Salut! on Essex Road is one of those restaurants you’ve probably walked past a million times without noticing; this particular Modern European spot has survived an era in which restaurants repping that same cuisine began proliferating left and right, but since opening in December 2015 has established itself as a neighbourhood fixture.
The restaurant was opened by German-born brothers Martin and Christoph Lange. Martin tells us a little about his upbringing; raised in north-east Germany, he grew up in a family-run restaurant, spending much of his childhood in kitchens before eventually deciding to build something of his own. When the brothers settled on Islington, they knew they were entering a competitive market, but that was part of the appeal. “London has become much more trend-driven over the years,” they explain. “There’s definitely pressure to follow what’s popular, but we’ve always tried to stay quite grounded in what we do.” They describe “the constant need for novelty” as something that can feel “slightly overrated.”
Though the set menu at Salut! isn’t exactly cheap, £38 for two courses and £46 for three, it feels honest for this part of London, where £100 can disappear with alarming speed after four bites and a glass of orange wine. “Pricing is one of the biggest challenges, especially now, but we’ve always believed that quality should still feel accessible.” the brothers explain. “We keep the menu focused, control costs very tightly behind the scenes, and stay very hands-on operationally. That allows us to maintain standards without pushing prices too far.” The result is a restaurant that feels almost unfashionable in the best possible way, a welcome deviation from the stubborn persistence of London small-plates culture, with each new restaurant seemingly serving portions smaller than the last.
There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with the trend itself. I can’t pretend to be entirely against the movement. Yet the frustration that accompanies trying to evenly divide a single croqueta into three mathematically impossible bites remains undeniable. Last year, East London drag icon Jonny Woo said of this pernicious London trend, “In small-plates hell, you end up trying to reconstruct a normal meal and paying twice the price for it.” And while Dalston is only a stone’s throw away from Salut!, their involuntary rebuttal to this philosophy doesn’t go unnoticed. Fortunately, resisting trends is not the same thing as resisting flavour.
I started my meal with the Jerusalem artichoke espuma with mushroom duxelles and slow-cooked egg, my absolute standout of the evening. There is honestly nothing quite like Jerusalem artichokes. How many warm evenings have us Romans spent scarfing as many down our throats as possible? Those of us who have attempted this chubby bunny challenge, in a manner of speaking, know that excessive quantities consumed in one sitting may involve certain physical risks, though this has never stopped anybody from trying. Combined with the egg and duxelles, the dish became almost impossible to stop eating. My partner and I, tragically sharing, took turns scraping the bowl clean before entering a brief and awkward tug-of-war over the final bite. I won.
The following dish was somewhat trendier, yet didn’t feel overly convoluted; white fish ceviche with orange segments, coriander and pine nuts. The slabs of white fish were nice and thick and paired well with the citrus, while the sauce it came with was fresh and perfectly refreshing. Crucially, once again, it was a pretty sizeable portion. Ceviche is undoubtedly very popular in London right now, all the more so as that clip of Jason Segel and Samara Weaving has been flooding my feed (“Ceviche? The fish and citrus. Funny, I’ve never seen you once order ceviche”). But Salut!’s rendition avoided feeling assembled purely for trend value.
Onto the main: the seared venison with black pudding croquette, onion, celeriac fondant and redcurrant jus was delicious, and not just because I love praising celeriac, one of the most criminally underrated vegetables. The venison arrived perfectly cooked, while the celeriac brought softness to the dish. Christoph Lange describes the restaurant’s approach as rooted in “classic foundations, but clean and quite precise.” Nothing on this plate attempted to shock, it simply worked exceptionally well together.
Alongside it sat a glass of Empusa, Chapelle de Boucarut, a vibrant natural Grenache from the South of France with strawberry, blackberry and black pepper notes that paired so well with the venison that it immediately provoked jealousy after I stole a sip from across the table. My own Georgian amber wine, a Rkatsiteli fermented traditionally in qvevri, was fresh with apricot and grapefruit notes, though admittedly overshadowed by the red.
Elsewhere, the chicken supreme with roasted parsnip, braised cabbage and butterbean purée disappeared so quickly into my partner’s possession that my recollection of it remains limited. From what I do remember, however, the vegetables were superb.
Desserts proved slightly more divisive, although take my critique with a pinch of salt as, famously, I despise them. I got the lemon cheesecake, which I am normally a fan of. Here, however, the candied almonds and sticky lemons felt slightly overpowering, though perhaps those with a functioning sweet tooth would disagree.
Perhaps that is why Salut! is so easy to overlook; it does not demand attention in the way many restaurants now seem to. There are no queues and no viral menu items, just an eatery that has consistently served Islington for over a decade. In an industry increasingly built around visibility, it’s admirable to discover a place whose greatest achievement is longevity. To another 10 years. For now, salut.
