The blog is still alive. Since my last blog post I have had several dinners worth mentioning on the blog. I just haven’t had the time or energy to post any reviews. I will try to put up some blog posts soon but in the meantime I would like to briefly share some of the dinners. Full set of pictures from all the dinners but one can be found on my Flickr page. Below are links to the Flickr Albums. My intention was to write about more than these four restaurants but the post is already so long that the other restaurants will follow in coming blog posts.
Daniel Berlin Krog
In July I had an absolutely stunning dinner at Daniel Berlin Krog which managed to surpass my high expectations. It is definitely a world class restaurant. This was my fifth visit and I will be back again in a couple of weeks. I think that it will be interesting to see what Guide Michelin thinks of Daniel Berlin when the first Nordic edition arrives early next year. In my opinion it should get at least two stars. Daniel has his very own style of cooking. The quality of the produce is great. It’s cooking on a very high level..
There are few other restaurants where you get the same impression of time and place as Daniel Berlin. Many top restaurants in the Nordic countries focus on Nordic ingredients but Nordic isn’t always equal to local. If you live in the south of Sweden (or Copenhagen) it’s pretty much the same distance to the Mediterranean as to northern Sweden where the for example the vendace that gives vendace roe from Kalix is fished. Sweden is quite a big country. At Daniel Berlin however all the produce come from area near the restaurant, I think not more than around 100 kilometers. That makes a visit to the restaurant a special and unique experience. Local produce is of course not equal to good food but at Daniel Berlin localness never comes at the expense of deliciousness. A truly great restaurant. Daniel Berlin Krog The photos on Flickr
Gastrologik
I have posted a couple of reviews of one of my very favorite restaurants before. For a more information about the restaurant and chefs/proprietors Anton Bjuhr and Jacob Holmström please see one of my previous reviews .In the last four months I have had two dinners at Gastrologik one in the end of July and one in September. Both meals, like all the previous ones, were great and according to me definitely worth at least two Michelin stars. Gastrologik currently holds one star. Jacob Holmström and Anton Bjuhr focus on the produce that is the best at the moment. The menu therefore changes constantly. I have know had six dinners in total at Gastrologik since they opened in late 2011 and not had a single bad dish. Quite impressive I would say. Especially considering the ever changing menu.
The two pictured dishes were absolutely magic. The picture above shows a langoustine with raw and pickled kohlrabi and a cream made of the langoustine’s. Brilliant. The second was a smoked wild turbot with very mild and delicate onion, almost like onions from Cèvennes, and a wonderful sauce made of the turbot. Both dishes are contestants for the title Dish of the year.
New for this season is a Communal Table which seats up to eight guests. You can book individual seats at the Communal Table but you will sit alongside other guests and everybody is served at the same time. Jacob and Anton spend a lot of time at the Communal table serving and presenting some of the courses. Gastrologik The photos on Flickr
Djuret
Djuret is a meat restaurant in Stockholm’s old town which focuses on one animal at a time. When e.g. cow is on the menu every single dish is based on cow. As of August this year head chef Mikael Einarsson and restaurant manager Daniel Crespi have made some changes to the menus. The à la carte menu is out in favor of two different set menus. A three course menu called 12 x 8 is power fine dining à la the super hedonistic Leijontornet 12 x 8-dinners which the restaurant hosts twelve times every year. The second menu is a six course tasting menu called Signature. I had the Signature menu where all courses consist of at least one cut of the cow
With the new menu concepts chef Einarsson with team has taken food to a higher level. It is definitely as good as several one Michelin starred restaurants. Food is know more fine dining-like than before. There is still a rustic touch but plates are smaller and more elegant. Since every course is based around a different cut of the animal and different cooking methods are used for each course there is enough variation despite the fact that beef was omnipresent throughout the menu.
The quality of the meat was very high and the dishes were well balanced and delicious. The only let down was the dessert which was a bit uninteresting. The price for the Menu Signature is 750 SEK which represents very good value for money, especially in a Stockholm where restaurant prices don’t really seem to mirror the general inflation of consumer prices.
At the dinner I also got some information about Daniel Crespi’s and Mikael Einarsson’s upcoming restaurant Izakaya Köttslöjd which will open in September next year. I cannot say more know but I think it will be really great and definitely the most talked about restaurant of 2015 in Stockholm. Expect some spectacular cooking.
Operakällaren
This spring Operakällaren regained the Michelin star it lost a couple of years ago. Based on my dinner in april Michelin has made a correct decision. Operakällaren dates back to 1787 although the current dining room is not more than 120 years old. It could very well be the most beautiful dining room in the world. A dining room which itself is worth a visit.
There are probably some people that overlook Operakällaren due to the fact that food is more classical French than New Nordic. But that’s a mistake because here I had one of this years most memorable dinners. I wouldn’t say it was as good as Gastrologik or Daniel Berlin but it was nevertheless a very special dinner. On wednesdays they serve what is called menu caneton, a three course dinner based on French duck where a duck press is used in the dining room to finalize the sauce that comes with the duck breast. Watching Chef des cuisines Stefano Catanacci press the juices out of the duck though de duck press and finish the sauce is great entertainment. But it is definitely not all about show. The duck was super delicious. The menu caneton is highly recommended.
Operakällaren may be the most formal restaurant in Stockholm but the atmosphere in the dining room was very relaxed. At no other fine dining restaurant do guest laugh as much as at Operakällaren. Service is of course exceptional.
Starfood Scout 