Salt Bar, Macclesfield

Salt Bar in Macclesfield, Cheshire is small but perfectly formed.

Offering Scandinavian inspired food, on my first visit I enjoyed light, fresh yet satisfying dishes including a great value smörgåsbord and simple, traditional desserts.

Only a 30-minute drive from home, I already knew I needed to visit Macclesfield, just over the border in Cheshire, more often than I do.

And dinner at Salt Bar last night, along with partner ID, confirmed it.

Situated on cobbled Church Street, Salt Bar describes itself as ‘a small and friendly modern European café and bistro’.

Inside, I loved the decor with its wooden furniture and slightly quirky but not overdone touches.

On what had been a swelteringly hot day, we quickly ordered drinks while looking at the food menu.

I had a bottle of Burke’s Special from one of my favourite local breweries: the Wincle Beer Company. Other half had Shed Head, brewed in Sweden.

As you can see from the signage and decor, the menu at Salt Bar is Scandinavian inspired.

So, how could I not start off with a smörgåsbord?

smörgåsbords

To paraphrase one wit, these days smörgåsbord is better known as a metaphor than a meal.

Literally meaning, in Swedish, something like ‘buttered-bread table’ it’s come to mean a range of hot and cold dishes accompanied by bread or crispbread.

At Salt Bar, a board for one person is £7.25 and you get to pick three dishes from a choice of eight. There’s also a sharing board of all eight dishes for £19.

All smörgåsbords come with knäckebröd, the Scandinavian crispbread.

The three dishes I chose for my board were: salt beef with horseradish cream and pickled cucumber, beetroot, apple and red onion salad, and a smoked mackerel, broad bean and radish terrine.

I was impressed with the quality of all the dishes.

The meaty yet tender salt beef went wonderfully well with the creamy horseradish and acidic, crunchy cucumber.

The salad was a classic combination of refreshing tastes and textures. it was also a great contrast to the beef and also the rich smoked mackerel and vegetable terrine.

ID had a smörgåsbord too, choosing the same as myself bar one dish.

Instead of the beetroot salad, he opted for Scandi style Salmon with horseradish cream & caviar. Trying a bite, I thought this was an excellent combination too.

Considering the size of the portions, and their quality and taste, I think the smörgåsbords represent great value.

MAINS

For those of you who’ve fallen for the meatballs served in the cafes of a certain Swedish furniture store, you’ll be pleased to know that, among the main courses at Salt Bar, you’ll find Scandinavian style meatballs (£12.50). They come served with pickled cucumber, cranberry sauce, and a choice of mashed potato or fries.

It certainly seemed popular on the night I visited, with lots of portions coming out of the tiny kitchen.

But both ID and I were drawn to the Fish Frikadeller (£12).

These were light fishcakes made with haddock, Cheshire cheese, capers and lemon. Crispy on the outside, soft and subtly flavoured inside.

The fishcakes were served on a very fresh salad which included lettuce, crunchy celery, plus potatoes.

Bringing everything together was a tangy and lightly creamy mustard sauce.

To go with our mains, we also shared a side of refreshing and crunchy house Slaw (£2).

DESSERTS

From the small dessert menu, we went for two traditional Swedish desserts.

I chose toscakaka: a caramel almond cake served with cream.

ID had the kladdcaka chocolate cake, also with cream plus blueberries too.

These were both relatively simple desserts, but very satisfying. And at only £4 each.

From the range of cocktails, I had a rather good espresso martini to accompany my pud.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

At the end of what had been a stiflingly hot day, Salt Bar was just what I needed.

It’s an unfussy, casual and welcoming place.

On top of that, I enjoyed quality drinks and food that was fresh and light but also satisfying.

Prices were extremely reasonable.

Highly recommended.

VIEW SALT BAR’S CURRENT MENUS HERE

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