The new year has itself brought something new to John Salt with Neil Rankin, aka @frontlinechef now in charge of the food. If that name seems familiar to you, it's possibly because Neil was previously at the well regarded Pitt Cue Co, but here at John Salt, the food enjoys a wider vision, though the passion to deliver something special remains unchanged. Ahead of our visit today, we broadly know what's in store for we were kindly invited to the pre launch dinner here and were so impressed with the food that night, we're back, less than two weeks later, as paying customers.
At lunch, it's downstairs only, with a shorted version (we understand) of the evening menu, but there's still plenty of choice and as we discover, plenty of food to satisfy even the biggest appetite. Is it a starter, is it a snack? We begin with crab on crackling. This is really superb, white Cornish crab on light pork crackling giving a whole new take on surf and turf: freshness sweetness with soft textures from the crab, salty umami with crunch from the crackling. Seriously, you could snack on this all day.
At lunch, it's downstairs only, with a shorted version (we understand) of the evening menu, but there's still plenty of choice and as we discover, plenty of food to satisfy even the biggest appetite. Is it a starter, is it a snack? We begin with crab on crackling. This is really superb, white Cornish crab on light pork crackling giving a whole new take on surf and turf: freshness sweetness with soft textures from the crab, salty umami with crunch from the crackling. Seriously, you could snack on this all day.
Our 'proper' starters immediately become talking points. Red mullet, apple bergamot on one plate and raw beef, pear and sesame on the other. With an eye on both flavour and value, the beef is skirt steak giving huge mouth feel but is for sure a commitment to chew. Some chilli gives ample heat while the pear, as it stands, needs to bring a little more to the dish in our view. The red mullet equally has huge flavour but with raw pinky grey flesh, some people will inevitably shy away from this dish which would be a shame because it tastes great. These dishes are not going to be for everyone simply because they are so in your face with flavour but for those who are tired of food that's too bland too often elsewhere, this is food with real impact.
It is perhaps one of the sides that we order alongside the mains that we liked best, tried previously, we now don't think we could visit John Salt without ordering it: chicken skin hash. Crispy roast potatoes, peas, sweetcorn and an egg yolk, and everywhere, massive chicken flavour. This is like the best roast chicken dinner you'll ever have, there's more chicken flavour here than most chicken roasts achieve with an actual bird on the plate, seriously. It's billed as a side, costs £3.50, yet to be honest, could easily satisfy many people as a main.
For the main plates themselves, first out it was green chilli poussin (£12) which arrived looking beautiful, with a brown sticky glaze and perfect form, offset with a chilli garnish, it is undoubtedly the prettiest dish of the day. And maybe a little overkill since we had the chicken hash, but we wanted to compare the pork hash (£12), which follows along similar lines to the chicken dish, apart from the fact it's twice the size and contains huge chunks of pork in it. Given that Neil previously was responsible for Pitt Cue, he knows how to cook pork, and both mains offered food that you really want to eat, perfect for a (very) cold winter's day. A grilled salad was our other side and here, the grill really did add an additional dimension to the greens.
We really didn't need desserts but with three on offer, bacon panna cotta (£3.50), old fashioned triffle (£5) and the banana dog (£4), all three set you back just £12.50 so it's not break the bank stuff. The bacon panna cotta is likely to get the most attention on taste as the savoury bacon flavours in the dessert sends your head in a spin as you try to resolve the conflicting messages of your senses; it really works though and offers a sort of Heston moment. The banana will get the most comment around the table simply for its looks (no elaboration), and is bananatastic, while the triffle wins the award for having the most booze in, like a shot and a dessert in one; it's a crowd pleaser for sure.
The food at John Salt is great. Flavours are big in every dish and even when combinations are classic ones, Neil manages to squeeze a little more out of everything so it never feels anything less than a new discovery. Given the price too, a three course lunch can easily be enjoyed (with service) for £20, it's astonishing value. You'll leave very full and very satisfied, and we can think of many a meal at two, three and even four times the price that didn't offer the enjoyment that this meal delivered. Service was relaxed and friendly, the place informal, and we're sure that of an evening, it's bursting out the seams for John Salt is billed as a neighbourhood bar, but as John Salt turns a new leaf in a new year with a new chef, they have too at least one new fan, us: we loved it.
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