Thursday, January 9, 2014

Operakallaren, Stockholm

Operakallaren, Stockholm – May 5, 2012, 8-course 1400 sek

The restaurant is affiliated with the Royal Stockholm Opera, facing the canal with beautiful view. The decoration inside is very opulent. One of Sweden’s most beautiful with its original interior of wall paintings, gilded oak panels, suspended panel ceiling and impressive chandeliers. There are about a dozen of wild animal busts hung around the wall. It provides each female customer with a stool to place each madam’s purse. Its tasting menu was very French flavored.

1st course was “King Crab with White Bean, Lardo, Oregano and Crab Consomme.” The King Crab was very tender and fresh, a much better quality than what I eat in NYC. The taste was also well balanced.

2nd course was “Terrine of Free-Range Foie Gras with Brioche, Bitter Leaf Salad and flambéed Pears.” This course required a bit of showmanship performed by the waiter. The flambéed process was performed by our table with a brief explanation of the ingredients. I could taste the brandy in the sautéed pears. It was another good dish.
3rd course was “Fried Brill with Pickled Cucumber and Apple Terrine, Jerusalem Artichoke Cream, Lobster Ballotine and Lobster Veloute.” The quality, texture and tenderness of the lobster were all excellent. The best of all was the artichoke cream. I asked the waiter to find out the recipe for me. It did not seem to be a complicated recipe. But, there may be some secrets in the recipe.
4th course was “Buttered Fried Halibut with Almond Crout, Quail Egg, Smoked Prawns, Horseradish Cream, Served wit Champagne Burre Blanc.” I was glad because my fish was medium. The smoked prawns were one of a kind and the Champagne sauce was wonderful.
The 5th course was “Fried Blood Duck with Duck Confit, Lentils Ragout, Blood Orange Emulsion and Spicy Duck Jus.” Our waiter explained to us that the blood duck was slaughtered differently so that the duck meat would be more moisture. I definitely had some very tender and tasting duck.
6th course was “Fennel Fried Iberico Loin, with Preserve Pork Cheek and Shitake Mushroom, Caramelized Pears, Turnip Cream and Px-Jus.” The turnip cream was like the artichoke cream in the 3rd course made this whole course outstanding.
7th course was “Hand-Picked Selection of Cheeses from the Trolley." There was good selection of French cheeses. I had about half a dozen varieties in my plate with some superb goat cheese and Roquefort cheese.
8th course was “Blackcurrant Soufflé with Raspberry Sorbet." I seldom saw blackcurrant desert on the menu. So I requested it as a substitute for the original one “Milk Pudding Kalvdans with Cinnamon Fried Crepe, Brioche and Cream Cheese Ice Cream." The texture of this soufflé is so soft. The usual thing is the center did not implode while it was sitting on the table. The waiter was kind enough to get the recipe for me. I hope this recipe will help me to improve my home-made soufflé.
We were all very satisfied with the meal even though the restaurant has lost its Michelin star two years ago. We thought its quality was superior to F12 which still was rated with one Michelin star. After meal, we were accompanied by the manager to visit their kitchen. Its kitchen was large since it also served food to the disco and an opera bar for members only located in the same building. I have heard the disco was the hottest place to get into in Stockholm.


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