The Salmon Shop - Tassal

Now that exams are finally over, expect to see a lot more blog posts coming your way. If you thought I ate a lot while I was at uni, wait till you see how much I can eat while I'm on holidays! So if you've ever eaten with me, you'd know that I LOVE salmon and that we legitimately think it is the greatest fish in the sea.What's not to love about it, it tastes good raw, baked, smoked, the possibilities with salmon are endless. So of course when I heard that there was a brunch spot in Kew called the Salmon Shop, I knew I had to go check it out for myself. Now if you've ever bought salmon from the supermarket, you would've noticed that one of the brands that supplies salmon is Tassal. Tassal, in all of it's vibrant blue glory, is actually Australia's biggest salmon producer and the Salmon Shop in Kew along with the one in Tasmania is owned by this very brand! 

As you can see from the picture above, the Salmon Shop is not just a cafe, but also a cooking studio and a shop as well. Unfortunately when I went, there weren't any demonstrations on, but be sure to keep an eye out as from time to time there will be guest chefs in store showcasing the versatility of salmon. If you're looking for more information about these demonstrations, have a look at the Salmon Shop's cooking events calendar on their website.

That's the cooking studio in the back there, I couldn't get too close though cause that man was staring me down!

Now for the food and drinks. I ordered my usual chai latte and was left feeling disappointed as it was equivalent to drinking a cup of milk! There was just no flavour in the drink and I could barely taste any chai in it at all. This might not have annoyed me so much if we were given water to wash it down with but service was rather inattentive and by the end of the meal we still hadn’t received any water at all.

Chai Latte - $4.00

The one thing the Salmon Shop did get right though was of course the salmon! I opted for the ‘Taste of the Salmon Shop’ dish as the reason I came to the store was salmon. So what could be better than salmon? Salmon cooked three ways! The dish included Creole hot smoked salmon, salmon mousse, Regartta Point Cold Smoked Salmon along with some pickled beetroot and olives. Out of the three salmons, my favourite was definitely the hot smoked salmon as it was so wonderfully flavoursome and flaked apart beautifully. But the deliciousness didn't just stop there either as the mousse and cold smoked salmon were also very tasty as well! I have to admit I was a little bit weary of the mousse as I’ve tried horrible salmon pates before but this mousse was done very well and wasn't overly creamy or artificial tasting at all. Not to be outdone, the cold smoked salmon was also a step above the usual salmon you could get at other cafes and was so incredibly fresh! Combined with the acidity from the pickled beetroots, this dish was a must have in my opinion. The only thing I didn't like about the dish though were the olives, but that's simply because I'm not a fan of olives so don't let that deter you!

Taste of the Salmon Shop - Creole Hot Smoked Salmon, Salmon Mousse, Regartta Point Cold Smoked Salmon, Marinated Olives, Beetroot Pickle and Artisan Bread - $22.50

As for C, she opted for the safer option and ordered the breakfast bagel along with some crispy bacon. While the salmon was once again of an excellent standard, C found the rest of her meal pretty average but luckily for her, the bacon was done to her liking. C's pretty picky with her bacon (I would know from the number of times we've eaten breakfast together) so if she thought it was good, then it definitely was. 

Breakfast Bagel - Fried Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Sauteed Spinach and Cream Cheese on a Toasted Bagel- $13.50

Crispy Bacon - $3.00

If you're a salmon lover, then I'd definitely recommend stopping by the Salmon Shop some time soon. The salmon is absolutely phenomenal and I've yet to find a place that serves salmon that can match up to the quality and freshness found here.

The Salmon Shop

Location:

339/343 High St, Kew VIC 3101

Contact: (03) 9092 0777

Opening Hours:

Cafe

Everyday - 7:30am - 3:00pm

Shop

Mon - Fri - 9:00am - 6:00pm

Sat - Sun - 9:00am - 4:00pm

Closed on Public Holidays

Pricing: $$

Do you like salmon? Do you prefer it raw or cooked?