Nicholas Balfe, founder and Head Chef of Salon, will close his Brixton restaurant on 30 August, and reopen on 1 September with a beautiful new design, brand new ground floor bar and a wine store next door.
Balfe (pictured with Director Matt Bushnell and General Manager Mark Gurney) has worked closely with architect HH+ and designer Finch Munro of Finch London. The new upstairs dining room will be marine blue and lined with banquette seating, made of reclaimed timber and upholstered with dark grey fabric.
Balfe’s cooking will remain the star of the show with dishes such as Whole baked aubergine with smoked almond cream, preserved blackberries and rainbow chard; Allotment tomato with black garlic home grown basil; and Brixton fig leaf ice cream with Wye Valley blueberries, and damson syrup.
The new downstairs bar will have concertina windows, opening out onto the buzzing market, and flooding the space with natural light, while open shelves, displaying syrups, preserves and other house-made goods available to buy, will line the staircase.
The brand new menu will offer snacks and sharing dishes to accompany the extensive wine list and classic cocktails, including ‘Nduja croquettes with aioli; Slow cooked rabbit ragu, with house made pappardelle; and Girolles, roast chestnut mushrooms, fresh coco beans, and Berkswell.
Balfe and the team will also launch the Salon Wine Store next door to the restaurant, which will be stocked to the brim with low intervention, artisan wines with bottles spanning the new and old world. Guests will be able to buy bottles to bring into the restaurant for a small corkage fee or to take home.
Balfe said, “I’m looking forward to reopening Salon with its beautiful new design and sharing it with our loyal customers, but it will also breathe new life into the restaurant, and renew the space for the next part of our journey - something we’ve all worked hard for over the past four years”.
Gurney added, “The addition of the wine store is something totally new for us and we’re really excited to announce wine tastings, dinners and collaborations later in the year – watch this space!”
Founded by Balfe in 2012, Salon opened as a pop-up above a cheese shop in Brixton Market, before becoming a permanent fixture after a run of successful events in 2013.