Mandy's - chew on this...

Anyone who lives in the Westmount/NDG area of Montreal is probably familiar with this fabulous salad place. If you aren't, let me help you get acquainted. It is a "secret" little hole in the wall at the back of a store called Mimi & Coco on Sherbrooke close to Claremont (4927 Sherbrooke St. West, in Westmount). There are no signs in front to tell you it's there, so just walk into Mimi & Coco, and walk to the back. It is a tiny but mighty operation, churning out fresh salad by the truck-load daily to Westmount women and local students alike (and me). There is also one on Laurier (201 Laurier Ave.) that is considerably more spacious, but not walking distance from my house.

The salads are absolutely scrumptious! If you are curious about their offerings check out the on-line menu at Mandy's Express www.mandysxp.com (affiliated with the Mandy's 'restaurants', that delivers). The outlets don't have exactly the same things as the delivery place, but close enough. They cost approximately $10 per salad, and this is where my story begins...

While many have savored these delectable creations, I always have to hold in a chuckle when I see those pin thin Westmount women in their work-out gear scoffing down one of these salads in its entirety. Don't get me wrong, these women for the most part look fantastic, and they work hard at it I'm sure, so I feel obliged to share this with them, and all of you. Sitting in those recyclable plastic packages the salads look innocently nice and compact, however they are in fact GINORMOUS! Seriously, take one home, and empty it out onto a plate (or two). You will be shocked to discover that your healthy little lunch salad is in fact a generous portion for two. Mandy's does know this, and once you discover it, they will graciously divide the salad into two separate containers for you and your friend to share. The only down side is you have to agree on the same salad.

My favorites are the Fave (aka. the Westmount, but known as the Fave at the Westmount location), the Raegan-Danielle, and the Waldorf (which I get with peanuts instead of walnuts because my husband is nut allergic, and it still tastes yummy). They tend to be heavy handed with the dressing, I would recommend asking for 'lightly dressed' or dressing on the side.

They accept the Mummies List card (10% discount). 

This is already a long-ish post, so go to www.mummieslist.com for more information.