New restaurant: Taste Green

“When I was studying abroad, I liked to have salad with friends after class,” recalls the mononymic Emen. “We picked our favorites from the canteen or supermarkets, then sat on the grass and enjoyed it.”

It seems poetic that the inspiration for her restaurant, Taste Green, should originate in her salad days. Opened with business partner Jia, this two-story eatery has fed young professionals in the CBD area with light, healthy salads and fresh juices for nearly a month. “There aren’t many places offering simple but healthy options in Shenzhen,” she continues. “We decided to seize the opportunity and create our own brand.”

We start our meal with the purple sweet potato salad (RMB22), one of Taste Green’s best sellers. A colorful melange of sweet potato, oranges, apples and raisins lies nestled in a base of romaine, radicchio and mesclun. A light yogurt dressing is drizzled on top for a fruity yet hearty bowl of greens, perfectly balanced in flavor and texture.

Next, we sampled the other best seller: the rainbow salad (RMB28). Sharing the same base greens as the sweet potato, this leafy number has cherry tomato, carrot, sweet corn, broccoli, cucumber, red cabbage and barley as toppings. Each crunchy bite tingles on the tongue, tangy with Italian vinaigrette dressing.

The healthy theme extends to the beverage selection too, with fresh mixed juice offered for RMB20. While cucumber and pear cleanse the palate, our favorite is the sweet, yet earthy carrot, apple and orange, bursting with vitamins K, E and C.

Customized salads (RMB18/large base, RMB13/small) offer patrons a selection of about 30 ingredients ranging from bell pepper and cherry tomatoes to olives and smoked salmon. In addition to the dressing mentioned above, Taste Green offers seven other varieties. Three they make themselves, including the chili and the Japanese vinaigrette.

Small, clean and minimalist in design, Taste Green   has only a few negatives: chicken which looks like it’s sat out a while, processed sandwich cheese instead of freshly grated cheddar and a slightly noisy crowd during peak hours. However, with only a few setbacks for a healthy, quick lunch, especially in the CBD, we’ll definitely be regulars here.

Price: Approx. RMB50 or less for a salad and fresh juice

Who's going: CBD professionals, salad lovers, juiceaholics

Good for: Healthy eats, fast and friendly service

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