F12, Stockholm

F12, Stockholm – May 7, 2012, 9-course 1125 sek

F12 serves Nordic style food. It is located at 12 Fredgatan, therefore, taking its cue as the restaurant’s name. It is beautifully decorated with both classic and contemporary furniture and furnishings. We all had the tasting menu.

It started with Amuse Bouche. Some varieties of fresh vegetables with different coloring were in a glass jar. The fresh vegetables were paired with dill dip in the bowl, a typical Nordic style.

1st course - “Lobster & Spring Peas – with Wild Mint and Fried Almonds." Lobster was not over-cooked and taste was balanced.

2nd course - “Farms Egg in its Nest – with Bleak Row from Kaliz and Nettles.” This course was served with a Nordic style with bowl of egg sitting on hays. It was like flavored egg custard, but it was very salty. Nettle was something new that I had during this trip. It was a plant with both nutritious leaves and fruits edible. It has a flavor similar to spinach and cucumber, has high fiber and is rich in vitamin A, C and other minerals. It is abundant in Northern Europe.

3rd course - “Foie Gras Pressé – with Swedish Melon, Ginger Beer and Macadamia Nuts.”  It was a cold plate of Foie Gras covered with a thin slice of Swedish melon. It was also very salty. After these two salty dishes, I complained to the waitress who relayed the message to the kitchen. Then, we were offered an extra course of Halibut.

4th course - “Milk-Poached cauliflower – with Rapseed Oil and Sorrel.”  It was a tasty dish. However, this cauliflower dish was not as good as the one we had for lunch at Matbaren.

5th course - “White Asparagus & Scallops – with Ramson and Browned Butter.” White Asparagus has been one of my all time favorite vegetables. In this dish Scallops were good, but, the white asparagus were too sour.

6th course - “Poached Arctic Char & Fresh Wasabi – with Leek from Bjorklinge and Lemon.” The Poached Arctic Char was overcooked. But, because I have already complained once, my friend urged me not to complain again. F12 served us with freshly grinded wasabi in front of our eyes. We were informed that the wasabi should grinded diagonally in order to get the full flavor out.

7th course - The makeup-course “Halibut." It was over-cooked. But, it was a make-up dish that it was not appropriate to complain.

8th course - “Charcoal Grilled Milk-Fed Lamb & Morrels – with Spring Vegetables and Espelette Pepper.” Lamb was from the Pyrenees’ region of France. When I visited the Rhone Valley region of France last year, I was told lambs from the Pyrenees’ are tasty because lambs were fed with slightly salty grass. F12’s kitchen must have forgotten about the special feature of Pyrenees’s lambs. It was another salty dish.

9th course was “Saint Marcellin – with Brittle, Thyme Flowers and Black Salt.” It was like cheese custard, overly salted.

10th course - The original listed desert on the tasting menu was “Strawberries & Goats Cheese - with Strawberries and Cardamom.” I requested for a substitute and ordered a “Fudge Soufflé & Roasted Banana – with Chocolate and Passion Fruit." The texture and flavor of the Soufleé was acceptable but not outstanding. At the end, we totally lost any interest to visit their kitchen. Along all the fine dining restaurants that we visited in this trip, we rated this one as the number 1 from the bottom. We could not figure out why Operakallen lost its one Michelin star while F12 still kept its one star.

Matbaren, Stockholm

Matbaren, Stockholm – May 7, 2012, lunch a la carte

Matbaren is the bistro of Mathias Dahlgren. Two are next door to each other. The formal dining room Matsalen was rated with two Michelin stars and Matbaren with one Michelin star.

We had lunch at Matbaren. Matbaren didn’t have the tasting menu. We were seated at the only table with the ultra-high back chair. The rest of the tables were all with lower backs.

Each place setting had a wooden tray lined with a light brown paper menu. On top of that was a brown paper bag filled with a flax and caraway crisp bread. Next to each setting was a piece of slate topped with soft Swedish butter and a wooden knife. The menu was a la carte. It was divided into five sections: From Our Country, From Other Countries, From the Plant World, From the Pastry and Dairy Products and Cold Cuts. Two-thirds of the menu were beer, wine and distilled choices.

