Salt Yard

Our visit to Borough Market at the weekend has seen an increased desire for Tapas and lots of it. We purchased loads of stuff and had a feast of our own making on Saturday and Sunday and also this week visited Salt Yard.

I’ve been wanting to go here for a while, being too lame to tackle the queue at Brindisa and as the chefs at Salt Yard started out there I guessed it would come a close second.

On a quiet weekday evening we were seated immediately, downstairs where it was kind of buzzing but in a relaxed way, lots of chat and laughter in an intimate candle lit environment, I liked it straight away.

We ordered an array of dishes from the tapas menu which were staggered in their delivery. I wanted to have potato croquettes but I was disappointed by their absence from the menu, which changes monthly if you believe the website.

First up came the salt cod fritters.


I loved how these looked with a dollop of orange aioli atop each little ball shaped fritter. The taste was satisfying also but Thomas thought they ought to have been saltier. Suitable impressive nonetheless and a very good start for sure.

Next came the patatas fritas (more commonly referred to as chips!) again served with aioli and additionally romanesco sauce.


These were good. Crisp and very hot and the aioli was delicious. Both sauces for dipping were hugely enjoyable actually, in turn providing a perfect hit of garlic and red pepper. Lovely.

Queue meatballs.


Now, Thomas and I have become avid meatball makers over the last few months and these just did not live up to anything we can rustle up at home. They come with caramelised onions, mushrooms and artichokes and whilst tasty they had a rather abrasive exterior, I think they were a combination of beef and lamb possibly, but this was not confirmed on the menu. Slightly disappointing.

Then came the scallops, which were a delight.


Liberally sprinkled with capers and moscatel (little grapes) they were incredibly full of flavour. I’ve never had them paired with capers before but it was a triumph, working amazingly well together with the actual scallops, which were cooked to perfection, and the bed of cauliflower puree. Each mouthful was divine. Thankfully Thomas let me have 2 of the 3!

Next up were the Butternut Squash and Goat's Cheese Ritollo with Brown Butter and Sage.


This was my personal favourite of all the dishes. They were so tasty, bursting with goodness and depth of flavour. Butternut Squash and Goats cheese is a dreamy combo, these were warming and satisfying though they did look a bit of a mess.

And lastly, but by no means least, the chorizo.


This was really quite spicy upon first bite and the red pepper flavour certainly packed a punch. It came on a bed of marinated peppers and was chargrilled, making this a visually pleasing choice and it’s some of the best chorizo I’ve ever had.

We had a bottle of the house white which was faultless and shared a pannacotta for dessert.


This was brilliant. Served with oranges and was almost too pretty to eat. I love how pannacotta looks, majestically wobbly and unfussy. This ticked all the boxes.

Portions are quite small and it’s not cheap but I would heartily recommend Salt Yard, just don’t have the meatballs. I’d like to return and sit at the bar, where it seems to be a bit livelier, and try some of the charcuterie offerings, what I could see of the hams and cheeses that the upper level patrons were tucking into made me wish we’d ordered more, but then that may have been at the expense of the pannacotta so, no regrets, just a pending second visit in the offing. I thought the service was impeccable too.

Salt Yard
54 Goodge Street
London
7/10