Somehow, I had managed to miss the very existence of The Salt Room since its opening in February until roughly a week ago, when we were driving back from Hove and I said, "What is that!" I was gesturing to the interestingly placed black framework of The Salt Room, which sat happily next to The Grand Hotel, as if it had been there since the beginning.
My boyfriend quickly explained that it was run by the same team who run The Coal Shed (possibly my favourite steakhouse in Brighton, which I reviewed way back here), so we decided to pop in for a spot of lunch.
Both Ollie and I decided to go for the set lunch menu, which came in at the very reasonable price of £12.50 for two courses or £15 for three courses. We also decided to order some things off the main menu, to give them a try. I always recommend set lunches in Brighton, because they're usually so reasonable, especially if you're just visiting for the day.
One thing I absolutely adored about The Salt Room was the decor. It was clean and modern, with a lot of exposed wood and brick which gave it a surprisingly rustic and cosy feel.
Our starters arrived swiftly. First up was warm, homemade bread with seashell shaped butter. The butter-obsessed human and the crazy mermaid in me combined in a fit of happiness.
Ollie also ordered some polenta chips with smoked garlic, truffle and pecorino, served in a little Kilner jar. The sauce was so light it was almost like whipped cream, and the chips themselves were perfect.
Ollie's actual starter arrived soon after we had finished. He had chosen gin cured mackerel with horseradish and apple.
But the real stars of the show were the mains. I have a rule that I have to try the fish and chips wherever I go, because usually if the chips aren't good, the whole restaurant fails. Luckily, the chips were fab. The fish was perfectly cooked as well, with a delicious, crispy batter and the best tartare sauce I've ever tasted.
While Ollie went for something a little more refined; black bream with cauliflower, curry oil and pak choi. I had to sneak a little taste, and it was pretty delicious.
For dessert, Ollie chose the cheeseboard, his usual favourite.
While I went for the apple and blackberry crumble with pouring cream.
It was pretty good, although it seemed the chef had fallen for the typical crumble error of having a thin layer of topping over loads and loads of fruit. I have yet to find a restaurant who have served me a crumble with the correct crumble:fruit ratio, however, so it can be forgiven.
Now, this is going to sound really weird, but I have to talk about the bathrooms in this place. I don't feel super comfortable taking pictures of toilets, but they were superb, so I took a selfie instead.
They were immaculately clean and smelt amazing, complete with Molton Brown hand soap and moisturiser. I am serious when I say these may be the best toilets I've visited in Brighton. I would happily eat here just to use them.
You can also see the full post on the outfit I'm wearing here.
Overall, we were both greatly impressed by The Salt Room, especially since it has only opened recently. The service was good as well, even with a few of the waitresses still finding their feet in the new environment. We will 100% be returning, if not for the bathrooms then for the spectacular dessert I never got to try: Taste of the Pier, which was a platter of desserts reminiscent of the Brighton seaside. I saw it leave the kitchen and I was sorely tempted to order it...maybe next time!
This is definitely the place to eat if you find yourself hungry on Brighton seafront! I really can't think of a better way to experience the beautiful seaside.
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