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Salmontini Le Resto - Removed from website August 2018 (closed) , London

Belgravian fine dining that puts salmon in the spotlight

Category : Restaurant Cuisine : Japanese
Address : 1 Pont Street, London, SW1X 9EJ, UNITED KINGDOM
Web : www.salmontini.co.uk
Opening Times : Mon-Fri 12pm-12am, Sat 11am-12am, Sun 11am-10pm


  • Salmontini Le Resto - Removed from website August 2018 (closed)   one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London
  • Salmontini Le Resto - Removed from website August 2018 (closed)   one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London
  • Salmontini Le Resto - Removed from website August 2018 (closed)   one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London
  • Salmontini Le Resto - Removed from website August 2018 (closed)   one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London

Salmontini Le Resto not only boasts one of the most unusual names of any restaurant we've come across in recent times, but it has one of London's most unique approaches to dining. Located in Belgravia, the restaurant was born out of a friendship between Joe Bassili and Hussni Ajnali, who shared a passion for smoked salmon and wanted to create a restaurant that would mirror the sophisticated flavour of the fish that Bassili smoked in an equally elegant setting. After manifesting their vision and opening a restaurant on the Beirut waterfront in 2001, it was only a matter of time before they opened their second, and Dubai quickly followed. Within just a few years, they were providing 80 percent of the smoked salmon to the city's top restaurants.

They've brought the same industriousness to their newest project on Pont Street, which is overseen by co-owner and managing director Jason Bassili. He's made sure that Salmontini Le Resto is well calibrated to please London's discerning clientele. The design was coordinated by Andraos Associates, the team that helped spearhead some of the capital's most iconic venues, including Café de Paris, Madame Jojo's and Volupté. The cream-coloured dining room is replete with striking artworks, slick banquettes, plush carpeting, dark woods and raw steel. 

The kitchens are captained by Catalonian chef Esteve Prats Grau, who formerly worked at the Tom Aikens Group and has overseen a variety of events for King Juan Carlos of Spain. The menu is a bit more eclectic than what you may expect. Whilst salmon, and particularly smoked salmon, is very much in the foreground, there's plenty of other ingredients to enjoy. We commenced the meal with a crispy salmon salad, the silky pink fish studded with little detonations of tempura batter, and given a spicy glaze. It was one of the high points of the meal and we were instantly won over by its light flavours. On the other side of the spectrum, we opted for a French onion soup, which was finished with the same finesse you might find in a 2nd Arondissement kitchen, topped with grilled emmental with a rich, punchy broth burbling underneath. 

As we segued into our main course we were further impressed. The salmon maki roll would rival many of the Japanese restaurants in the neighbourhood. Black cod, the dish made so popular in Zuma and Nobu, was similarly luxuriant, with a sweet miso marinade that caramelises under the grill.  For dessert, the apple tart was a perfect example of its type. What really helped to round out the experience was the service, which was delivered with skill and tact. By the time we left the restaurant, we were successfully wooed. We'd be surprised if Salmontini was anything less successful than its sibling restaurants in Beirut and Dubai.

 

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