SaladStop! Malaysia, NU Sentral

After becoming a stalwart of Singapore's healthy-eats landscape for a full decade, with more than a dozen locations in the island city-state, plus scores of other outposts in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam and even Spain, SaladStop! has finally surfaced in Malaysia, emerging with plenty of fanfare in KL's NU Sentral and Pavilion malls.

Known for its ethos of Eat Wide Awake, SaladStop! was founded by Swiss-born Singaporean resident Adrien Desbaillets and his father Daniel with an emphasis on ethical sourcing, a subject he elaborated on at SaladStop!'s recent grand opening in NU Sentral.

Desbaillets recalls realising how many Singaporean restaurants rely on imported chicken from Brazil because of the frozen poultry's cheaper price, but the fowls there can be heavily pumped up with hormones and live for less than 27 days. SaladStop! sought a more sustainable, organic-friendly source, so it found a farm in Johor for its chicken - that philosophy endures today, as Malaysia's SaladStop! also uses local suppliers for its produce.

That attitude of being conscious of what you consume fuels Eat Wide Awake, knowing not only where your ingredients come from but how they were cultivated and what they contain, to make more informed decisions and to banish preservatives and MSG, for example. SaladStop! believes that if enough people ask these questions and demand more meticulously sourced food, the whole supply chain can change for the better.

SaladStop! seeks to be an everyday destination for Malaysians seeking wholesome nourishment in a convenient form that also satisfies the palate. With more than 60 ingredients to mix and match, as well as 20 house-made dressings, the brand painstakingly offers something tasty for everyone, even if salads have never been your favourite fare.

The menu mainly spans salads, wraps and mixed-grain bowls, with many Asian-inspired recipes for regional taste buds, ranging from the signature Oh Crab Lah (based on Singapore's chilli crabs) to the Japanese-inflected Go Geisha (with soba noodles, edamame, miso and more) to the Korean-loving Yeobo Yeobo (with warm bulgogi beef and Korean chilli vinaigrette).

The offerings we sampled had lively, memorable flavours and fresh, well-balanced textures: The Kokoro is a clean-eating standard-bearer, with tender miso-baked salmon, edamame, furikake and an onsen-style egg atop quinoa, brown rice, white radish pickles, kale and alfalfa sprouts, while the Sabai Sabai heartily combines Thai-influenced lemongrass chicken with quinoa, brown rice, grilled tofu, turmeric, herbs, cherry tomatoes, grapes, cucumber pickles, romaine and crushed peanuts. Western takes are also available, such as the Mamma Mia, harmonious with roasted chicken on fusilli pasta, kale, cheddar, cherry tomatoes, black olives and red onions in a basil pesto sauce. Preset bowls clock in between RM17.90 to RM26.90.

Patrons can also customise their own bowls with their desired ingredients, which is exactly what SaladStop! Malaysia's launch event celebrities did. Chef Wan, Amber Chia and Steve Yap were all smiles as they crafted their own hand-picked lunches; customers can choose six toppings for a serving of the Grain Bowl (RM19) or a salad, wrap or pasta (RM15), with chilled juices for a liquid dose of revitalisation.

SaladStop!'s reign in Singapore might sound like a decade without decadence, but a taste of its offerings proves that nutritious meals can actually be lusciously lovable too. Many thanks to SaladStop! for this peek into its pleasures.