Salon

Booking Salon as a dinner destination for you and your mates will instantly earn you a seat at the cool kids’ table. This affordable casual fine dining spot in Brixton market (with a heavy emphasis on the casual) is knocking out some of London’s best seasonal cuisine, even if it is hard to nail down. It’s a bit British, a bit Italian, a bit French, a bit Japanese, and a lot eccentric. Don’t worry though, there’s nothing too funky going on that you will give cause for alarm or even heavy eye rolls, there’s just some straight up great food, and an equally great wine list.

One way to experience Salon is to book a table in the dining room upstairs and opt for the very long but reasonably priced tasting menu. Dishes like cuttlefish, monk’s bear and blood orange are typical of what they do here. It sounds weird and it takes a minute to process, but it works, and the more you eat of it, the more you’re into it. That said, a seven course dining experience can feel a bit like a marathon. It’s the kind of meal that’s great if you’re with an old friend and have lots of catching up to do, but if you’re here on a first date you’ll be worrying about running out of things to talk about somewhere between course four (salmon tortellini in salmon dashi broth) and your vegetarian main of turnip and miso celeriac.

For those times you’re going to want to stay in the bar area downstairs, order a few snacks like the ’nduja croquettes, and drink some very good wine. Then you’re going to want to come back again and again.

photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch