Salt & Chilli
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If you have never met Lychee Oriental’s Head Jimmy Lee you are missing out, because this is literally one of the nicest men I have ever met. Even when the world was going to shit with Covid, Jimmy, although stressed out his nut, still had a smile on his face. He is a lovely lovely man.
So when he told me way back at the start of 2021 that he had this idea about a Salt & Chilli take away I was 100% on board, because not only is Jimmy a nice man he is an epic chef and anything that he is selling I am buying.
Salt & Chilli was born ( or just salt as it has become lovingly known in my house….Salt and chilli is a bit of a mouth full isn’t it?) This is a take away only spot, specialising in Hong Kong style street food with a modern twist.
First things first this is 100% not a chinese take away - The menu is reasonably compact and you absolutely will not find a beef in black bean or chow mein in sight. But what you will find is a selection of small starter style dishes, a few ‘big’ mains and salt and chilli boxes. I have tried out quite a few things on the menu and I wanted to share just a couple of my faves with you. If you want to see the full menu you can find it here.
Naturally you have to try the Chicken Salt and Chilli box - this is really their signature dish. It is a mammoth portion of well seasoned crispy chicken bited and fries, served with 2 dips of your choice - I go double katsu every time. This is well dressed with their own blend of salt and chilli seasoning, and it definitely has a bit of a kick to it which I love.
If I had to pick one niggle with Salt I would prefer it if the chips were more chips than fries - but that is genuinely just a niggle and isn’t really a big deal, just pure personal taste. The fries are still good.
Duck Crispy Rolls - made with 24 hour marinated duck, these are bea-utiful! The rolls are large and packed with fragrant shredded duck. If like me you are a duck fan these are a must try. For £5.50 you get three huge rolls so good value for money here.
Curry Beef Brisket with Mooli made with their Aged Curry Paste - this dish is a cracker. It is presented all in one box, so the rice soaks up all the rich tangy curry sauce. Oh god, it’s making my mouth water just thinking about it. The curry itself is loaded with tender pieces of beef and is so large that I have ordered this dish twice and struggled to finish it both times.
Lastly, I have to give a shout out to the baos….cause who doesn’t love a lush doughy pillowy bao. You can choose from Aromatic duck, Katus or Satay Chicken - for me it has to be the Katsu Every! Single! Time! - I just can’t get enough of the stuff. The chicken is ridiculously juicy and the sauce gives just the right kind of heat for me.
Price wise I think Salt is pretty reasonable - for the portion size and quality of the food. £8 for a large box filled with salt and chilli chicken and chips with 2 dips seem like pretty great value to me.
Salt and Chilli is located at 911 Dumbarton Road. You have to pre order your collection. They are also now available on Deliveroo...thank christ!
