Ever since it was revealed that the former Pitt Cue Co chef Neil Rankin was taking over after Ben Spalding's departure at John Salt, anticipation has been slowly building to fever pitch. The menu has been getting everyone VERY excited on Twitter since we revealed it last week, and on Monday we had a chance to properly put it through its paces. We were invited to try pretty much everything on the menu, and yes, you're really going to like it.
With over a dozen dishes tried, there's too much to go into overall (we'll leave that to the gallery below) but there were certainly some highlights that will make this Islington pub a must-visit even for Sarf Londoners. The crab & fennel on pig skin was a complete showstopper, with some of the finest crackling we've had forming a surprisingly perfect base for the crab. The chicken skin hash was described by our table as a chicken dinner in a bowl, and the beef dripping chips with kimchi and pulled pork were just as good as they sound.
It's not all "dirty" food though, as raw beef, pear and sesame had us cooing over the quality of the beef and burnt leeks, parmesan and truffle also brought muffled murmurings of approval as we continued to stuff our faces.
Desserts were also a winner, with bacon panna cotta and the old fashioned trifle with clementines going down a treat.
All this is making us hungry again, so we'll leave you to feast your eyes on the full gallery below where we've captured most of the menu. Click them for bigger images and descriptions.
John Salt with Neil Rankin is open now at 131 Upper Street Islington London N1 1QP. You can book upstairs now and there will also be more space for walk-ins in the pub - up to 30 to start with and expanding slowly. A bar and lunch menu is also planned.
