It has been since October that my minimalist backpack was idling in the entrance. Waiting for a new trip after the visit of the best South of America restaurants including Central, Kjolle, Maido, Mayta and Statera in Lima, Peru. I met Linda last year at Oaxen, She is a Swedish foodie and will join me at Gastrologik for a dinner. Heja Sverige! Time for human experience…
Besides the food, the main reason of my visit was to participate to the Stockholm Santa Run. A charity event for children with function disabilities. After the 3 kilometers race, it’s relax time. It’s official! I am now a sauna fan. Swedes call it Bastu when you go the hard way: back and forth between sweating naked in the hot sauna and the frozen lake water. It is an interesting experience to feel like a local but let’s back to restaurants world for a review of the top3 restaurants I have been this week.
Ekstedt
There is no electric griddle or gas stove at Ekstedt. Only the natural heat of fire help the chefs to cook. The large menu is 6 courses with lobster, cabbage, scallop, turbot and reindeer. You will feel the smoke and the wood fired cooking difference on the ingredients. For the still hungry, you can have a Kvarnhagen cheese with Gotland truffles and caramelized shallots and a glass of white wine as goes my wine preference for cheese. The service is lovely and attentive but the wait time between courses may be too long. Notably, there is a kitchen tour at the beginning of the dinner to focus on the cooking techniques and tools. A refreshing approach of the kitchen tour!
Sushi Sho
You are in the most Japanese restaurant of Sweden. It is an edomae bar. All the guests arrive at the same time in the restaurant. Swedes strictly follow the schedule. I’m not convince this could work in France. Carl, the sushi head chef follow the traditional omakase style. The guests listen, observe and eat during the chef preparation. Have you heard about Otoro before? This is the most noble part of a tuna and every guest will have the choice between sashimi, nigiri or tartare with caviar topping for the service. To accompany the fish, I recommend to go for the Sake pairing. You will remember for sure the fermented sake with an acid note and white color. Another foodie sitting next to me frequently goes to Japan, know tips to bring back sake bottles in a safe way to the kingdom and Sushi Sho is its favorite place in Stockholm.
Gastrologik
This is my second visit at Gastrologik. Let’s see what’s new. There is still a long menu of twenty snacks that change every day based on the ingredients availability and quality with a focus on the season. Previously, there was only sea and earth products from Sweden. It seems today there is a change in the strategy. You will find some fish from Norway and a sea urchin from Iceland. The flavors, textures and freshness are exploding in mouth. It is more refined than my previous visit. Every bite has its own personality. Still, they are successful to keep an overall balance for the whole experience. Mastering the juice pairing is an art. Indeed, it lack some punch! The service is yet over the top. I will just be nostalgic to not having Hanna W. on board as the restaurant general manager and with the Hernö gin tasting during the kitchen tour two years ago. Tack!
Other cool spots this week
- Vete-Katten for pastry and coffee
- Snö for ice cream
- Christmas buffet at Den Gyldene Freden
- Reindeer meat at Marten Trotzig
- Burger at Bun Meat Bun
- The French Connection meetup at Kaferang
Ok but drinks?
Of course Yes! Stay tune for the Bartender’s Choice Awards 2019 article. A great human story is coming.