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MELBOURNE | Sea Salt Carlton, from the outside, appears to be not much more than a fish & chip shop, but when you walk inside and take a look at the menu, and the kitchen staff at work in the open kitchen, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s more here than meets the eye. We were recently invited to try a sample of what Sea Salt has to offer, and were curious as to whether the place was more “new Lygon street” or “old Lygon street”.
The interior is clean and spacious, with concrete, brick, and wood splashed with greenery to produce an overall welcoming atmosphere. It’s not going to win any design awards, but does what it needs to do without fuss. A glance to the left of the entrance reveals a sushi bar, and looking up at the menu the two sides of Sea Salt are clear to see. It’s part traditional fish & chip shop, part Japanese raw bar. The seafood is locally sourced, and delivered fresh daily, and the quality is evident in everything on the menu.
We started with a few items from the Japanese part of the menu. Delicate, dense slivers of kingfish sashimi lightly marinated in citrus with a hint of chilli set the tone of the meal, with great flavour and texture. This was soon followed by an on trend poke bowl that ended up being the highlight of our meal. Meaty, indulgent chunks of lightly seared fatty tuna (the best kind in our opinion), share a bowl with edamame, marinated tomatoes, and a colourful array of salads, atop a generous serving of rice. The yuzu dressing compliments the bowl beautifully, and everything is bursting with flavour.
After the raw Japanese dishes, and despite being very full already, we moved onto the seafood platter, from the more traditional fish & chip shop part of the menu. There’s a lot to recommend about this platter – the blue grenadier fillet is coated in a crispy batter that’s light and not oily at all, and the crumbed calamari rings are also surprisingly light. You also get beautifully charred grilled lobster tail, scallops, fried whitebait, mussels, and grilled prawns, served with a trio of sauces, including a delicious tangy citrus sauce. Our only criticism here is that the chips are served at the bottom of the platter rather than on the side – by the time we got to ours, about half had become soggy (the rest were crispy and light however).
Owner Serinna Fragoulis set out to do something a bit different than your usual fish & chip shop with Sea Salt, and he’s succeed. For years this place has been popular with nearby students, workers, and locals, and has adapted well with the times. Whether its a few sushi rolls to go, or a substantial feed, Sea Salt is a great example of the increase in quality that’s being experienced down this end of the Carlton section of Lygon Street.
Sea Salt
364 Lygon Street
Carlton
Victoria 3053
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9347 4777
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 10:30am to 9:00pm