At Food Secret you feel as if you’re at a restaurant rather than at what’s essentially a fast food cafe. However, the novelty value of the food and the surroundings are not entirely worth the rather steep prices.

The Venue
The interior of Food Secret looks familiar; the decor is a bit Ping Pong with a dash of wagamama thrown in for good measure. Two of the four sides of this square room are floor to ceiling glass, and yet you don’t feel exposed to the stares of passers-by thanks to a wooden screen just behind the sliding glass entrance doors. The furnishing is minimal but shows quality and good taste, comprised of long wooden tables and a few private tables, all with a patch of fake grass in the middle to liven things up and matched with comfy swivelling black stools. The ceiling lighting is particularly worth noticing as it’s made up of translucent cubes with iridescent lights inside.

On the side opposite the entrance is the food area and till, where you can see your salad being made, and on the last wall there is a long display with pre-made sandwiches, salads, drinks and soups. Along the walls there are many large screens giving you all the details of the food on offer and instructions on how to choose what you want to eat.

The Atmosphere
Food Secret is still a secret for most! Its busiest hours are predictably around lunchtime but overall it’s rather quiet. Everything about Food Secret screams exclusivity and quality made available to the general public and somehow this ethos reflects on the clientele; many people enter wanting to try something new but those who return are a wealthier crowd who are looking for way more than a chain shop sandwich for lunch.

The Food
The food is a rather complicated business at Food Secret. You can pick up a ready-made sandwich (£2.50 - £5.50 depending on the ingredients), salad (£2.60 - £6.60 depending on the size) or soup (£3.50 - £6.20) from the grab-and-go counter on the left, then pay and leave – but more often it takes a bit longer. The concept behind Food Secret is that they make your food in front of you and to tailor it to your requests. Let’s suppose you want a salad. Go to the salad counter and, under the guidance of the staff, build it from a menu. First, you pick your greens from a selection including rocket, oak gem and other leaves, then pick the carbohydrate you want in it (rice noodle Thai salad anyone?). Then you pick a vegetable protein, meat, fish or combination of the above, the cheese, the finishing (mostly fresh herbs) and the dressing. Exhausting? It is quite laborious at first but you get the hang of it by your second visit.

Each ingredient (including the dressing) is priced individually so the total reflects exactly what you have ordered and you will also be told how many calories and what percentage of sugar, fats and salt you’re about to consume. The concept stretches to sandwiches, soups (even the ready made ones on the counter are boxes containing fresh pre-cut vegetables) and breakfast pots (you pick from cereal, fresh fruit, dairy, fruit puree, honey and syrup, sugar and toppings). The downside is that a small but tasty salad made with rocket, oak gem, three sashimi-sized slices of tuna steak, a boiled egg and pesto dressing costs just above £10.00. The quality is definitely by far superior to any fast food chain and it is better than many restaurants, but it is also more expensive.

Thankfully, some of the sandwiches come at fixed price starting from a fair £2.50 and going up to £5.50 – choose the Moroccan vegetable sandwich and you’ll get your money’s worth. The sandwiches (the ones that aren’t picked up from the counter) are served in warm pita bread cut in four pieces and are generously stuffed with only the freshest ingredients. In the Moroccan, the vegetables are spiced to warm perfection without being too hot.

For dessert you can grab a cassis or passion fruit mousse for £3.90, salt and caramel panna cotta (£3.90) or an interesting balsamic summer berry cake and other bars (£2.20). The portions are quite small – Food Secret is meant to keep you healthy and lean!

The Drink
For drinks you can grab a bottle of their own orange, Braeburn apple or mango and orange juice or opt for canned guarana juice (£1.90) or a an organic Firefly juice. Alternatively, you can order from a wide range of classic coffees and teas (from £2).

The Last Word
Food Secret looks rather high-tech but serves simple food. The idea of building your dish step by step is interesting, but unfortunately it’s also rather expensive.

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