THINK of dining in Weymouth and the word ‘trendy’ doesn’t often spring to mind.

But Nikki and Richard Cooper of the Stables and Bull Hotel in Bridport seem to have ushered in a new era of cool in the town.

First they brought their pizza and cider to Weymouth with the Stables, and now they have opened up ‘pop-up bar and kitchen’ Salt, the other side of the harbour in Hope Square.

The interior of what was once the Excise House pub is now unrecognisable – industrial-looking in style and full of clean lines and minimalist dining furniture, set out in the Stables’ communal bench arrangement.

I attended the opening night party and was delighted to see life return to the beautiful old Brewer’s Quay building.

I returned the next day with two friends to see what a meal at Salt would be like.

My friends remarked that it had a real ‘London’ vibe to it, and by that we mean cosmopolitan and modern with a soul, funk and house soundtrack in the background.

Owner Nikki told me that Salt ‘isn’t an eaterie and isn’t fine dining’.

She said: “We’ve been bold in not having meat on the menu. We’re trying to create that same relaxed atmosphere that we have in the Stables where people can sit and chat to people they don’t know who are on the same table as them.”

A quick glance at Salt’s menu tells you that you should probably like seafood and you should like it in tempura batter.

There is plenty of choice for vegetarians including an array of salads and a sharing platter of aubergine slices, sweet potato and green beans, watercress salad and fries.

We plumped for a delicious seafood sharing platter for two, consisting of mackerel, homemade fishfingers, squid, breaded scallops, monkfish, garlic mayo and fries.

I was delighted to see that it came with a side of really fresh watercress, one of my favourite salad items.

The seafood was beautifully cooked although one of my dining companions thought the squid was a little chewy and we both agreed the portion of fries was a little small for two people.

We all said that we’d like to see more seafood on offer that isn’t covered in breadcrumbs or batter.

Another friend chose the homemade fishfingers with fries – which at £9, seemed a bit steep.

She remarked that the layer of breadcrumbs was a little too thick and although nice, they probably weren’t worth the mark-up in price.

If you’re an ethical consumer, like I try to be, it should be noted that Salt uses sustainable Marine Stewardship Council certified seafood where possible.

A wide range of rum, tequila and beer will be added to the drinks menu soon and I’m looking forward to trying them on a weekend when I’m not working.

One great thing about Salt is that you can opt for ‘lite’ and medium sized plates – so if you fancy indulging in just a few oysters, you can order a £6 plate.

There is also an intriguing dessert menu, with a Purbeck icecream knickerbockerglory catching my eye, but, alas, I had to return to work.

Apart from a couple of teething issues with not being able to accept cards on its first day (a problem with the bank), this pop-up restaurant is staffed by a friendly, enthusiastic team and is a welcome continuation of the Stables brand.

You can try out Salt Pop-Up Bar and Kitchen at Brewers Quay, Hope Square, Weymouth.

Visit the Salt website at saltbarandkitchen.co.uk

• This is an independent review by a reporter without the cooperation of the establishment.

My Salt bill:

Appletiser x1: £2.00

Seafood selection for two: £20.00

Fishfingers: £9.00

TOTAL: £31.00