Work Lunches: The Healthy Salad Company
NOSA: We haven’t done a lot fo Work Lunch reviews in a while because of Folly. She just had to work in the middle of a delivery dead zone also known as Ilupeju. For all the amazing exotic restaurants that place has, it’s the absolute pits when you’re ordering takeout. Island vendors won’t cross the bridge while mainland vendors think it’s “too far”. If it’s “too far”, what is Apapa, eh?
FOLLY: Ilupeju has the worst food selection of any neighbourhood I’ve spent an extended amount of time in Lagos. There’s Chicken Republic and Gypsy’s and that’s all.
NOSA: Anyway, I’ve been meaning to order The Healthy Salad Company for a work lunch since I tried their potato salad at our festival in December.
FOLLY: While I’ve been lusting since I saw the glistening pesto on their Instagram page.
NOSA: I’ve “been meaning” because I’ve had a hard time convincing myself to spend N4000+ on a salad. Oh, and I can’t expense it to the EDL account if Folly isn’t ordering too. So you see how much of a toll this thing is taking on me.
FOLLY: You’re just being dramatic.
NOSA: As luck would have it, Folly is working on the Island this week and the stars have aligned. If you’re ordering from The Healthy Salad Company, you’re advised to do it the day before or super early on the day. The terms are really clear so you don’t start with the usual “I ordered today and it delivered the week after” complaints. The owner is also pretty clear on the delivery window too. For me, I was told to expect my order after 2pm (I ordered on the day).
FOLLY: I also ordered same day and my delivery window was after 12 pm. I’d have liked it a little bit more specific but I know how much trouble delivery companies are so I understand.
NOSA: It’s good to have expectations clear from the get-go so I know what metric I’m using for my disappointment. Also, post 2pm worked because I’m on this intermittent fasting thing so late lunch is the new lunch. And you don’t even need to call to order. There’s an order form on the instagram page, which I found too late - https://thsc.typeform.com/to/LMnVa0
FOLLY: Now let’s get into the food.
NOSA: I ordered the Grilled Prawns on Wholewheat Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Olives tossed in raw green pesto. Typed that out so when you look at the damage you’re not too shocked. It’s not your razz carrot and cucumber salad, you get?
FOLLY: I ordered the Pan Cooked White Fish, butterbean, avocado, and tomato salad on Romaine topped with raw green pesto. Yeah, there’s no short version of the item on the menu.
NOSA: The salad was, for lack of a better word, luxurious. Look at all that prawn. Way more generous than your average Lagos restaurant. Oh and the olives were a great touch too. Added some “saltiness” to the whole thing. The roasted tomatoes provide the opposite effect and balance it all out with some “sweet”.
FOLLY: Likewise, I thought it was luxurious but sadly I didn’t enjoy it. I blame the fish and the dill in the pesto. I could barely eat the fish because it was slathered with the pesto. The pesto had dill in it - I hate dill. The ripple effect was that I then found the rest of the salad meh without the pesto. I get that dill is an anti oxidant and has all these positive benefits but yeah get thee behind me you evil herb.
NOSA: I don’t think you can consider my order a salad, to be honest. I was expecting a cold pasta salad, but I don’t think this was the plan. After a couple bites, I shoved it in the microwave and accepted I was eating pasta - Prawn pesto macaroni. No point lying to myself.
FOLLY: In mine, I did like the avocado and the butterbean. I wish there was more avocado. You never ever get butterbean in regular salads from most lunch delivery companies - you’ll have to go to a proper restaurant to find that in a salad.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: The Healthy Salad Company is a bit pricey and I probably won’t order it with ridiculous frequency unless my salary is doubled. But I see why it’s so expensive. The ingredients are of the best quality and the salad is pretty good to boot. The only problem here is that they don’t pay us enough in Lagos to regularly partake.
FOLLY: The prawn pesto salad looks great and I honestly would like to try it but the possible thought of dill being in there is giving me hives.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Grilled Prawn on Wholewheat Pasta - N4500
Pan Cooked White Fish on Romaine - N4000
DELIVERY
Victoria Island - N1000