The Place
With its healthy vegetable + protein-based meals, Sproutworks is a name well-known to just about everyone in Shanghai both vegetarian and not. Offerings at their new concept, Ban Ban, are similar, only in bowl format designed to be mixed together. Hence the name 'ban ban' (半半) – Chinese for 'mix that shit up.' Capiche?
The Food
If you've ordered Sproutworks before, it won't take you long to figure out how Ban Ban's RMB65 bowls work. First select a base (grain, noodle or green), then a protein (baked salmon, steak, poached chicken, tofu, shrimp cake, egg shrimp cake) and finally one of six flavors to 'style your bowl.'
Here's where it gets interesting.
'Sichuan Mama,' with a spicy mala peanut sauce, shiitake mushrooms, pickled cucumber and celtuce. This flavor went on a salad base with poached chicken and barley grains. Top marks. 
We really liked that the greens in question are kale rather than cheaper, less nutritious lettuce you get with most salads in town. Kale is a comparatively expensive ingredient to use, and hey, if we're bothering to eat a salad we want to make sure it's worth it.
Next up, the 'Soul in Seoul' bowl (not Seoul Bowl?!), which, you guessed it, harnesses the flavors of Korea town with kimchi, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and sesame sprouts. Since it has a kalbi (Korean-style marinated ribs) dressing, we went with chopped lean steak and added an onsen farm egg (RMB8) for shits and giggles.
What can we say? This bowl was another home run; it felt like a really great balance between flavor, vegetables and protein. The steak was juicy and pretty tender. All in all, RMB72 well spent.
Lastly, we put Ban Ban's noodle base through its paces. Japanese-style soba made with buckwheat were available on our visit, and you could have 'em either hot or cold. We added baked salmon and the 'Hippie in Me' topping – avocado, edamame, cranberries, miso dressing, roasted pumpkin and nuts.
We were surprised how well this ecclectic combination went together, particularly the chewy dried cranberries.
After all that healthy-ish stuff, you probably deserve a treat. We went ape shit over the chocolate parfait (RMB28), which has a deep chocolate flavor and a mousse-like texture. Black sesame pudding with salted egg yolk crumble (RMB28) was too sweet for us, but we still think it has potential.
At the risk of fan girling too hard, we have to hand it to Ban Ban. These are vegetables done right, with flavors that bring out freshness and fill you up too. It's clear this is a concept is really well thought out, catering to vegans, gluten-free peeps, meat-eaters, and spice lovers alike. Want more of a particular flavor? There's an extra topping and dressing station where you can create custom dips and sauces to add to your bowl. For free.
Food verdict: 2.5/3
The Vibe
Up on the fifth floor of IAPM, the space is clean and comfortable with a decent amount of seating. You could sit a while afterwards, but it's still very much a fast casual concept. We hear they'll be rolling out delivery soon, and we say the sooner the better.
Vibe verdict: 1.5/2
Total Verdict: 4/5
Price: RMB65
Good for: healthy eats that don't taste punishing
Who's going: locals and expats
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