Salt & Soul

Salt & Soul is an establishment that has been getting some form of attention on social media of the late; these folks are located at Frasers Tower, taking over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang 寬窄碗碗香 that had vacated the building for quite a while — they can be found around the perimeters of the building right beside the outlet of Starbucks there. These folks had done quite an extensive renovation to the space where the layout of the establishment is slightly changed to suit the operating needs of Salt & Soul; the space now sees a contemporary interior design with the use of wooden accents in its furniture and fittings — the colours used being earthy and pretty easy on the eyes with neutral tones that helped add in an element of contrast. There are some elements where curves are also introduced to provide a bit of a play of geometry within the space as well; the interior also being brightly lit from the natural lighting that floods in through the windows into the space. Describing themselves as a concept that is “not loud, not showy”, the theme runs through from their vibes all the way to their menu — the ala-carte menu features dishes that are categorised into sections such as Mains and Starters, while they also do serve up a Set Lunch menu that is priced from $17++ during lunch service. Beverages served up at Salt & Soul will include a variety of alcoholic beverages as well as espresso-based specialty coffee that is brewed using beans roasted by PPP Coffee.

For those visiting Salt & Soul during weekday lunch service, the best way to give a number of their offerings a go would be to opt for their Set Lunch that is priced from $17++ onwards — patrons would get a choice to opt from a selection of Starters to go along with their choice of Mains; some dishes do require a top-up above the base price of the Set Lunch at $17++ though a number of dishes do come at the basic price. Skimming through the limited number of Mains that one can choose to have as part of the set lunch deal, we found ourselves going for the Carbonara. Salt & Soul describes their Carbonara to feature elements such as Pancetta, Parmesan and Egg Yolk. It can be observed from our order that Salt & Soul does use regular spaghetti as the choice of noodles for the Carbonara; whilst the egg yolk itself wasn’t the sort where it comes molten and flows out of the egg white when one attempts to break it apart, the egg yolk is still creamy and provides a silken texture to the entire dish. Whilst the spaghetti does come with a firm bite and al-dente, we did note that the flavours of the Carbonara here were a tad milky and creamy for our liking; almost seem to have been missing a hint of savouriness on its own, though the pancetta that came along does help things out a little by providing a little bit of a meaty bite whilst also adding a slightly saltish note that one would typically expect out of cured meat.

For our choice of Starters, we found ourselves opting for the Savoury Chicken Beignet — the version of the dish that is being served up as part of the Set Lunch menu does come in a portion size of a pair; the menu also indicates a $1 top-up required above the base price of $17++ for the set lunch to opt for this item. Based on the description of the dish on the menu, the Savoury Chicken Beignet features elements such as Seared Chicken, Pancetta, Mushroom and Savoury Beignet. There is a little bit of a similarity in terms of the chicken pie filling with the Savoury Chicken Beignet; chewing through the pastry, the pastry’s consistency is crusty on the outside yet spongey within — we also note that the beignet is well filled within also. The jet-black consistency of the beignet is achieved through the use of charcoal in its batter. The fillings of seared chicken, mushroom and pancetta does come all savoury with a complimenting earthiness; all that whilst the pancetta helps to add a punch of saltish-ness that further enhances the flavours of the dish as well. A dollop of mayonnaise comes on top and below the beignet; one to affix the edible flowers over the top, while the dollop of mayonnaise at the bottom ensures that the beignets sits upright on the plate.

We also found ourselves pairing everything up with the Espresso Tonic; a beverage that is listed under the “Non-Alcohol” section of the menu. We did feel that the Espresso Tonic at Salt & Soul does provide a good balance of espresso and tonic water — one that comes with a caffeinated punch with fruity notes that transits well with the slightly bitter tonic water; the tonic water also adds carbonation that makes the beverage adequately fizzy as well. Salt & Soul is one of those establishments where we found to be pretty easy to understand — in an era where dining establishments are attempting to be bolder in their decor and execution of food to create a character unique to their own and offer a different (and hopefully) memorable experience to its patrons, Salt & Soul attempts to offer patrons with a more fuss-free experience; perhaps an idea that is much needed in the Central Business District owing to the number of dining establishments that cater to different themes that can be too foreign / un-relatable to some. This does seem to make Salt & Soul stand out; a simple establishment to settle at for those looking at somewhere for small get-togethers near the office, or for business lunches that serve more predictable fare that would suit most audiences — and at a wallet-friendly price point for its lunch set as well. Otherwise, prices of the mains that Salt & Soul has to offer are priced from $13 to $22; the lower-priced items being pasta dishes while the pricier ones are pretty much individually-sized plates featuring meat / fish / seafood. A location that is already gaining quite a fair bit of attention on social media, reservations are recommended for those intending to dine here especially during weekday lunch service.