Frantzen: The best meal I ate in Stockholm
Oh, for the love of food…Last month, I’d gone to Stockholm to serve as guest chef at Ikea Sweden’s Supper Club. After an event in Milwaukee, followed by a butt-crack-of-dawn ride to the airport to catch an early flight to Houston, a 5-hour layover in Houston, then 16 hours of travel time to Stockholm, I stepped off the plane, dropped bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Frantzén, one of two 2-Michelin star restaurants in Sweden.
I must say, I believe I enjoy 2-star restaurants more than 3-starred ones. I chalk it up to my affinity for accessible food and dining experiences. When I say “accessible,” I mean dishes that can be relatable by all; sometimes, an experience is so formal, I’m too stressed about proper table manners to truly enjoy the experience. And eating, being a favorite pastime, should be nothing but relaxing. A part of it stems from my not being able to see; and thus, presentation of plates is not as impressive to me, nor is the often complicated methods of eating them—give me a single bowl and a single spoon, and I’ll happily scoop stuff into my mouth.
Frantzén, I was told, was small and simple in design. Unadorned linens, plain white walls, no fancy chandeliers or buttresses. Just a bar with an open kitchen, and a few tables gathered within the unassuming space.
Before I continue, for your imaginary pleasure, this was our tasting menu for June 7, 2014:
”Vichyssoise” with truffleMacaron with liver cremeKing crab cooked in beer served with dill juice and crab aspicRaw langoustine with acidulated cream, green onion, seaweed and oyster briocheHorse sushi on dried lichens with frozen, raw foie grasCreamed, roasted yellow onions, almond, whipped goat’s cream perfumed with licoriceTataki of Swedish wagyu with truffle salt and beurre noisetteBone marrow in fermented mushroom juice, oscietra caviar and smoked chestnutSour rye soup with acidulated milk and smoked bacon fatGrilled scallop with summer truffle and “dashi”Satio tempestasSlow baked cod with white asparagus, pine oil, buttered asparagus juice and roasted rutabagaHot pot on lamb, cabbage, roasted cauliflower bouillon and summer truffleOven baked fresh yeast ice cream, whipped ale, partridge egg creme, raisin syrup and dried egg yolkYoung beetroots cooked in their own juice with licorice, 100-year-old vinegar, frozen and fresh berriesBento box with “fika”
We were given a finger towel (aka fancy wet nap) to the right of our place setting because, the server said, “many of the dishes are to be eaten with the hands.” My kind of place already! (I eat sushi with my hands because wielding chopsticks without sight usually butchers the delicate raw fish and rice.) And if you can remember, I tend to use my hands with everything in the kitchen, since my fingers have long since replaced my eyes.
The opening to a meal is often the most important. It reflects the chef’s style and previews the dishes to come. Frantzén’s first course was a play on the vichyssoise, which is a classic French soup of potatoes and leeks, often served chilled. Delicate shredded potato dusted this first bite, which I ate with my hands. I appreciated the traditional flavors in this new medium.
The next dish was a beautiful macaron, as noted by my dining companions. But—and here’s more molecular gastronomy at play—it’s really rich liver creme, just when I was expecting chocolate or pistachio. Second course: still amazing!
Other favorite dishes were the langoustine, wagyu tataki, bone marrow, scallop, and the beetroot dessert. (What can I say? I love my proteins.) The wagyu and scallop were both locally sourced.The consensual least favorite courses were the sour rye soup (as its few flavor notes were overwhelming) and the bento box of sweets (flavors too strange for our liking). But by this time, we were well into our wine and beer and courses, and the chef had popped over to our table several times, and so we were happy as clams.
A Michelin dining experience ain’t cheap, but from time to time, it’s nice to see what’s at the forefront of the international gastronomic scene. It’s important as a chef to try everything in order to fuel one’s own culinary creativity.Oh, and it’s not a bad way to start a week in Stockholm.
Have you been to Frantzén? What did you think? Scandinavian cuisine has been getting a lot of buzz lately—do you agree?Soon to come, I’ll get down to the more “accessible” foods of Stockholm, downright drunk and dirty even. ;)