Greens in every shade: Verd i Verd

Take a basic green salad, choose some more ingredients from the open counter: finely chopped vegetables, cheese, meat, fish, or poultry, add some nuts, seeds, or croutons a gusto, and pick one of the tasty dressings – here’s your favorite personal salad. A great snack for lunch – fresh, crispy, and healthy. I have favored this concept ever since I got to know Cosi in New York, a restaurant chain specializing in flatbread, sandwiches, soups, and salads. And always regretted it never made its way over to Europe.

So I was excited to discover verd i verd on one of my regular market days. This small salad bar with the eye-catching bright green interior next to the Mercat de L’Olivar offers the same thing with a nice local touch. Many of their carefully selected ingredients are organic, seasonal, and right from the market. If I am lost in the wide range and cannot make up my mind, I just ask for the Salad of the Day, always a good choice. There is also a small selection of lovely homemade cakes and pies, that go perfectly well with a café solo – which is eco, too.

Particularly on a hot summer day, when you’re hungry for a light meal and want a cool place to sit, Verd i Verd is a great spot. But I also like it on a sunny day in early spring, when you start living outside, again: there is an open-air area with tables just opposite the restaurant on the Plaça de L’Olivar, where you can sit and watch people on their way in and out of the mercat – carrying loads of fresh groceries home to combine their own favorite meals.