Review: Salon

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Food
Salon is chef Luke Dale Roberts’ newest addition to the group, offering a menu that is described as a trip around the world, with each dish representing a stop on his culinary journey throughout his career. His vision is brought to life with care and precision by executive chef Carla Schulze. Two menus are on offer: the four-course Explorer is available for lunch, and the 11-course Journey exclusively for dinner. This format sets up a great story for the experience and guides diners through different flavours in a coherent and well-considered way.
First up, oysters nam jim are super fresh and deliver bold Thai flavour, setting the scene with a bang. The next course, pork scratchings with Guinness foam is a reprise of a Test Kitchen favourite, and still as good as ever. The creamy foam and crisp scratchings are perfectly juxtaposed – you’ll wish you had a spoon to scrape the tankard! Tuna with pickled red onion, a parsnip crisp and a complex bordelaise gel is paired with a surprisingly indulgent profiterole filled with crème fraiche and topped with horseradish shavings with a dry tarragon pesto – a fun, flavourful dish. The simply titled Singapore chilli is anything but: a perfect langoustine atop black rice, with tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) like very delicate noodles, tossed with the liquor of the langoustine head. The sauce is delicately spiced, amplifying the sweet meat of the langoustine. The dish is topped with a large, delicate black-rice crisp, smoked tomato jelly and micro coriander. A transporting moment! Duck Suzette is perfectly cooked and served with a celestial citrus jus, small pancakes and artichoke purée and salt; while quail carbonara is sublime – perfect ravioli topped with winter truffle, and flavours of pancetta, butter and celeriac in the broth. The accompanying artichoke chawanmushi (savoury custard) provides mind-blowing textural contrast. Beef kalbi with chestnut and shiitake rice has deep, earthy flavours from mirin tea, ssamjang, kimchi and ponzu. Dessert may not be to everyone’s taste – Jerusalem artichoke malva pudding with coffee “Ultramel” is an adventurous dish, while “Tropica” – lemongrass jelly, coconut-and-lime sorbet, litchi granita and pineapple foam is a lighter and perhaps more traditional offering. Both menus offer good value for this level of dining, the flavour combinations are explosive and innovative, and the promise expressed by the menu is met – and then some.

Drinks
An excellent wine pairing is available for both menus, with the sommelier making some stellar suggestions. Alternatively, you can order wine by the bottle or glass. There is also a cocktail list on offer, as well as a small selection of spirits. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available.

Service
Service is charming, attentive and discreet, matching the expectation provided by the menu.

Ambience
A golden entryway leads to elegant marble-topped tables, touches of stained glass, moody lighting and a brass-clad bar with cosy booths for more intimate dining. Salon is opulent, sexy and classy.