Homegirl London’s Food Review: Salut Restaurant. This super cute modern European restaurant is charming. Treat yourself to plates of delicious food presented as contemporary works of art. If you’re looking for the best places to eat in Islington or restaurants on Essex Road, check out Salut Restaurant.
“Salut is a charming modern European neighbourhood restaurant located on Essex Road in Islington,” Homegirl London
Salut Restaurant Menu
The menu is concise, but you will find meat, fish and vegetarian options for starter and mains. The meat is from local producers, the fish is sustainably sourced, and the veggies are organic. I’ll talk about the menu on our visit, although this will change regularly so do check online beforehand. While we waited for our starters, we nibbled on a few slices of bread with truffle butter. Followed by a second portion… when you try to say no to bread, that little voice inside you isn’t loud enough to say no!
Sweet Pea Veloute with Spring Onion and Rosemary Cream
Homeboy and I shared two starters; sweet pea veloute with spring onion and rosemary cream. This is a cold soup which was just the thing to cool us down on the balmy hot summer evening. The other dish was green asparagus, pickled white asparagus, artichoke heart, red cabbage and cured egg yolk. This dish looked stunning when it arrived; I couldn’t stop admiring it. Eventually, I had to stop admiring it and eat it, which was a joy. My friend ordered the Cornish scallops with clams, samphire, peas and tomato, which was top notch.
Green Asparagus, Pickled White Asparagus, Artichoke Heart, Red Cabbage and Cured Egg Yolk
After the stunning starters, we were keen to sample the mains. I went for the vegetarian option, which was cauliflower, polenta, smoked yoghurt and fermented cucumber. I’ve never tasted smoked yoghurt before, so that was a new experience for me. The flavours and textures worked well together and again, top marks for presentation. If anyone can make polenta enjoyable, they get my vote.
Cauliflower, Polenta, Smoked Yoghurt and Fermented Cucumber
Homeboy thoroughly enjoyed his steamed turbot and shaved squid with courgette and pak choi. Rich ordered the Welsh wild boar with girolle mushrooms, broad beans, bacon and hazelnut. The other meaty main was smoked sirloin with carrot puree with charred spring onions and freekeh.
Welsh Wild Boar With Girolles, Broad Beans, Bacon and Hazelnut
The portion sizes were not too large, so we had room to check out the desserts. Homeboy and I shared the poached rhubarb with vanilla crème patissier, crème Fraiche sorbet and rhubarb jelly. We loved this, it looked ravishing and tasted beautiful. The dark and white chocolate square with raspberries and chocolate mousse was also superb. Rich treated himself to a selection of cheeses accompanied by rhubarb and date chutney and crackers. He offered me a morsel, but by the time I’d spooned in my last mouthful of dessert, I was done!
Dark And White Chocolate Square With Raspberries and Chocolate Mousse
I thought that overall the dishes were exciting, inventive and well presented. The plates and bowls themselves were fabulous and quite striking, which gave our meal a sense of drama. To give you an idea about price points, the starters were £9-13, mains £17-23 and desserts £9-10 with the cheese board priced at £13.
Salut Restaurant Interiors
Restaurant Interior
The restaurant is on the small side, but this adds to the charm and intimacy. Situated on a corner, you benefit from two sides of windows with a black painted facade. Inside you can see the open kitchen. We sat right next to the kitchen, and I mean right next to it with the chef preparing plates in close proximity. I thought this was going to be annoying, but thankfully it wasn’t. I don’t know how they managed to make the food while entirely on show so hats off to them. The interior decoration is minimal, the floor is slate, and the tables were wooden. It did have a lovely ambience, so it makes a great date night restaurant.
Salut Restaurant Information
Restaurant Exterior
To find out more visit the Salut Restaurant Website. The restaurant address is 412 Essex Road, London N1 3PJ. The nearest stations are Essex Road (Great Northern Trains) and Canonbury. Check the website for the opening times. I would advise booking (which you can do online) due to the small size of this restaurant. Enjoy your meal!
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Homegirl London except for the image of the interior, which is from the restaurant’s website. Thanks: Homeboy and Rich for dining with me.