The waitress attended us was the same who attended us at the Matsalen on May 4. My daughter had “Grilled Cucumber Salad – Swedish Squid, Ginger, Lime, Coriander” as the appetizer followed by “Baked Cauliflower Crème – Truffles, Gruyere, Hazelnuts.” Salad was unbelievably delicious. It was fresh and crispy, grilled squid was tender and tasty, dressing was tasty. Baked cauliflower was another master piece. Cauliflower was raw, cut into small pieces and served in the creamy sauce with truffles.

Definitely, food at Matbaren was outstanding. I had read quite a few comments on Matsalen and Matbaren. Most of them consider price at Matsalen was too expensive. However, when you did comparisons you have to make them apple to apple or orange to orange. The type of serving at Matsalen was different from what made at Mabaren. Matsalen only served tasting menu with its Michelin star oriented style, quantity and quality. While at Mabaren, it was a la carte style, a more casual dining setting. If you order enough quantity at Mabaren, you might find out the bill cost you almost as much as what a formal dining at Masalen would cost. I personally liked them both, but I would not say it was cheaper at Mabaren.

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.

Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm

Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm – May 4, 2012, 8-course 1650 sek

It is one of the Michelin two-star restaurants in Stockholm, located in the Grand Hotel. It has been nicknamed as “Matsalen” and is a formal dining room. Its chef also owns a bistro, nicknamed “Matbaren”, in the Grand Hotel.

We started with the Amuse Bouche. We had crispy cheese sheet, fried onion, sea moss. I was informed that crispy cheese sheet was made of gruyere cheese and parmigiano cheese micro-waved on a mode to form a curved shape. I hope that I can munch on this crispy cheese sheet made out of my own kitchen one day. Fried sea moss puff was also delicious. Matsalen served varieties of spread to accompany varieties of bread.

1st course - “Scandinavian Sashimi – cucumber, ginger, horseradish, soy, salty herbs.” If you are a sashimi lover, I strongly urge you to come here and enjoy this dish. The sashimi was the freshest quality and the horseradish sauce was just potent enough to feel the hot air coming out of your nose when you swallowed each bite, a truly amazing sauce.

2nd course - “Leek & oysters & clams – mussel foam, sea emulsion, onion ash." It was a half-cooked dish with seafood tasting like half-raw. The combination of freshest seafood and good cooking without of doubt can yield many palate pleasing dishes.

3rd course - “Cabbage & smoked pork belly – consommé, daikon, lovage." It was a special bred of pork served with low temperature baked cabbage overnight. The roasted and then thinly sliced pork belly looked almost semi-translucent on the plate with a very appetizing appearance. This was the chef’s signature dish.

4th course - “Salt baked red beet & smoked ox marrow- crème fraiche, caviar, chives." The ox marrow was spread on top of beet under the layer of cream fraiche and caviar. This dish also served as a palate cleaner before the next course.

5th course - “Egg & truffle – fried spinach, gruyere, sea salt." It looked like custard egg in the shell top with truffle and served with fried spinach on the side.











6th course - “Wild duck & fried peppers, natural jus, steamed levain bread." Wild duck did not have a strong gamy taste and was cooked medium with natural juice.

7th course – “Seared Filet of Turbot, potatoes, onions, herbs” or “Fried sweetbreads of veal, white asparagus, morels, ramsons." I chose turbot and strongly emphasized my request for medium-cooked fish. I got two pieces of fish in my plate and one piece was overcooked. In the meantime, I found out the roasted white asparagus (slow roasted) with another choice was out of the world. I, therefore, requested for white asparagus instead of another piece of fish. When I was eating this replacement dish, I thought of the 2nd best white asparagus (slow poached) that I had two years ago at the Fisher Fritz in Berlin, another Michelin two-star restaurant.










8th course - Since I requested for Blueberry Sorbet as a substitute for the listed desert item “Apple & Cream of Rice”, I got blueberry-themed desert. Let me tell you about the berries in the Nordic countries. There are so many varieties, they all taste awfully good. This blueberry sorbet had such a wonderful taste that I felt like I could have another order. After the desert, we had a few petite four before we were invited to visit their kitchen. When I asked the head chef what was his master piece, he said he favored “Cabbage & smoked pork belly."

