Entertainment

It’s official: Salt Bae is opening a restaurant in London

The signature salt sprinkle is heading to the UK.
The signature salt sprinkle is heading to the UK. The signature salt sprinkle is heading to the UK.

The chef made famous by the Salt Bae meme is to open a restaurant in London.

Nusret Gokce rose to prominence last year when a video of him slicing meat and sprinkling it with salt spread across social media.

Ottoman steak 🔪

A post shared by Nusr_et#Saltbae (@nusr_et) on

The Turkish chef was christened Salt Bae by Twitter user @lolalissaa, spawning a meme in which people copied and parodied his distinctive salt-sprinkling technique.

Now steak lovers in the UK will get the opportunity to sample Salt Bae’s food for themselves.

Gokce confirmed he is opening a Knightsbridge branch of his Nusr-Et Steakhouse brand at the Park Tower hotel, already home to acclaimed fish restaurant One O One.

#saltbae#salt#saltlife

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It’s the latest in a growing empire for Nusr-Et, which already has eight branches in Turkey, two in the United Arab Emirates and two in the United States.

His recently opened New York branch has had a mixed start to life.

While it has been graced by celebrities like Brooklyn Beckham, it has also been the subject of some less than favourable reviews.

New York Post critic Steve Cuozzo described his experience there as an “up-and-mostly down meal” in a review declaring the restaurant a “rip-off”.

He has also been hit by reports that sprinkling salt on prepared food with bare hands may violate New York City’s health code, meaning Gokce could have to wear gloves to pull off his signature move in future.

Nevertheless, with the power of the internet behind him, a London opening seems likely to be a huge event in food calendar.

No opening date has yet been set, but when the steakhouse does open its doors, prepare for waves of Instagram posts from celebrities showing the famous sprinkle.

If nothing else, Gokce can probably count on Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck as a customer.

Danny Welbeck pulls out a Salt Bae goal celebration
Danny Welbeck pulls out a Salt Bae goal celebration (Nick Potts/PA)