Salt
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
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* From 10 April 2024, Paul Foster is replacing his tasting menus with a selection of individually priced small plates for sharing, although the full taster experience will still be available at the communal table upstairs. Watch for a new review coming soon.*
Paul Foster’s diminutive and unassuming restaurant in the heart of tourist-dominated Stratford-upon-Avon offers accomplished destination dining free from bluster and ostentation. The narrow little townhouse has been smartened up yet not overdressed: a gorgeous weathered flagstone floor, gleaming wooden tables, comfortable banquettes and, at the far end of the room, a glistening stainless-steel pass ringed by bare brick and hanging greenery. Diners choose from set tasting menus, yet reap the benefits with little extras and a produce-driven repertoire that changes with sufficient frequency to invite regular visits. Smoked almonds and Gordal olives ‘of impeccable quality’ precede gloriously rich, delicately balanced one-bite canapés – perhaps a wafer-thin tart of artichoke with yeast crumble alongside chickpea crisps with truffled mascarpone and sobrasada. A full-flavoured, fluffy malt roll with a pat of golden Ampersand butter speaks of ingredients at their peak, as well as the kitchen’s considerable care and skill. Other recent highlights have included a dish of mackerel with a gentle sweet-sour kick from mirin and rice vinegar, served with cucumber and punchy 'salty fingers', as well as braised neck and pink-roasted loin of lamb with a wonderfully light risotto of grains and black garlic purée. After that, a mesmerising dessert of white chocolate mousse, wild-rice ice cream and brown-butter shortbread provides further delight – but just when you are thinking that this could be a tad larger, along comes a ‘benchmark’ coffee and walnut choux bun. From £30 upwards, the compact wine list is a left-field treat complemented by straight-talking guidance from the team.
