Saltoun Supper Club - Brixton

[Hari Covert]

When we launched Hari Covert last year and despite my illustrious culinary and hospitality heritage I had not actually been to an underground restaurant/supper club so thought it would be advantageous.

Living in Kent as we do with no options on our doorstep (other than ourselves) so thought we would check out some not too far away from us. We made an enquiry to the Hidden Tea Room in East London and never even got a response to the email sent via their web site. One in Blackheath was always either fully booked or not doing dinners on an evening we could make.

Not sure how I came across it but think it was via a press article but did like the look of the Saltoun Supper Club located in a very quiet residential street in Brixton. I made the enquiry and was duly allotted a table and so eagerly anticipated this virgin experience. Guests joining us however had to back out and so what was a table of four became a two, which was the friend’s loss because I was very impressed by the whole evening.

The SSC (as they like to be known as) was on the second floor of a Victorian terrace property and the room was a real treasure trove of kitsch decor and had a great atmosphere. Nothing had been left to chance and it had a real restaurant feel of a very professional set up.

The open plan kitchen was minute and chef patron Arno Maasdorp has to work in a very well organised manner to cope with its constraints and the food he served up was memorable on many fronts.

Great bread was served once we had sat down and opened the bottle of wine we had taken with us. As Arno bustled away in the kitchen other guests arrived and the placed filled quite quickly. It was a good intimate atmosphere and despite one large table of eight filling the room there was a good balance and we soon relaxed and enjoyed the evening.

Our starter of winter vegetable salad with a mandarin oil dressing was a good start and this came followed by potato gnocchi served with cauliflower and a spray of white truffle oil and freshly grated pecorino cheese. It was a very well conceived dish that showed a really deft hand cooking it and was worthy of any restaurant table. My only gripe is it could have been a little hotter.

After a pause where we could have taken a wander to an upstairs lounge the main course was a roasted duck breast that was served with a celeriac puree and some outstanding roasted fresh fennel and a baked shallot. Served atop a crushed new potato. Good clean flavours and perfect balanced seasoning was again just a little on the tepid side and could have retained its heat if served on hotter plates and even a light sauce would have pulled it all together. It was impressive overall and again worthy of a good restaurant.

It was poetry in motion to watch Arno and his assistant work the kitchen well and cope with the pressures of serving fifteen hungry guests. Even when a bulb/fuse blew Arno kept his cool and just carried on.

Pudding described as chocolate was a hot chocolate cake shaped as a heart… with an amazing flavour and served with a salted caramel and a dollop of chocolate mousse served in an inverted biscuit cone. Some pomegranate seeds added another texture and flavour dimension to complete the dish. This was impressive food in a home environment and it really helped to fine tune my thinking on what were to offer at Hari Covert’s

Overall I was on a high and had really enjoyed the evening and the small domestic we had before arrival had made the sixty five mile round trip all worthwhile. Arno had thought of everything, the venue was decorated in a delightful quirky fashion his menu was ambitious but not too experimental or unfamiliar but challenging enough for a foodie.

Service was friendly, informative and of a professional standard. Overall we were glad to have seen first hand what can be achieved. I guess the lessons we learnt will prove invaluable for us and for those just embarking out on such an adventure we could recommend this place as a venue to try and see what can be accomplished.

Book it now you will not be disappointed…