The Chopped Leaf is a Canadian chain from out west and this location at Trainyards is the first in…read moreOttawa. It just opened a few weeks ago. I was really excited to see more healthy food options in the area and stopped by for lunch recently. Overall it was satisfactory, but I personally was not wowed.
The concept is similar to Freshii (another chain that does not wow me). They have set salads, sandwiches, bowls, etc. or you can build your own. Ingredients are pre-prepped, but your meal is assembled when you order it.
The thing about places with this kind of set up is that I feel that they need something that sets them apart from similar places, and something that makes their salads more special than me just making my own salad at home. For example, Copper Branch has their carrot keftedes and shiitake teriyaki, and the local Pi-Rho Grill marinades and cooks their own meats which have a Mediterranean flair. I can't easily re-create these items at home. However, I feel that I can easily re-create what I had at The Chopped Leaf.
I ordered the full sized Spa Salad ($9.25) and added grilled chicken ($3.25) = $12.50. The Spa Salad was mixed greens, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, dried cranberries, and walnuts. The menu said that it was supposed to contain carrots, but I actually received cucumbers instead. Not a big deal, but I had not asked for the substitution. The default dressing was a balsamic dressing, which I asked for on the side and it arrived as requested. The salad came with a single small pita chip.
The chicken was lean chicken breast, and to my taste buds, similar to the chicken breast strips they use at Domino's pizza or Subway Sandwiches (or Maple Leaf Prime, Lilydale, Ziggy's, or President's Choice Chicken Breast Strips you'd find at the grocery store). Not deli meat, but still somewhat processed. Thankfully, it was better than the spongy chicken I've had at Freshii.
I was also disappointed that I found some wilted leaves in the salad and one piece that was slimy and had began to liquify (see picture).
The salad was the sum of its parts. I feel that I could have made it at home. I suppose that perhaps some of their other salad dressings are more unique and maybe those dressings set them apart.
Service was friendly. The manager/owner (?) even came over and asked me how I was enjoying my salad, which I thought was a nice gesture. I had just started eating and it was before I found the wilted lettuce. The place is brand spanking new and looks modern and clean.
I feel that this place is for people who want healthy foods, and want the convenience of not having to make it themselves. When I eat out, I personally am looking for food that I can't easily make at home, so for this reason I was not thrilled by this place. It is not my kind of place, but may appeal to others.
The restaurant is next to Great Hobbies, near Scores Rotisserie. There's lots of free parking.
