82 Seymour Street,
Bayswater,
London,
W2 2JB
0872 148 1606
The ViewLondon Review
Whisky is going to be the spirit to be seen with in 2004, or so some commentators would have us believe. Speaking as someone who in a perfect world would now be completing a book about bourbon, this is all rather irksome, but hey – you win some and you lose some.
The guys behind Salt are gambling on this whisky (and whiskey) renaissance to last a little more than a year. Judging by the amount they must have spent on stocking the bar, I imagine their creditors are expecting to be in for the long haul.
Situated on Seymour Street (also home to the sublime Locanda Locatelli) Salt is pretty central, but its position on the corner of Edgware Road isn’t exactly genius geography. The pavement outside is like the M1 by late afternoon, which is why they’ve employed a small army of slicked-back Italian doormen to separate the long of leg and deep of pocket from Joe Average.
Inside, you’ll find an impressive bar area, with substantially more than ten green bottles lining the shelves. The décor is based around dark wood and low lighting – a cross between Hakkasan and a log cabin. Upstairs is a restaurant that I may or may not visit in future.
So, the drinks. There are around 150 malt whiskies on offer, a number of blended whiskies, and some more from America and Asia. The cocktail list includes all the whiskey classics, along with plenty of non-whiskey mixes to keep non-believers happy.
Two of them stuck out. The Honey Old Fashioned replaced the traditional bourbon with Bowmore, and was stirred with honey, ginger and orange zest. The Honey Fig Sour combined Glenfiddich Solera Reserve with honey, fig puree and lemon.
The bartenders all seemed at the top of their game, so if you absolutely can’t stand anything other than vodka then you’ll be ok. The trouble is that, from personal experience and what I noticed other people drinking when I visited, the vast majority of cocktail drinkers won’t want whisky.
Not only that, but if you’re going to spend £90 on a glass (glass, not bottle) of Dunglas 1967 then you won’t want to do it in a very noisy bar next to a group of gesticulating management consultants. Unless you are one yourself that is.
Salt needs to decide what it actually is – whiskey lounge or cocktail bar. At the moment it’s the worst of both worlds – slightly rectal about the quality of its drinks whilst being too raucous to enjoy them in peace. Additionally, I’m removing an extra star because despite the fact that we ordered half of out drinks at the bar, we were charged service on the full amount. An obvious example of Salt’s deficiency…
Salt Whisky Bar and Dining Room has been reviewed by 3 users