Thursday 21 January 2016

Salad Shack@Damansara Uptown (CLOSED)


There's a new salad joint in Damansara Uptown. Yay! It's called Salad Shack. Last year (in November) I caught a glimpse of their green signboard and couldn't wait for them to open shop. 


They are finally open.


I was greeted by this banner outside and this one inside.


No GST, no service charge. Nice. It's a very small place. Very cosy and neat.


This is the salad counter.....


.....with all the fresh greens and ingredients.



And not forgetting the sprinkles.


What they have are their Signature Salads, Create Your Own Salad and Signature Salad Shakers.


What on earth are Salad Shakers? Well, these are salads which are packed in a tall plastic cup (for takeaway/snack) where you pour in the dressing, cover the top and shake away! 



I find that it is too pricey and the volume of the contents would not feed a big eater like me.


There are 6 Signature Salads to choose from and apparently, you can choose to substitute the dressing. Say you choose the Smoked Duck Salad but you don't like Balsamic vinaigrette. You can choose another dressing of your choice, no issues. You can also change/add on ingredients if you wish. No hard and fast rules. I like that.


This is the beverage counter for bottled juices and mineral water. And the best part is, you can have free water from the water dispenser. And mind you, they don't use plastic cups. Those are glass tumblers. Nice.


So which Signature Salad did I choose? I wanted to try them all but obviously I'll have to do that one at a time hah..hah... I settled for the Spicy Thai Salad, large please. I had to add a protein, or else I will go hungry one hour later.

This was how it looked like.


Spicy Thai Salad

Yes, I'm thinking the same thing as you. It's all green.Where are the carrots? Tastewise, it was good due to the dressing. No, it's not spicy but had all the elements of sweet, sour and salty. I loved it.



Here's a closer look. You can see romaine, chicken, edamame and onions (buried underneath the greens). I feel that this salad needs more colors to jazz it up a bit, don't you think? After all, we also eat with our eyes and a colorful plate of salad looks more appetizing than one that is just largely green. I think the presentation can be improved.

On another visit, I tried the Smoked Duck Salad. It does not look very different from the Spicy Thai Salad except for the slices of smoked duck, walnuts and scant serving of shredded carrots.

Smoked Duck Salad

This was also very good. I liked the Balsamic Vinaigrette which was on the sweet side. Perhaps a bit too sweet for me but it paired well with the salty smoked duck. I like the walnuts and dried cranberries which gave the salad a pleasant crunch and tang. Lovely!

You know, this salad would look much better if the greens are tossed with dressing first and then set on the plate.



After that the cranberries, walnuts, carrots (more please) and cherry tomatoes go on top. A generous drizzling of dressing could then be applied over the ingredients and that would make the presentation better. Just my two cents worth lah.

This large serving cost me RM19.90 and sure, it's not cheap. You look at the plate of greens and then factor in price of ingredients, rental, salaries, utilities, renovation, set up costs, marketing etc it's clear to see that you don't expect to pay peanuts for that.


Interesting decor on the wall.
On another occasion, I had the Lime Peanut Salad with addition of smoked duck. I can't get enough of smoked duck and it sure beats chicken breasts I tell you. 


Peanut Lime Salad with addition of Smoked Duck
It doesn't look any different from the Smoked Duck Salad but let me show you the slight difference.



This one has baby spinach (I love this!), quinoa and crushed peanuts in addition to walnuts and cranberries. I've got to tell you that the Lime Peanut Dressing was da bomb! This is my favorite dressing so far. It's really good, you've got to taste it.

Overall, I would say that in terms of freshness of ingredients and power packed dressings, Salad Shack has got it made. This is my go to place now for satisfying and delicious salads. I wish I could afford to eat there everyday.

I was at this other place the other day and this was what I had.



OK, I won't say where this is. The greens were past their prime and though they were generous with the chicken, it did not taste good. And the two pieces of toasted bread? They were stale. The dressing was diluted and it did not taste fresh to me. So, now you know where I will swing to for my salad fix.

If you are in the vicinity of Damansara Uptown and in need of fresh healthy salads, you must eat at Salad Shack.


35 comments:

  1. No thanks. So difficult for me to have outside food when I go back to KL, even if I ever find myself in that area, I would not waste my tummy for a salad. No matter how good it is. :|

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope, I don't expect you to be excited about salad when there is pork noodles and other nosh to be had :D

      Delete
  2. Healthy eating. Those are drinks? For a while, I thought they were bottles of salad dressing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, those are drinks. Very pricey drinks hah..hah..