Relae, Copenhagen

Relae, Copenhagen – May 3, 2012, 4-course 355 dk

The restaurant was opened a year ago with rave review. One article has mentioned it as the best deals in Copenhagen. So I made the reservation before I left for the trip. The restaurant is not lavishly decorated at all. Customers provide self-service to set-up the utensils from the 2nd course on. There is one little drawer at each customer’s right hand of the dining table. Inside the drawer, there are a few sets of utensils. As each customer finished the course just served, the customer will replenish with the fresh set from the drawer. The restaurant was very efficiently run by two waiters and two chefs. Both chefs have come to our table and explained to us how the dishes were prepared.

1st course was “Hake, Leeks and Salted Bergamot." It was slowed cooked hake with very tender texture and flavor wrapped in leek leaves. The slow cook process made the texture tenderer and leek leaves were neither undercooked nor overcooked.

2nd course was “Marabel Potato, Seaweed and Pecorino." It was spaghetti potatoes rolled and shaped in egg-shape and served in herb and Romano cheese sauce”. It is another well-balanced dish. Potatoes were not overly cooked. It had just the right softness to get the string-shaped potatoes rolled in egg-shaped.

3rd course was “Veal with Carrot and Fennel Pollen." It was roasted veal cheek in red wine sauce with sliced and cooked carrots on top. The customer sitting at the next table actually asked me to let him have my plate if I didn’t like any of the dishes I ordered.

4th course was desert “Sunchoke, Malt and Bread." It was a naturally sourced simplicity with balanced taste. Its 4-course tasting menu offers the best value/dollar for a Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen.

Noma, Copenhagen

Noma, Copenhagen – May 2, 2012

We had high expectation before we left for this trip. We got up shortly before 4 am US Eastern Time on 2/1/12 in order to dial promptly at 10 am Nordic time for making reservation. Luckily we were able to make a reservation on 5/2.

We got to the place a little while before our scheduled time 7 pm. The restaurant is located in water front with a crane nearby. When I saw a young man cleaning the window I started chatting with him. He has been a waiter with Noma for about a year. He also told me the pastry chef left a few days ago. I knew right away that desert is not going to be the highlight of the meal.

Noma changed its menu daily; therefore, the menu did not provide any details. It just provided names of the major ingredients. I requested for a printed menu and got one which was in the very simplest format. Its owner/chef Rene Redzepi labeled its style “authentic cuisine”. It is earthy and refined, ancient and modern, both playful and serious, emphasizing the old ways of drying, smoking, pickling and curing. Using rutabagas, whey, pine and juniper, shells, hay and twigs, it seeks to turn the culinary dial back toward the natural world.

We had the tasting menu which comprising 15-20 items. I would just describe some highlight of our meal.

We started with a nice vase with bread sticks shaped like twigs hidden in the green branches. You had to practice treasury hunting if you want to eat. Then, we got a plate of green moss and fried moss with twigs hidden in it. Then, we had some live shrimps on ice bed in a glass encasement. In hindsight, I honestly did not remember how I ate them. I guessed I was too overwhelmed with the excitement and struggle between being an adventurous foodie and being a Buddhist.










Midpoint we had a pot filled with soil and a green plant. Both plant and soil were edible. Although neither of them had great taste. Each guest also had the opportunity to prepare for his/her own sunny side with herbs. My thought was that I did not have to spend $300+ for making a sunny side up at home. I was there for a fine dining experience but I got a lot of novelty experience instead.

Desert was an experience. We got a chunk of green sponge looking cake. It was made with a scoop of tea flavored cream infused with plenty of extremely sub-zero cold air in a high tech machine. It looked spongy, it tasted spongy. But, it did not have much substance, nothing like a sumptuous piece of cake or soufflé. Then, we had some chocolate pieces coated with cumin seeds and other spices.

Our request for visiting the kitchen was kindly granted. After meal, we were accompanied by the executive chef Orlando and manger to visit their kitchen as well as their lab which focused on experimenting and developing new products. Noma definitely spent a fair portion of resources for staying innovative in the business.

My experience at Noma was an experience which was different from my expectation of a true fine dining experience.