New Healthy Lunch Spot Sproutworks in China World Mall a Wholesome Disappointment

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Apr 25, 2017 1:00 pm | 5 comments | 2906 reads

During our latest visit to China World Mall, in what has become a near daily outing to Guomao for us as we try to keep a grasp on all the new restaurants opening, we visited Sproutworks, a Shanghai-import (with five locations) with a focus on healthy salads, soups, gourmet paninis, and fresh juices.

This canteen-style restaurant has laid out a little like a fast food restaurant with an half-open dining area and several wooden tables for seating. Think back to your school cafeteria and then put a gourmet spin on it for a not too dissimilar effect. Line up in front of the counter, tell the lunch lady what you'd like, pay at the cashier, and then find a seat in the dining area.

Choices are somewhat similar to Wagas but with more of a Chinese twist. The weekday lunch sets (11am-2pm) don't come cheap, and will set you back RMB 70 for half a salad, two sides or a meat, and a drink; RMB 75 for two sides, meat, and a juice; RMB 80 for a brown rice bowl or panini, sides, and a drink.

For the price, the kale salad was suitably invigorating with a base of crunchy kale leaves topped with pine seeds, sweetened cranberries, and orange zest. However, what should have been a palate cleanser actually turned out to be the best dish since the stewed vegetables – chickpeas, pumpkin, tomato, and a pinch of cilantro – was tepid at best and not only looked disappointing but had an equally as bland flavor. The grilled salmon, which looked moist but was actually overcooked and quite dry, also deceived us.

The only relief from the meal was that we visited during China World Mall's half-price opening promotion, which has sadly already passed – paying full price for this food would be hard to swallow. We appreciate the healthy concept, and let's hope that these are just teething problems because from our experience the Shanghai branches are far superior. Saying that, this is quite the dismal start for Sproutworks Beijing and we can't imagine that there'll be many people who opt for an RMB 80 salad over some of the much more enticing options nearby.

Sproutworks
Daily 10am-10pm. NL4022, 4/F, North Zone, China World Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (8595 0278)
豆苗工坊：朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸商城北区4楼NL4022

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang, Dianping

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yidiandian's picture yidiandian Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 16:34

May Wong wrote:

Not a fair representation to be honest. I've been eating there everyday since it opened and it's not that expensive. The picture posted is not 80RMB! 2 sides are 30RMB,4 sides are 50RMB
The food's delicious, it's healthy, and a fair price for what you get! This post seems biased! Wagas, Moka Bros, GLO Kitchen, all the healthy options are pricey! 

yidiandian's picture yidiandian Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 16:26

Malcolm Shu wrote:

Dear Tracy

Thank you for coming by during our early soft opening period. Yes, we working through our entire menu and expanding week to week. We appreciate the feedback to imply our pricing is high but actually our menu is exactly the same as Shanghai. We have wide ranges of price points from 30 RMB for 2 sides to special rice bowls for 60 RMB...we still have fresh juices for 25 RMB and ice teas all u can drink at 20 RMB. So based on the photo u shown, 30 RMB for 2 sides and a fish protein is actually 55 RMB. Anyways, we busting our asses to ensure better consistency of our product. We do have a company wide policy that if a customer is not happy with the product, we will gladly replace it. Come give us another try in a couple of weeks, and would love to hear more feedback then. 

Thank you

Malcolm / Sproutworks Beijing

Thanks for the comment and as I mentioned on this blog, these might be teething problems! Looking forward to the next visit.

yidiandian's picture yidiandian Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 16:09

Jennifer Sun wrote:

Tracy, It's a pity to hear of your complaint of the new Sproutworks in Beijing. I actually find it to be the best value for a healthy meal in Shanghai and Beijing. I generally get one protein (25 RMB) and two sides (30 RMB) for a total of 55 RMB. I'm not sure where else you can go for a healthy, western meal of 55 RMB. Sure, you can go to Wagas for a salad but be prepared to pay 10 RMB more AND get half the protein portion as you would be getting at Sproutworks (I'm never full after the Mango Chicken Salad there). Your alternative options for a healthy meal include Moka Bros or Element Fresh, both of which you would be paying 80-120 RMB for a salad. I'm sorry to hear of your complaint and bad experience at Sproutworks, hopefully you give them another try and re-evaluate the costs. The food is delicious and by far the best bang for buck! 

Well, but the lunch set at Tribe is RMB 68 for half salad or soup, half sandwich, and a cup of coffee, which is quite stuffing; as for Wagas, the lunch set (taco or sandwich with salad) is RMB 59-77, you can't ignore the fact that the lunch set at Sproutworks is not inexpensive.

yidiandian's picture yidiandian Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 16:00

IG1964 wrote:

My husband and I have been frequenting sproutworks since it opened and found it to be a welcome addition to our weekly menu.  The price for 50RMB for 4 sides we find is definitely reasonable.  Usually 2 potato/sweet potato and then 2 salads which is ample for the 2 of us.  Then off to Meat Up for our steak fix to take home.  We have found Sproutworks very accommodating and the choice and freshness is of good quality.  Give them a chance Im sure what the blogger experienced may have been teething problems

Thanks for the feedback, we'll be back to check it again. 

IG1964's picture IG1964 Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 12:05

My husband and I have been frequenting sproutworks since it opened and found it to be a welcome addition to our weekly menu. The price for 50RMB for 4 sides we find is definitely reasonable. Usually 2 potato/sweet potato and then 2 salads which is ample for the 2 of us. Then off to Meat Up for our steak fix to take home. We have found Sproutworks very accommodating and the choice and freshness is of good quality. Give them a chance Im sure what the blogger experienced may have been teething problems

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