Although I am writing this review some time after visiting this quaint little salad bar, the memories of that late lunch I partook of here are being conjured up with a surprising degree of merriment.
Upon entering Tossed, I was taken aback by the sheer intensity of colour that was making its way into my eyeholes. I got the odd sensation that I was standing in the middle of meadow, surrounded by urbanites eating salads out of plastic containers. The floor; covered with a rather convincing layer of grass-patterned linoleum, along with the images of clouds plastered on the pale blue walls fuelled the illusion that I had somehow left London when I stepped through the doors.
The menu was certainly a surprise.
I wasn’t expecting such a smorgasbord of meal options- make-your-own salads (obviously), wraps, sandwiches, hot meals, breakfast foods, soups, stews, platters, desserts. Needless to say, my preconceived notion of having to settle on a Caesar salad made me feel a small ounce of shame.
I opted for the Greek salad with feta cheese, containing a hefty amount of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, peppers, red onions, oregano, balsamic vinegar and houmous. From their creative range of smoothies I went for the Power Breakfast. Its epic name certainly did justice to its epic range of ingredients-strawberries, honey, oats, milk, apple juice and fat-free yoghurt.
The salad was actually very filling, but I suspect that the smoothie may have contributed to my apparent fullness. It’s useful to note that the Power Breakfast contains one whole portion of fruit; that’s 1 of your 5 a day taken care of! It’s always satisfying to realise that you are making healthy food choices without even trying; another reason to love this restaurant.
One particular titbit which stayed in my memory was to do with the name badges the staff were made to wear. Employees of the Tossed chain of salad bars are officially known as ‘Tossers.’ For the benefit of our international readers the word ‘Tosser’ is a lovely example of British slang. It can have different meanings depending on the situation, but in this instance it is referring to people who are considered to be useless or unable to do anything right.
I rather enjoy this self-depreciating sense of humour and the restaurant’s humble ability to point fun at itself. The mood within the restaurant remained somewhat uplifted by the generic humorous statements on the wall. My particular favourite was written in the speech bubble placed beside a picture of a squirrel saying ‘Can you see my nuts from down there?’
(Just for reference; I couldn’t.)
If you enjoy whimsical and offbeat establishments in which to enjoy a healthy treat then Tossed is the place for you. For the veggies out there it boasts an enviable selection of meat-free meal options; making Tossed stand out amongst the other chain restaurants that clutter our city centres.
My obsession with the TV show The Simpsons is compelling me to make a particular reference here, and I feel it rounds off this review nicely…
