Swalty: the mix-and-match food trend that’s taking over restaurants

Salted caramel was just the advance party. Now the capital’s chefs are taking flavour combos to new levels, says Joanna Taylor
Pylz Works
Joanna Taylor7 April 2022

Is there anything more annoying than that person who declares they simply ‘don’t have a sweet tooth’ or ‘can’t bear anything too salty’ when you’re two thirds of your way through a bag of chocolate buttons/Tyrells/Tangfastics? The answer is no. And if you’re one of those people, we invite you to turn the page.

Now that the coast is clear, we’ve got some thrilling news for those of you with taste buds: swalty is the growing food trend sweeping the city’s menus that combines both sweet and salty flavours in one glorious mouthful. Of course, the only thing new about this flavour pairing is the swanky name, but it’s the fresh, weird and wonderful ways chefs are now celebrating this marriage that are worth seeking out. So if you’re the type of crazy creature who enjoys a mound of mixed popcorn at the cinema, strap in, because you’re in for a joyous ride.

Some concoctions are, admittedly, rather more tame than others. Take Nicholas Balfe of Levan’s luxuriously silky ricotta and rabbit parfait cannoli, served with a sticky prune puree, and Gabriel Waterhouse at The Waterhouse Project’s jammie dodger-style chicken liver and blackcurrant sandwich, for starters (literally), both of which are delicious incarnations of the traditional pâté and chutney combo. Likewise, fried milk spare ribs, coated in a marinade featuring condensed milk and sprinkled with crispy garlic, by Z He at Bun House are an easy stepping stone, while the sea salt and white chocolate cruffins — a croissant and muffin hybrid — by Jamie Butler at Richoux provide all the joys of a sweet, caramelised chocolate and pastry, made less sickly thanks to a sprinkling of salty crunch.

Elsewhere, you’ll find far more bizarre sounding concoctions destined to tickle your taste buds and, predictably, dessert is a standout vessel of choice. Miso is inspiring big swalty energy and is being used to ‘cure’ ricotta dumplings with black sugar syrup by Andy Cook at Yatay, as well as flavouring Louis Korovilas’ panna cotta at Noci. Meanwhile, Rafael Cagali’s tremendously light baba soaked in cachaça with pistachio ice cream and Kaluga Hybrid caviar at Da Terra, Ivan Tisdall-Downes’ white chocolate and bone marrow ‘Marrowmel’ caramel at Native at Browns and Charlie Tayler’s Tunworth cheese ice cream with truffle honey at Aulis are less fragrant, but equally delicious alternatives.

To take the taste explosion a step further, many chefs like Julian Denis of Facing Heaven and Anthony Falco at Four Corners are adding spice to the mix (swalcy, anyone?). Think curious towers of vanilla ice cream with soy sauce caramel and chilli oil, and soppressata pizza with honey and chilli. At home more and more Londoners are going freestyle, dousing their dinner with chef Ben Lippett’s Dr Sting’s Hot Honey. Now the question is: do these inventions count as dinner or dessert?

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