      Delete
  3. I doubt the salad shakers will work if the dressing is thick and creamy no matter how hard we shake (probably will work is an oil & vinegar type of dressing).

    Unlike RG, I would waste my tummy on a salad but would probably not waste money on a salad...haha! :D Coz this one looks so easy to make at home (minus the smoked duck, of course), or even take to work by just getting a packet of nice greens, roast some walnuts and add a protein (pack all separately, including the dressing, keep it in the fridge and toss everything together when we're ready to eat). For you, PH, you can certainly make some great salads at home! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right. It would only work with vinaigrette.

      You see, to make a salad with varied ingredients, I would have to buy one of each. Then I will end up with leftovers especially if I'm not having salad everyday. I did try taking my own salad to office but it didn't work out so well. Some days I got tired of my own salad hah..hah... So, Salad Shack is an option. Maybe for once a week thingy when I want salad for lunch.

      Delete
    2. Oh, I usually buy those pre-packaged Genting Garden mixed salad from Aeon with 8 - 12 types of leaves in one pack and add my choice of protein and some walnuts. It's very convenient and no wastage or leftovers coz one pack is just nice for two servings (rather large ones too).

      Delete
  4. A bit more onion wouldn't hurt too.

    I'm onion fan. Hihi

    ReplyDelete
  5. salad oh salad.. they can never be a main for me, but just either an appeaser or a snack, haha!! really cannot lah, I mean salad can be filling but surely cannot last for me.. that plastic cup of salad is like "OMG!! even tikus also tak cukup makan", haha, most probably the target customers are the working ladies lah.. even your plate of LARGE one also not enough for me leh~~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Myself can eat salad as main provided must have some protein in it. The salad shaker is a good idea but portion size tak berpatutan with the price.

      Delete
  6. so you have been patronizing this ship quite often I see.. any chance that you create your own and then probably sell the creation to them?? haha.. I love the smoked duck breast, surely nicely than just plain blanched chicken breast huh?? wait, where's BACON??? lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am quite excited about their salad and dressings because it is a lot fresher and more delicious than their nearby competitor's. Oh yes, smoked duck is so delicious! No bacon lah because want to cater for Muslim customers also.

      Delete
  7. ok, the one that you didn't want to tell us what it was.. those topping the greens were what?? err, actually looks quite eerie to me leh, looks like some innards simply blanched and then tossed with some dressing.. the two pieces of toast also, like one macam, as if that was a pasta dish, haha!! I mean looks so salah to me only, hahahaha!! okay great, you didn't like it too~~ :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hah..hah...your imagination is very fertile! Those are chicken strips. Yes, looks ugly. The toast shouldn't be there because already masuk angin. I was quite perplexed why they do this especially when the lady boss was there.

      Delete
  8. Oh.. salad? Very healthy but I still cannot enjoy eating it.. but then during buffets, I will dish up a bit of this and that, don't know why, maybe it is in the buffet? So being kiasu, I will try a bit here and there... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, some people cannot accept salads hah..hah.. They think, so weird lah eating all these raw vegs :D

      Delete
  9. I can see the freshness of the green and the salads do look tasty. I can take salad for lunch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nancy, good to know that you enjoy salad.

      Delete
  10. When I want to eat salad, I will just buy a packet of prewashed mix salad leaves from the supermarket that costs a little less than MYR10 and it is quite a big bag with a variety of leaves. I just could not justify paying this much money for so little green raw leaves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course making our own is lots cheaper :)

      Delete
  11. Nice, I also have salad at times for dinner before rushing back to JB but it always makes me hungry although I had a big plate. The portion served with the duck meat seems a bit small, is it enough for you ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That portion is not large enough for me hah..hah... I was 3/4 full :)

      Delete
  12. Seems pretty affordable considering duck is quite a pricey item ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's OK I suppose but not affordable to eat everyday hah..hah...

      Delete
  13. not really into salad .... but occassionally got eat la

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Understand, understand. Salad not so ngam for some people.

      Delete
  14. Oh wow, salad party! I love salad and could eat a big bowl of it! Interesting place, and I like the sound of Salad Shaker!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love salad too as long as the dressing is good and it has enough proteins added on :)

      Delete
  15. I seriously love coming to your blog. It makes me hungry: no fail. I wish I could try the salads with the "sprinkles" on them :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hah..hah... I went to buy cranberries for my next DIY salad :D

      Delete
  16. It looks like a fabulous lunch spot! But I'm with you---having the toppings visible (and more color!) would make the the salads even more appealing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I love this place and their salads are great!

      Delete