I’m no salad eater. I eat my rice and ulam like a good Filipino. The closest thing to greens in my diet is perhaps atchara.

When I entered the newest branch of SaladStop! at OPL Building in Legaspi Village, Makati, I was astonished at the queue. Friends have given glowing reviews about their branches in Central Square in Bonifacio Global City and the Power Plant Mall.

Their salad wrap Hail Caesar was so good, you might forget you’re eating something healthy. It has romaine lettuce, shaved parmesan, diced eggs, croutons, bacon bits and a classic Caesar dressing.

Portions are very generous, the ingredients are noticeably fresh and tasty, and the prices are reasonable. For someone who’s not fond of vegetables and salads, I can really see myself eating here for breakfast or lunch. Salads can be ordered in a bowl or wrapped in a tortilla at P260 and P250, respectively.

Their Oh Crab Lah has romaine lettuce, crab sticks, egg, vermicelli, cherry tomatoes, red onions, croutons and Singapore chili crab dressing might have you breaking a sweat.

Adrien Desbaillets, of the father-and-son team that created SaladStop! in Singapore, talked about the chain.

“One of the priorities for any businessman is finding the right partner and, when I met with the team from SSI, I was convinced that they were the perfect partner in bringing our concept of healthy eating to the Philippines.

“They have a lot of good concept stores here, and SaladStop! fits right in their target market,” Desbaillets said.

The Manila stores are the brand’s first franchise stores outside Singapore. Desbaillets said that Filipinos are “very receptive, very open-minded about the concept of eating healthy.”

SaladStop! runs 14 outlets in Singapore and is expanding its operations to other parts of the region. Since 2014, Specialty Food Retailers Inc. has been on a mission to make it easier for Filipinos to adopt healthier eating habits.

“The very positive response of the Filipino consumer to SaladStop! the past eight months has been truly encouraging. We are privileged to have opened the first SaladStop! outside of Singapore, and are excited at how Filipinos have embraced this fresh, healthy and wholesome dining alternative,” said Anthony T. Huang, president of SSI Group.

The store focuses on a quick service salad-bar concept where customers select their favorite greens and top off their choices with over 60 fresh toppings. The dressings are then chosen by the customer and then tossed along with the salad.

Follow them on Facebook at SaladStopPH or e-mail [email protected].