Indian restaurant review: BlackSalt in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong
Before moving to Hong Kong, I’d lived in Singapore for five years and regularly had access to delicious Indian food. In Hong Kong, the cuisine is less popular and it just hadn't been my go-to for dinners out with friends. I'd missed the spices though, and was excited to hear all the good things being said about BlackSalt, a new Indian fusion place in Sai Ying Pun.
The charmingly tiny space is in a small alley, right across from Locofama. With wooden tables, fairy lights, and an open front, it has a casual yet romantic vibe. My party of two went on a Friday night, and the restaurant was packed with a few groups at the large tables out front and pairs sat at the bar or high tables.
We were starving and the menu looked fantastic so, naturally, we over ordered.
Here's the BlackSalt restaurant review!
Appetizers
Honestly, we had to get the Baked Camembert Masala ($128) because we saw it being delivered to another table. Gooey soft cheese smothered in a rich tomato chutney. How could we resist? This is an example of fusion done really well.
The Keralan Beetroot Chops ($118) had a nice mix of flavours, with the four beetroot patties being topped with grilled avocado, spiced spinach, crispy brussel sprout leaves and shredded coconut. I’m not sure what was in the patty but the texture was like falafel. We’d ordered this one to get more veggies, and it was a bit heavier than we expected.
Mains
Moving onto the mains, we had to try the Poulet Tikki Masala ($198 for half). This was an incredibly juicy bird, with the meat falling off the bone. Surprisingly, the sauce hadn’t really seeped into the flesh and needed to be poured on top for flavour. We also poured the sauce on the sides of garlic flatbread, pilaf chopped salad, and a raita remoulade. If we’d known about the portion size, we could have skipped our appetizers and just ordered the chicken. All three sides were absolutely massive and hearty. I especially loved the fragrant, pillowy flatbread.
We were incredibly full at this point, and forgot we’d also ordered the pork belly. It looked so good that we couldn’t resist having a bite. This ended up being my second favourite dish of the night (second to the camembert). The pork belly was smoked and salty, in contrast to the usual sweet Cantonese way of cooking it. It also came with a delicious rice that was mixed with fresh fish and chunks of pineapple.
There’s always a lot happening in Hong Kong’s dining scene, but once in awhile something truly unique opens. I can’t think of another fusion Indian restaurant in town, but please share if you know of more! With how hard it is to get a table here, I’m not the only one who’s glad Taran and Sheila, the husband and wife behind BlackSalt, decided to share their cooking through their restaurant.
14 Fuk Sau Ln, Sai Ying Pun, 3702 1237
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