Daniel Berlin, aged 29, is already one of the leading figures of Swedish cuisine. His future has got no frontier. His academic, erudite, young and extremely free style, distinguished by refinement and harmony, makes think he is a French cook. In spite of his talent and personality, he doesn’t allow himself to be swept away by excesses of imagination. He intends to capture the attention of the guests through evolutionary perfection and mature creation. He therefore considers products as a rule of life, as the guarantee of freshness, culture and identity, in harmony with the landscape. The restaurant is familiar –the service is assumed by his partner and his father–, small, simple, warm, charming… genuine. It’s like reading a moving tale in the meadow.
A good example of the chef’s passion for authenticity with a touch of cosmopolitism is the cod filet cooked at low heat, impeccably fresh and juicy –the freshest we had ever tasted–, served with a colourful and complex garnish: splendid strips of beet and apple over seaweed and mayonnaise. Original articulations that are always focused on nature and naturality, like the egg of free hen covered with green leaves whose bitter and spicy flavour reminds wild watercress, lain over some ethereal nettle purée with celeriac foam accompanied with gourmand croutons soaked into chicken stock. This extreme delicacy and commitment to nature is also materialized by the sublime grilled celeriac, served over some tapioca made of herbs that bring a fresh vivid and complex touch to the dish. The whole is covered by an extremely refined and volatile cheese foam –a strong cheese, cured for 60 months. This brilliance also applies to the meat section, like the fantastic lamb that grazes around the restaurant, fat and succulent, lain in the middle of a clairvoyant composition that seems to be inspired by a wholemeal onion salad, in which the vegetable is presented in the form of purée, segments and leaves that are displayed around the meat.
The desserts are also worth it –the most delightful ones we had ever had at a Scandinavian table, actually. The yoghurt ice cream with yellow hawthorn and sweet nettles, very creative, is synonymous with strong sensations. After vibrating with inventiveness, the flowers ice cream, crunchy biscuit and honey Chantilly cream made us vibrate with virtuosity.
Exquisiteness is the word that the guest can’t help saying, again and again. Exquisiteness and refinement.
