tuna San and Omega 3 Baby! They also have smoothies, soup-for-the-day, and healthy alternatives for snacking.

_{The Salad⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5}

_{Step 2: How to Eat Your Salad}

As can be seen here, I loved my Jai Ho! salad so much that I almost finished it in before I could take a mid-eat selfie. Is that even a thing?

_{Step 3: How to Eat Your Salad}

In 5 minutes or less, I finished it all up 😋.

_{Final Rating}

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