12 Apr 2023
It’s salad days for James Cameron at the Christopher Place eatery…
Continuing our series on St Albans cafés with one-word names that describe their core purpose, we have moved on from Toast to Leafy, a very virtuous establishment in Christopher Place that, in their own words, ‘Tastes as Good as Healthy Feels’.
There is no doubting the vibe that Leafy is going for, this place is targeted to make you feel smug about your own virtue rather than remorseful about giving in to a big deep-fried slab of lard.
Despite lacking the more obvious appeals of a greasier café there is still plenty of flavour on offer here. The set-up is pretty simple, there is a salad bar from which your server assembles your own combination based on a foundation of leaves, to which are added carbs (eg. orzo or quinoa), protein (such as falafel or chicken) and a vast array of toppings. You finish off with one of their thoughtful range of dressings.
With all these options there is the danger of decision paralysis, and if you are the sort of person who gets overwhelmed at Subway you might wish to try one of their suggested combinations, such as the Pickley Prawn or Tuna Turner (I’m now setting Leafy the challenge of coming up with celebrity puns for all their pre-defined salads).
However, given the options available the chances are that you will come up with a combination that gives you a great range of textures, colours and tastes.
In my case I really enjoyed the way the crispy onions gave a counterpoint to the juicy edamame beans, and the sharpness of the pickled fennel enlivened the slightly less-exciting leaves.
The dressing of lime and coriander felt really fresh, and that also sums up my overarching impression of the dining experience.
Portion sizes are generous, for example we were given four good sized falafel, and ask for feta and you’re talking almost half a block. You do have to be slightly careful choosing, though, as certain items such as hummus are automatically extra and it’s not always clear what each option is, and where it sits in the pricing structure.
One of my dining companions was put out on seeing my salad topped with crispy onions as he had failed to notice these when choosing his, but this does give you the opportunity to ‘win’ at assembling your meal, adding a sense of jeopardy to proceedings.
Another danger he came up against was using up all of his dressing on the more exciting toppings, so that by the time he reached the base of leaves below things were getting pretty bland. If you’ll allow me an analogy, it’s similar to drinking all your slush puppy syrup without regular stirring and finding yourself left with flavourless ice. Careful salad management is all that’s needed to avoid this though.
For those still after more following what is definitely a very substantial salad there is a range of different flavoured Mochi Moons, lovely creamy gelato surrounded by chewy rice dough.
They also have some great looking cakes, and a range of interesting hot and cold drinks. I went for the peppermint hot chocolate, which came with a couple of very welcome After Eight mints, a really thoughtful touch.
The surroundings at Leafy definitely lean towards Scandi canteen style, it’s all perfectly tasteful but slightly cramped, and things like wooden cutlery show you are somewhere that favours the functional over the flamboyant. Anyhow, Leafy hits its function perfectly; healthy and good value food that will invigorate you and send you out into the world feeling good about yourself and your choices.
