Saltine, London, restaurant review: Highbury’s cool new bistro is a mixed bag

With a St John chef behind the pass, Lilly Subbotin had high hopes for new neighbourhood restaurant Saltine. But the offering is less big and bold and more bemusing

Saltine is a new ‘modern neighbourhood restaurant’ in Highbury (Saltine)

I woke up on my birthday with a raging appetite having spent several days in bed suffering from that ghastly flu that’s been doing the rounds. To say I was excited to consume something other than hot honey and lemon or Heinz tomato soup was an understatement. I was ready for culinary delights.

Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to judge a restaurant in this state, but I was raring to reignite my dulled senses with big, bold, exciting things. This isn’t necessarily what I’d say the newly opened Saltine offers. The “modern neighbourhood restaurant” in Highbury, opened by Mat Appleton and Jess Blackstone, founders of the popular Fink’s cafes, and chef Phil Wood from St John Marylebone, offers a daily changing, pared-backed menu. I’m usually a fan of such a setup, but the two large plates – the only two – didn’t scream “order me”. More on those later.

The restaurant is very… cool. Blackstone has an art background, and a lot of thought has clearly gone into it, but it does feel a little clinical; like a very posh wellness centre that Gwyneth Paltrow would frequent. I loved the huge skylight, the pitter-patter of December rain adding cosiness to the room. I imagine the ambience is a bit warmer and less whitewashed in the evening.

Pork croquettes and pickled red mullet on rye shone as starters (Lilly Subbotin)

A couple of the starters are genuinely superb and show that Wood definitely knows what he’s doing. Pork croquettes served with pickled red onion and American mustard are fantastically crunchy and indulgent, and have a richness similar to that of a pate. The mustard and the onion make it almost reminiscent of a classic hot dog, only elevated several hundred levels. A very, very boozy prune on the side of the plate is really quite horrible and adds nothing. Pickled red mullet on rye is gorgeous; this is fishy fish, in a good way. Zingy lemon on top brings out the flavours even more and I could have happily had a few more of those. Big, juicy oysters are served with a jalapeno-y salsa, a revelation I greatly enjoy.

But this is where I start to get a little lost. The menu is split into smaller and larger plates, differentiated only by price. The two larger ones are lentils and chanterelles, and braised chicken, chickpeas and spinach. The former is undeniably tasty, seasoned beautifully and with that great hearty feeling that only a well-done plate of lentils can provide. But it’s just a plate of lentils, pretty same-same in texture and nothing to break it up.

The large plates, lentils and braised chicken, left a little to be desired (Lilly Subbotin)

When it comes to the latter, I hope it was just an off-day in the kitchen. The chicken breast was dry, the chickpeas a little chalky. The sauce is nice, the carrots are nice… but even if the chicken had been cooked properly, it would still just be a nice dish. It’s a surprisingly safe plate of food.

It’s odd, because they clearly know how to make delicious food. Chips are crispy, crunchy and fluffy on the inside, while a green salad with a beautiful shallot dressing is sharp and refreshing. A chocolate tarte is texturally great, served with loads of subtle vanilla custard.

The cocktails are good and there’s a great choice of wine, particularly of the skin-contact variety, which does the job of going well with most dishes, in my humble opinion. Plus the staff are genuinely lovely and attentive.

Saltine is definitely doing some great things, and I imagine on another day, with a different menu, I would have been blown away. This time, though, I leave a little bemused.

Around £100 for two people with a bottle of wine to share.

Saltine, 11 Highbury Park, N5 1QJ | www.saltine.co.uk | 020 7916 0949 | hello@saltine.co.uk