Fancy

Every now and then you have to class it up a bit and go fancy...it also helps when you’re going fancy if your boss is footing the bill.
 
My boss recently resigned, which beyond sucks but I’m happy for him because he’s going to something better suited to him. With his departure looming we went out for a sort of farewell lunch just the two of us and decided to go a bit fancy and headed over to Salt Yard.
 
Salt Yard
54 Goodge St
London
W1T 4NA 
 
There has been a recent influx of tapas and small plates restaurants opening in London, even a fair few of the pubs offer it now because it seems to be the ‘In’ thing. As I am not a big eater and I like to try loads of different things this is perfect for me.
 
Despite the array of tapas restaurants, there are those gems that stand out from the crowd and one of them is Salt Yard. The regularly changing menu and specials will never disappoint as the skill in the kitchen and the amazing attention to detail makes every dish that comes out a thing of beauty that tastes just as good. The menu is small but I’d rather a small menu where everything is amazing!
 
We had the
Jamon Iberico de Bellota, Castro y Gonzalez, Guijuelo
 

This is a sweet and nutty classic Jamón Ibérico aged for 5 years. Jamón Ibérico is a cured ham produced in spain from the black Iberian pig which are mainly fed on acorns. Due to this the ham has a really lovely nutty flavour. It was seriously good.

Courgette Flowers stuffed with Goat's Cheese and drizzled with Honey

 

It’s hard to say what my favourite dish was but this has to be a contender. 
The courgette flowers are stuffed with creamy goats cheese and then deep fried in a light and crisp tempura style batter and finally drizzled with honey. I could seriously eat these all day they were so good. All the flavours just worked so well together, the combo of the sweet honey with the tangey goats cheese mmmmmmmm

Smoked Eel Croquetas, Horseradish, Beetroot Purée

 

 
I am not a massive fan of Eel but these were amazing. It was a slight but distinct taste of eel that didn’t over power the dish. The texture and flavour was just perfect for the bite size corquetas.

 

Slow Cooked Octopus, Ratte Potatoes, Lemon, Chilli and Capers

 

 

This was one of my favourites. The octopus melted in your mouth and mixing it with the aioli, chilli, potatoes and capers was a flavour sensation.

Truffled Macaroni Cheese

 

 

I once had a grilled cheese sandwich with truffle oil in Monaco and it was to die for so I suggested we get this dish and it didn’t disappoint. The first mouth full properly shocked my taste buds. It is super rich and creamy with that lovely distinct intoxicating truffle flavour. It was lovely.

 

Patatas Fritas with Bravas Sauce and Alioli

 

 

These were good, but they are basically just chips but good ones. They were good mixed with the Macaroni cheese to dull the super richness a bit.

I was full to the brim by the end of all these dishes so we unfortunately had to forego dessert but the ones we saw come out of the kitchen looked amazing. In fact every dish that went past us gave me major food envy.

 

Again I am no a big drinker and I'm particularly bad with wine but they do have a collection of carefully selected Spanish and Italian wines which the staff are well versed on and happy to help you choose what best suits the dishes you’ve ordered.

 

This has to be my favourite dining experience of the year so far. Everything from the staff, to the place, to amazing quality and taste of food and the really good company just made it tops.

 

You must, must, must go try this one. You will not be disappointed. I promise.