Following the hugely successful launch in 2013 of The Fish & Chip Shop on Upper Street Islington, a second Fish & Chip Shop has opened on Old Broad Street, EC2, recently rebranded as Vintage Salt after the Selfridges pop-up of the same name.
From Des McDonald, former CEO of Caprice Holdings, this City restaurant emulates the Islington site plus includes some new exclusive dishes and outdoor seating for a great al fresco dining experience.
Vintage Salt takes pride in serving fresh fish (never frozen) from sources that are approved by the Marine Stewardship Council. A delicious selection of line and hook caught Cod, Haddock and Whiting arrive daily from Brixham, to be grilled, or fried in Vintage Salt’s own recipe batter, made with Camden beer. The chips are hand cut in the shop from the finest British potatoes and double fried in refined rapeseed oil, giving them the perfect crunch to fluff ration.
Designed by Box 9 Design, Vintage Salt interiors pay homage to the traditional British café, with accents of salvaged timber, antique Georgian glass, duck egg blue panelling and burgundy-glazed tiles. There is also a dedicated takeaway window for those in a rush.
The restaurant also has a breakfast menu which revives old classics like Manx Kippers on toast with horseradish butter and water cress (£8.00) and offers a fishy twist on your favourite dishes.
Vintage Salt
British Restaurant in Spitalfields
We only use sustainable fish approved by the Marine Stewardship Council that are grilled, fried in our own recipe batter, made with Camden beer.
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Opening Summary
Breakfast menu:
Monday - Friday: 08.00 - 11.00
A la carte menu:
Monday to Friday: 11.30am - late
Saturday 11.30am - 10.30pm
Breakfast menu:
Monday - Friday: 08.00 - 11.00
A la carte menu:
Monday to Friday: 11.30am - late
Saturday 11.30am - 10.30pm
Restaurant Facilities
Big Screen TV
Disabled Facilities
Children Welcome
Credit Cards Accepted
Music Played
Live Music Played
Private Area
Outdoor Area
Vintage Salt Picture Gallery
Fish & Chips
Outside terrace
All In London Review
Inside, outside and in-between eating at this fish focused City restaurant
The interior is relaxed – at one end there’s an open kitchen with black and white tiles styled very much along the “Fish and chips” signage that it bears. But then there’s a central bar where you can eat at a counter as well as numerous tables and chairs which aren’t too close together.
But the whole of the end wall opens out onto the world. So you can venture out onto the large terrace (where there are canopies and heaters) but also eat in a sort of in-between space – sort of inside but also sort of outside. We sat right on the edge – covered from any rain and with the reassurance of overhead heaters (which felt like the sun shining down on us) but in clear view of the blue sky.
The menu is naturally biased towards fish with starters including tuna tartare (£10), whitebait (£6.75), fisherman’s bridge roll (£8) and rock oysters (£16.50/£28) but there are also some salads on offer.
Amongst the mains were sea bass “a la plancha” (£17), Cornish lamb chops (£18), Camden Hells fried fish (£11 – nearby diners ordered this and it was an enormous portion) as well as vegetable risotto (£12.50), chicken with courgette flower (£16) and a burger (£13). Others nearby had the roasted sea trout salad (£16) which looked pretty good too.
The service was really good – efficient and fast if you are in a bit of a hurry, but also attentive and friendly if you are able to linger a little while. They checked we were happy with our glass of house white (a cross between a sauvignon and a chardonnay) – very nice. And also checked that we were happy with the food during the meal.
My companion choose a heritage tomato (yellow), watermelon and feta salad to start (£6.50) and I honed in on the salt and pepper squid (£9). This was presented in a dish on a wooden board which also bore a pot of chilli jam. It was a generous portion of good sized squid pieces – the light, crispy coating had just the right amount of peppery bite and the squid itself was firm without being tough. It was an excellent start.
We both chose the shrimp burger (£11) and chips (£3). This was a really chunky patty in which you could see the plump prawns – it wasn’t all mashed up. It arrived in a shiny brioche bun which melted in your mouth. It was messy to eat but I honestly thought I was enjoying seafood in Boston finest eateries it was so good.
My expertly produced double espresso (£2.50) arrived in a dinky designer cup. My companion was delighted with her fresh mint tea (£2.50) which was presented in a small pot with a matching bone china cup and saucer. It had a fresh aroma.
I’m intrigued to learn more about their advertised “Seafood Master Classes” – bet that’s a fun night out.
There are also Vintage Salt establishments in Upper Street (Islington) and at Selfridges (on the roof) in the West End.
Reviewed by KimT
Published on Jul 30, 2015
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