Gastrologik

Finally I had both the time and the opportunity to get one of the sought after seats in this small, fine-dining restaurant in Stockholm's posh neighborhood Östermalm. Gastrologik is one out of two new additions to the michelin-starred scene here in Stockholm (the fabulous Ekstedt is the other one) and the concept of this restaurant is serving swedish produce at its best. As a guests you "only" have the option to go for one tasting menu and the physical menu is simply a blank white page with the price typed small on the right hand corner. Jacob Holmström and Anton Bjuhr are the chefs and owners and their constant search for the best contributes to some of the dishes being changed daily.

The dining room is classic scandinavian with white walls and chairs but it still feels cozy.

I really liked the cutlery rest made of elk horn, and all their plates from the Swedish designer Quality Verified (http://www.qualityverified.se) 

The dining room is run by my two friends Erik Forssell and Felix Bergman so I knew that I and my old friend were in good hands.

We started with a glass of 2008 Cuvée Charlemagne Blanc de Blancs from Guy Charlemagne. A great start with its flavor of candied citrus and honey. A low dosage helped giving this Chardonnay a lovely fresh finish and our appetite ready for food.

And now it was time for a cavalcade of appetizers. The first one was already on the table when we arrived; dried new potatoes with powder of ceps mushroom. So crispy and thinner than paper.

Appetizer no 2; coriander and dill flowers deep-fried in a sourdough batter. Simple and tasty.

Appetizer no 3; brioche baked with vortex flour and served with butter seasoned with the herb savory.

Appetizer no 4; meringue topped with chicken liver mousse and pickled apple. I loved this one with the contrasts of sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy. The apple was anonymous though as I think the chefs prioritized the aesthetic look of a thin piece of apple rather than something bigger that would add a nice acidity to this amuse bouche.

Appetizer no 5; mussel with lavender and crunchy spinach crumble. So, so good.

Appetizer no 6; quail egg marinated in home made soy made from yellow split peas to give a swedish touch to this asian seasoning. Very good and the flavor from the soy reminded me more of chinese soy than the more elegant japanese version with intense bitter and burnt flavors. Really good and beautifully presented.

Last appetizer; dried reindeer blood topped with sour creme and vendace roe, this delicious Swedish caviar.

Instead of the option of having their wine paring we choose two bottles of wine that would follow us through the menu. First a bottle of 2010 Chablis 1:er Cru "La Forest" from Dauvissat. It worked well with many of the dishes with its elegant notes of yellow apple, lemon, almond and mineral. Followed by 2010 Timbervine Syrah from the producer Radio Coteau in Russian River Valley, California. Blind tasted I would definitely go for Northern Rhône Valley with its intense flavors of garrigue, crushed white pepper, bay leaves and juicy blueberries. Two great wines but I forgot to take picture of the bottles.

Nice bread.

First "proper" serving and one of my favorite this evening; cold smoked and cured wild salmon from Vindel River in northern Sweden served with frozen horseradish cream and a crumble with pickled spruce shoots. true Scandinavian flavors and the spruce gave the dish a touch of the forrest. What a superb dish. 

Next leek from Rosendal with grated pork cheek and onion broth. I could easily have drunk liters of this intense, tasty stock.

The quality of the Scallops from Hitra was out of this world. Seared to perfection and served with a creme of the roe sack, cauliflower and brown butter seasoned with the above mentioned home made soy. If you read my blog post http://esurientem.blogspot.ae/2012/10/dinner-at-home-241012.html I cooked a dish not far from this. It would be insane to think that a michelin-starred restaurant would get inspiration from my blog but nonetheless flattering.

Even though monkfish has never been a favorite of mine the next dish was great. Served with a rich jus of monkfish, chanterelles and roasted corn.

Beef from Älmhult (same town as the first Ikea store) served with beetroot and cress. Another tasty dish but a bit anonymous compared to the rest. Do I need to say it was a perfect match with my herbaceous syrah? 

Cheese board

A trio of gooseberry came next, crisp, jelly and finally a compote of the berry with its sorbet, raw celery and milk. The last brought back memories to my grandmother when she used to do various compotes and serve it with milk. Yummy.

Ice cream of sorrel with peas and dill.

The final dessert was beetroot puree with milk sorbet, cherries and caraway. So, so good.

For once I skipped the coffee but not the goodies that was meant to be served with the black brew; miniature sponge cake of lavender and blueberries with honey. Once again no photo, sorry.

Next time I visit my home town I will definitely visit Gastrologik's easier going restaurant Speceriet wall to wall to the fine dining restaurant.

 

http://www.gastrologik.se/