I was lucky enough to attend the Burns Night Whisky tasting last night at the Salt Bar and i must say, the evening was superb. The guys from Talisker were extremely friendly and entertaining. We mingled, ate haggis and listened "Rabbie Burns" poetry delivered by true Scots. A cracking night.
The venue itself is great, if not a little bit weird. The selection of whisky is top notch (at least 100 different varieties) and it's almost like being in a parfumerie as you stand at the bar and select your next dram. The bar staff are very knowledgable and weren't afraid to talk us through the whisky cocktails as they were being made (this is actually pretty rare in London bars these days in my experience).
Where the Salt Bar begins to get a bit confusing is when you see the hookah pipes outside. I suppose they're going for the whole "Scotland meets Edgware road" theme, so that's cool (if not a little unexpected). It's the decor that's gets me. Outside of the bar area, this place lacks soul. As Guernican put it, the Salt Bar has become a generic "identikit Corona and Breezer den". That might be a bit strong, but i think he's got a point. This place lacks rustic charm. If you stood with your back to the bar you could easily be in a Vodka Revolution bar.
At the end of the day though i can definitely forgive the decor. The Salt Bar ticks almost all of the boxes - great staff, loads of whisky, convenient location and much, much more. I'll be back very soon! read more