The top line: The team behind Milk Beach has launched a premium grab-and-go sushi concept in Soho. Located on Berwick Street, Saltwater offers a menu developed by Shaulan Steenson, formerly of Endo at the Rotunda and Hakkoku in Tokyo, alongside executive chef Tom Cajone, whose CV includes Parakeet, Granger & Co and Zafferano. Built around freshly made, restaurant-quality sushi, the venture serves handrolls, nigiri and hot donburi bowls for lunch and dinner. While grab-and-go sushi is already well established in London, the category remains largely associated with larger chains and pre-packaged formats. Saltwater takes a more restaurant-led approach, with sushi made fresh on site and prepared in full view, bringing “the quality and craft of a sushi restaurant to a quicker, more accessible format”. The concept is inspired by the upmarket yet fast-paced sushi bars found throughout Sydney and Los Angeles. Milk Beach is owned by Sydney-born entrepreneur Elliot Milne through his operating group, Silver Tree Restaurants.
On the menu: Guests can choose from a daily selection of handrolls, nigiri and donburi, with nigiri starting at £1.30, handrolls at £3.40 and donburi bowls at £10.90. Saltwater works with True World Foods, which supplies sushi-grade fish to restaurants including Nobu and Roka. Nigiri options include seared salmon with miso glaze and shichimi pepper; bluefin tuna with fermented chilli Kewpie; and hamachi with ponzu and jalapeño. Handrolls include salmon with avocado and yuzu mayo; bluefin tuna with shiso, yuzu kosho and smashed avocado; and chicken ‘schnitty’ with teriyaki and Kewpie. Donburi bowls include Saltwater chicken ‘schnitty’ with teriyaki and Kewpie; roasted sesame miso chicken; and sticky sweet aubergine with maple glaze and wakame. Each is served with Saltwater’s grain-enriched rice, greens and smacked cucumber.
The vibe: Saltwater has been designed by Macaulay Sinclair, the studio behind the interiors of Dishoom, Hawksmoor and Bao. The 50-cover space combines blond timber, raw concrete and stainless steel with ocean blues and sandy tones. It also features a full-width bifold shopfront, an open counter and a bespoke wave-inspired bench.
And another thing: Saltwater uses premium short-grain rice from Hadong in South Korea rather than Japanese rice.