Dressed, the newest salad bar concept brought to Thailand directly from the US, is changing the way we eat greens in the capital.
By Laurence Civil
Dressed is a salad bar concept brought to Bangkok by Lookeast’s publisher, Sid Sehgal, in partnership with his high school friend, Anchit Sachdev. It’s a franchise created in Atlanta by Chef Justin Smoley, who has worked in some of America’s greatest restaurants, including Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, in California, and Daniel Boulud’s Daniel, in New York City.
Smoley’s aim with Dressed was to create an experience that exceeds customer expectations. Food was always his passion, and he wanted to give each of his customers the best salad he could, made with high quality ingredients. And this is what defines Dressed: that everything is made fresh in-house.
The brand was brought to Asia by Chris Rork, previously with Levi Strauss and Ralph Lauren, and started in Hong Kong. Having looked at various other salad bar brands, Dressed was suggested to Sid. He went to Hong Kong to meet Chris and discovered it was just the concept he was looking for, but what sold it for him was the taste of the salad dressings. He bought the master franchise for Thailand, opening the first branch on the ground floor of Mercury Ville, on Langsuan, on September 19, and the second one in Siam Paragon’s Food Hall on November 22. A third branch is scheduled to open on the 2nd floor of Empire Tower on March 1, 2014, with the restaurant inside and seating outside, under a covered terrace.
At Dressed, customers either order from the menu at the counter or easily create their own pasta, salad, or wrap, using a multiple choice form. Once confirmed if it’s dine-in or take away, these are the steps for a personalized pasta:
Step 1: Choose a a small or large portion
Step 2: Decide between penne or farfalle pasta
Step 3: Select one of five sauces among tomato, light cream, pink (a combination of the first two), pesto or olive oil
Step 4: Choose from among the optional choice of toppings, cheeses, proteins, and fruits and nuts.
Likewise to create a personalized salad or wrap step requires to:
Step 1: Decide between a small or large salad or a wrap
Step 2: Choose greens like iceberg, romaine (cos), or mixed oak leaves; if choosing either baby spinach or rocket, there is a supplement of THB 25
Step 3: Choose between the same toppings as for the pasta
A salad with a crunch, made fresh, daily.
