I noticed that the Chopped Leaf was opening soon near where I work in Aldergrove, and got quite excited! Little did I know that waiting for the soon opening would be a supreme test of patience. It was at least months and I would not be surprised if you told me we had waited a year. I'm an electrician so I know how long the construction part of a new business fit up should take and it is not this long. Is the problem then at the Township of Langley? Do they not have enough employees at the Township or is their process so much of a problem? Is there a way to make it easier and more likely successful to start a business by reducing the wait or at least keeping this most unproductive step to a minimum? I am only speculating of course and really know what the hold up was. I am also not in a position to propose a solution. It just felt like a good day to rant about something.
But I digress...I have been looking forward to Chopped Leaf because it adds some vegan options of the fairly healthy variety to what is available in Aldergrove. At their website, if you follow the filter to the bottom of the Nutrition and Allergens Chart will tell you how to make some of their signatures vegan.
Any bowl can be ordered as a wrap or a salad. Or maybe any wrap can be ordered as a bowl or a salad. Or maybe...At any rate, we started with a Harvest Bowl. This is the only thing on the menu that is naturally vegan (you don't have to ask them to hold anything). For some reason, I had them add tofu which was totally unnecessary as a) there are chickpeas and b) we never need to add protein. We decided to dine in as the dine in bowls look quite nice and this is a very pleasant space. There could have been more salad dressing but overall this was a nice lunch that was large enough for Mharie and I to share (we were not starving at the time). The rice was brown basmati and there were lots of pecans and dried cranberries hidden in there which really added nice accent.
We tried the Southwestern Bowl as a salad (this time it was to go obviously). We asked them to hold the cheddar to make it vegan and it really wasn't missed. One of the stars here was the Chipotle Lime Dressing. Crushed pita chips provided some texture while all the other ingredients were pretty much what you'd expect from the south west. There was black bean-corn salsa as well as red and yellow bell peppers and some nice grape tomatoes all on a bed of romaine. Very nice.
Finally, to complete the set, we ordered a wrap. To be honest, I'm not even sure what it is other than we added falafel. It might be the Mediterranean minus a couple of things. Another satisfying and tasty bite. I realize now that we didn't even check out their soups, some of which I'm sure are probably plant-based. Obviously, this food is convenient and fast and not too expensive. The point of it is that it is healthy enough and you can avoid supporting the animal agricultural industry which is so harmful.
So we're happy that Chopped Leaf has finally opened in Aldergrove. I am a bring-your-lunch-to-work guy so this probably won't change my habits much but it's nice to know that they are available. Everyone was quite friendly and this is a nice space to eat a meal.
Food 3 1/2 out of 5
Vegan Options 3 1/2 out of 5
Comfort 3 1/2 oout of 5
Service 4 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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