A somewhat undiscovered gem of healthy lunches, Borlottie is a healthy and affordable lunch place where a balanced meal will never set you back more than €10. Until recently, it was stationed in the financial district of Dublin 1, which meant that a hearty and healthful meal was never more than a pleasant riverside walk from College. Recently however, Borlottie have opened up another cafe, this time on Baggot St.
Sprout, Chopped and KC Peaches have all won over the hearts and stomachs of students by providing healthy, modifiable and relatively inexpensive lunches that are made exclusively for you. Borlottie presents a similar offering, while offering their own interpretation of it.
In choosing a salad, customers have to decide on their base and whether they want it as a wrap or as a bowl, all of which are priced between €4.50 and €8, depending on whether it is a wrap or a bowl and the content that you choose. You are then able to choose from a variety of proteins. Options include tuna, chicken and turkey, as well as falafel and grilled cheese, all spanning between €2.15 and €4. Alternatively, it is possible to use one of their hot bases (between €3 and €5.75) and add, should you wish, a protein to it.
In my case, I went for a salad with grilled vegetables, spinach and feta cheese, and added chicken to it. It was surprisingly filling and simple, but delicious. The vegetables were prepared just right, and there was plenty of chicken in my salad. Moreover, the chicken was marinated in cajun spices, which gave it a little extra flavour which is sometimes lacking in other healthy food spots.
Overall, Borlottie offers a welcomed alternative to the usual lunch spots. Although it does not introduce any revolutionary innovation to the Dublin food scene, it instead offers reliable quality through a broad number of options with high quality produce, and with plenty of variation available.
