The Salt Room Brighton; Afternoon Tea

When I was invited with Brighton Girl to try the brand new afternoon tea at The Salt room, I jumped at the chance. I have been a lover of both The Salt room and its partner restaurant The Coal shed for a while.. and when I heard about the addition of the afternoon tea I couldn't wait to try it.

The Restaurant

Located between the piers, The Salt room stands on the corner of the Hilton hotel. A seafood and Grill restaurant, which has been there for two years has now started something fresh; Afternoon Tea. When they invited us to go with Brighton Girl we jumped at the chance to try their new menu option.The restaurant itself has a simple interior with exposed brick walls and metal work, leaving the real show to the food.

The Drinks

We both decided to go for individual loose leaf tea. I went for the Lemongrass and ginger, Fanny opted for the blackcurrant and hibiscus. After a bit of confusing from the waiter we both got our tea’s served in individual teapots. Both were served at a perfect temperature with a fresh flavour and vibrant colours

The Savoury

From an option of five, we were allowed to pick four of the savoury options; we opted out of the beef tartar due to Fanny being vegetarian and awaited our goodies. Each element was served in pairs, except the squid ink bun, to make sure there aren't any arguments over the buns and all served warm; which on a horribly windy day was the perfect way to start an afternoon tea.

The squid ink bun was the only thing not served as a pair but the size of it made that make sense. It was perfectly balanced start to the meal, with the fresh salmon, smooth cream cheese and the peppery rocket. The Oyster was cooked, something I have never tried before, and was soft and perfectly cooked; the parsley crumb on top overpowered the fish slightly but was seasoned well.

The crab scotch egg was a definite highlight for me. With a crisp exterior, fresh crab meat and runny egg you can’t go wrong.. and I will definitely be opting for these on their evening menu on my next visit

The Classic

The scones, at first glance, were slightly on the smaller size but due to the sheer amount of food, this classic miniature made sense. Served with butter, house made clotted cream and a beautifully sweet strawberry and elderflower jam it was a perfect introduction to the sweets on the top tier. NB: I did not realise that in all countries but England a scone is served with butter, Fanny educated me on how British clotted cream was, and how difficult it was to get anywhere else.

The Sweet

Let's be honest, the most exciting part of any meal is the sweet part.. for me anyway! All of the sweets were again served in pairs, which was completely necessary as it was all amazing. The chocolate pebbles were a creamy truffle of dark chocolate covered in a light powder.

The pistachio and raspberry battenburg was a rich and nutty cake with a moist texture; the addition of the freeze dried and fresh raspberries added a combination of textures and tastes that were amazing. Unfortunately, due to the heat in the restaurant or the wetness of the weather, by the time we got to the candy floss, it was looking pretty worse for wear. However, an amazing manager saw this without hitting and swapped for fresh ones. The candy floss matched everyone's childhood memories with the addition of, wait for it… edible glitter.

The orange and Yuzu posset and Rhubarb and custard macaroon were an absolute highlight of the sweets section; the orange posset was served in a thin meringue cup, with an orange segment and vibrant orange jelly. Whilst the rhubarb and custard macaron was a perfect balance of crisp outside and soft interior with a perfectly balanced filled and cooked rhubarb slice on top.

The allergies

The salt room asks for allergy information ahead of time, which is a perfect solution to that allergy worry. However, on arrival, they did not know so we had to tell them again. Unfortunately, the food was served all on one plate still, with a couple of the nut options touching. Luckily, neither of our allergies (my oranges and Fanny nuts) are so severe that we couldn't eat the food but definitely something to be aware of.