http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house <b>The Salt House</b><br />London, 63 Abbey Road, NW8 0AE, United Kingdom en http://trustedplaces.com/uploads/placepics/trustedplaces.comaPlacePic['name']}.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1t2p98
Review by oyster

Rating: 3.00
Tags:
Service charge - the unpalatable truth

Most restaurant customers believe staff receive the tips or service charge as a
reward for good service. But in The Salt House service charge left by diners is
being used to pay basic wages and meet costs. The staff receive no "pay" at all:
their wages are derived entirely from the service charge.

Visit us on www.independent.co.uk/tipping to have your say.]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:55:05 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1t2p98601127997 oyster 51.537195868067 -0.18464956181548 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/142ns7
Review by Angella

Rating: 5.00
Tags:
The Salt House is easy to find, just beyond the corner. Two areas outside, the busy benches where young people are having drinks, even on a cool september evening. My fellow diner pointed out that customers brave the winter chill because you can smoke outdoors - but I was not disturbed by any smoke as I passed. Hidden behind a hedge or similar is an outdoor area of tables with white tablecloths, as if this is a secret exotic hideaway.

The old red phone box outside suggests that this place has some unique character. Step inside and on your left is a steep staircase and a sign to an upstairs room. Downstairs at the front is a jolly gastropub, the usual central London pub with dark wood. But at the back, down a few steps, surprise, surprise, is a really elegant upmarket dining room with white walls and paintings.

Best of all, for a special date, is a teeny alcove with a round table for two. You are within sight of everybody else so it's not claustrophobic. Yet it feels totally private for conversation with nobody overhearing you. Nothing distracts you from your tete a tete with your partner in cream. (In case anybody has missed this, it's a joke punning on the popular phrase, 'partner in crime'.)

Drinks
No problem ordering a kir or kir royale.

Lovely house wine, a rose, not too sweet, not too dry.

Starters
Sounded good. Humous was one of my possible choices. Or duck in pancakes with sauce.

We went without starters, and the main courses were filling enough. We were not hungry.

Main courses
I was torn between the duck and the lamb. I opted for the duck. Very good duck texture, crispy outside. Spinach was not quite warm enough. The potatoes were rosti. Can't remember them. Must have been okay.

I also liked the sound of rack of lamb with sweet potatoes.

My host, my date, was a 'fishetarian'. He eats fish and vegetables. I said, 'There's no word for that - there ought to be!' So he made up the word. I claim half or co-ownership of the word since I inspired it.

He ordered the ratatouille. I tasted it. It was good. The yellow bell pepper was a pleasing contrasting colour.

Oddly, the coffee and tea came up before my dessert. I imagine the server wrote down the coffee and the dessert orders and the person or people doing the drinks finished first. My friend had ordered mint tea. It came in a glass with visible mint at the top. Visually very attractive. I took a sip. It didn't taste much of mint.

My coffee was double espresso, Italian, with hot milk and brown sugar crystals wrapped in paper. Elegantly served. Went down okay.

The server was from Hungary, chatty and happy. I asked where she was from. Szeged. I asked what were the major landmarks. She told me Szeged has a synagogue. Although she had never visited it, I thought that was very interesting and useful information.

I forgave her for putting down the coffee cup with the handle in the wrong direction, not right, not left (my date was left-handed) but backwards so you had to stop talking and look for the handle and reach behind the cup for it.

I also forgave her for giving me a soup spoon for dessert. I recently learned Now that people in other parts of Europe don't know about soup spoons. They must assume that a soup spoon is just a funny shaped dessert spoon. I must say we were most taken aback at being given soup spoons for dessert.

I had ordered creme brulee. I might have expected a large teaspoon. Or a small dessert spoon. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined eating creme brulee from a small ramekin with a soupspoon. There is a first time for everything. And this was it.

The creme brulee was good. Crisp and thin brittle sugar topping which you could bash up. Perfect texture of creme brulee. Just vanished into my mouth leaving the grin which had been there since the kir.

A perfect evening.

Multi-cultural - nowadays in London we have restaurants serving one style of cuisine but multi-cultural service. Yes, I am being ironic.
]]> Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:11:12 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/142ns71610446263 Angella 51.537195868067 -0.18464956181548 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1a17s8
Review by Mez

Rating: 4.00
Tags:
My friends are going to kill me for writing this review as they wanted to keep it secret (they did warn me), but I am compelled to share it in true TrustedPlaces spirit and style.

Iâ¬"ll keep it short: warm and cosy atmosphere, friendly staff (albeit a little slow sometimes), and delicious food make it a favourite of mine. Especially great for Sunday relaxation, fish & chips nâ¬" roast (not all to be consumed in one go!). The desserts are also to die for...

Have always eaten in the â¬Üpub/barâ¬" section (instead of the restaurant section) as I find it more informal, but great to be given the option for more special occasions..


]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:49:23 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1a17s81693383115 Mez 51.537195868067 -0.18464956181548 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1k16s8
Review by david_2001

Rating: 4.00
Tags:
Although these premises do have a public bar area, this establishment is definitely more Gastro than pub.

A building on a large scale and perfectly adapted to it's present day purpose. Practical, comfortable and discreetly stylish. No stockbroker types here please.

I dropped in whilst passing by in the morning, bar, kitchen and waiting staff were all busily going about their preparations for the day.

None the less time was made for my inquiries and I was given a menu to take away with me.

There are two separate dining areas, one of which normally being reserved for private functions.

Early booking for your Valentine's day meal is recommended.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:28:31 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1r7267n/the-salt-house/1k16s81723657656 david_2001 51.537195868067 -0.18464956181548