Well you could fly to Stockholm, get a connection to Ostersund and then drive 80kms or you can fly to Trondheim in Norway and drive 150kms.
We chose the Trondheim route on KLM, Manchester to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Trondheim, pick up a hire car and drive down to Faviken.
I'm not saying it is out of the way but don't expect to see many other people until you hit Are which is the centre of the Swedish Ski area, or it is in the winter, in the spring it is pretty quiet.
Was it worth it ? of course it was, all the hype and publicity is true, it is an experience for lovers of food.
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| Faviken Magasinet, Sweden |
This gave us a chance to see the food stores, kitchen and butchery of this now famous restaurant.
The restaurant is nearly self sufficient from the huge estate it is part of with the exception of the superb seafood sourced from nearby Norway.
With the long winters, spring, summer and autumn are a time of harvesting, foraging and then preserving and storing for the winter months.
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| Cured meats in the butchery |
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| Home made liqueures |
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| Fruit and vegetables preserved for the winter |
The format is that everyone dining arrives for 7pm and then is escorted to the bar / lounge were snacks and aperitifs are served by the front of house staff and the chefs.
We snacked on braised pigs cheek in breadcrumbs, a mouthful of melt in the mouth pork encased in breadcrumbs, Linseed Crackers with buttermilk,trout roe in a case of dried pigs blood,fried reindeer and Icelandic lichen with creme fraiche and slivers of home cured pork belly and fresh cheese.These were accompanied by Champagne( made with just Pinot Noir grapes) which was part of the flight of drinks recommended by Johann the Maitre D'
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| Linseed crackers with buttermilk Melt in mouth like a puff of linseed |
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| Trout Roe in a case of dried pigs bood huge trout roe from the brown trout caught in the lake by the chefs at the back of the restaurant |
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| Fried reindeer and Icelandic Lichen with creme fraiche another puff of flavour |
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| Home cured belly pork as good as any Italian , full of flavour and not too salty |
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| The restaurant before it was laid up for service The chopping block in the foreground is for sawing bone marrow - more later |
The menu
In the 18cover restaurant all the dishes are brought in by the chefs who then serve with the two front of house staff and then the chef or the Maitre D' inform all the diners what they are eating, the menu is chosen by the chef and is made up of what is the best available at that moment, some herbs and wild ingredients may only be on the menu for one week, before they get too old and bitter.
Norwegian Scallops with their own juices
the hand dived scallops ( huge) are cooked over juniper twigs and steamed in the shell, the nut of meat is served back in the shell with the juices made from the rest of the parts of the scallop
This course there was a local mead served, not too sweet, clody and was a good match for the sacllop
The meal was accompanied by Sour Dough bread and slightly aged butter
Langoustine with Burnt Cream
The large Langoustine tails cooked to perfection( briefly) served with a quenelle of burnt cream ( nutty flavour)
Cod with whey cooked carrot, whey vinegar and pine
A perfectly cooked piece of stunningly fresh cod with carrot slow cooked in whey and whey vinegar with pine.
a Chablis was served with this
"All the dishes had a minimalist approach to presentation and relied on the beauty of the quality ingredients used"
Raw brown trout with carrot salad and oat sauce
caught shortly before service this piece of stunningly fresh brown trout was complemented with the carrot salad( slightly acidic, probably preserved) and a sauce made with oats.
a just sweet Reisling served with this
Porridge of grains( cracked rye, wheat,rye and sesame )with fermented turnip and herbs from the meadow( wild chive,sorrel, wood sorrel, dandelion)in a chicken broth
A fresh flavoured broth with mixed grains and meadow herbs the chefs were collecting as we arrived.
Raw cow's heart with roasted bone marrow, nettles and pine salt
This is were the chopping block come into play, the freshly roasted beef bone is brought into the restaurant and sawn in half by the chefs, then the bone marrow scooped out and added to the raw cow's heart, garnished with nettles and served with pine flavoured salt.
Quail with sour onions and fiddle head ferns
Prior to carving the quail were presented to the guests by the chef, they were served with soem onions coooked in sour cream and crispy fiddle head ferns.
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| Fiddle head fern |
Raspberry ice and fermented lingonberries
Candied egg yolk, crumbs with Pine syrup ice cream
The egg yolk is mixed with the crumbs and then eaten with the ice cream
Home made raspberry Jam with a duck egg and milk sauce
Raspberry Jam made with last years raspberries with a whipped duck egg creme Anglais
Coffee or Infusions served with sweets and home made liqueurs were served in the lounge area, we chose a blackcurrant liqueur and a mixed herb one.
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| Quite satisfied !! A great place to experience the food of Scandinavia, with stunningly quality ingredients, the dishes allowing the natural flavours to come forward, A relaxed but slightly formal style of service, very knowledgeable staff, efficient service that keeps moving all the time without rushing you. A unique experience. Faviken Magasinet Faviken 216 830 05 JarpenSweden Tel: +46(0)647 40277 email: info@favikenmagasinet.se Website: www.faviken magasinet.se |
