Words: Samantha Harman
www.salt-shed.co.uk
From Brick Lane to the North Laines.
Salt Shed appeared on my radar a few months ago. This inconspicuous black fronted restaurant is located opposite Brighton Dome, but it was skillful social media posting that led me to the venue. I was immediately seduced by Instagram pics of platters laden with rare steak, pastrami and chicken. Owners Frank and Laurence have enjoyed roaring success in London at various pop ups, including Boxpark in Shoreditch, before deciding to open a flagship restaurant here in Brighton. Lucky us.
The Discover team and I arrived one sunny afternoon and were bowled over by the boys’ hospitality, who treated us like royalty. We were presented with chilli margaritas which were a great size, served in highball glasses and perfectly executed with a chilli encrusted rim.
Meat is the order of the day at Salt Shed, and I let the owners decide what I was eating that day and they certainly didn’t disappoint. We were bestowed with a feast consisting of; the four meat platter – Bavette steak, charcoal chicken, pastrami steak and lamb chump. The platter comes with burnt butter mayo, chilli sauce and chimichurri. Mac and cheese with bacon jam, grilled baby gem lettuce with anchovy and lemon butter dressing AND two of the burgers, sweet one and pastrami.
The food is presented well on charcoal black plates that give sharing vibes and every single bite was absolutely spot on. My favourite from the meat platter was the pastrami which reminded me of my favourite Brick Lane salt beef, except slightly sweeter with a delicious chargrilled edge. The grilled baby gem was slightly warm, crisp and reminiscent of hisbe cabbage. The mac and cheese was rich, creamy and the perfect accompaniment to the burgers which were some of the best I’ve tasted. Pastrami won the day again for me, the combo of aged beef, smoked pastrami, American cheese, beef dripping mayo and bacon and onion jam was luxurious, a high-class burger if you will.
Salt Shed are opening a second venue which will be located on the seafront, ‘Salt Shed by the Sea’. Lawrence told us the new venue will be a return to their street food roots and you can expect to find all of the delicious burgers and meat platters to enjoy on the beach.
I can’t recommend this restaurant, I don’t want it to get so busy that I’ll never be able to get a table. Make sure you book now, while you still can…
