After a short closure over winter SeaSalt has re-opened with a brand new weekend brunch menu.
Early risers can now sit down to a selection of seafood-heavy dishes – inspired by the beachside setting – that riff on Japanese, Southeast Asian and Mediterranean flavours.
“It’s a bit different,” says partner Simon Kardachi. “It’s quite savoury. In the spirit of outdoors [and being] by the seaside … we want to see people having oysters or anchovy soldiers or little snacks with a glass of champagne.”
The early start aims to capitalise on the morning joggers and dog walkers out in force each weekend. “It felt like we were a little behind the eight ball only opening for lunch,” he tells Broadsheet.
The new menu includes Coffin Bay Pacific oysters served raw with shallot vinaigrette or tempura-style with wasabi mayo; Ortiz anchovy soldiers with shaved and cured egg yolk; and a tsukune-like fish-meatball with nori mustard in fluffy white bread. There’s also a deeply comforting bowl of sardine “bolognaise” with spaetzle (chewy, lightly fried German pasta) topped with pecorino cheese and a fried egg.
“It’s very much like a traditional bolognaise, just with lovely, rich sardine through it,” says Kardachi. “We'd like to see that become a signature dish so we’ll see how the public take to it. As much as we want punchy Japanese and fresh Southeast Asian flavours … we wanted to bring a bit of Mediterranean without cross-pollinating it too much.”
For the traditionalists there’s “eggs your way” plus a hickory-smoked bacon and relish butty, and Asian-style scrambled eggs with blue swimmer crab and green curry.
Enjoy them with a D’Angelo coffee or breakfast cocktail – think Mimosas, Espresso Martinis and Bloody Marys, the latter of which comes triple-spiked with spiced red wine and a splash of lager. “It gives it a bit of a spritz … a little backbone,” says Kardachi. “It sounds strange but works really well.”
Kardachi says the team, led by chef Chris Robinson (ex-Goucho’s) will continue to refine the menu based on the market. “I think we’re still going to add some type of grainy-muesli-yoghurt-fruit [dish] for the health-conscious walkers and cyclists.”
SeaSalt has also revamped the lunch and dinner options. Try the Singaporean chilli fish “wings” with Szechuan pepper; whole fried nannygai with black pepper sauce and savoury doughnuts; or the SeaSalt mud crab (give them 24 hours notice). Or sample the top of the crop with the $75 tasting menu.
SeaSalt is open for brunch from 9am on Saturdays and Sundays. It opens from midday from Tuesday to Friday.
This article first appeared on Broadsheet on August 15. Menu items may have changed since publication.
