Mathias Dahlgren — Matsalen
Kaaren Palmer
Mathias Dahlgren — Matsalen at the Grand Hotel,
Sodra Blasieholmshamnem 6, Stockholm, Sweden
www.grandhotel.se — reservations reservations@mdghs.com — telephone (08) 679 35 84
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm
Depending on the chosen courses the cost is sek 1500 ($243.50 AUD), wine match plus sek 1300 ($210.80 AUD); from plant and ocean 5 courses sek 1000 ($162 AUD); a la carte near sek 500 ($81 AUD) for a main. The wine list is extensive and expensive - there’s a cellar list, too. A very good Californian Kongsgard 2006 is sek 2500 ($405 AUD). Wines by the glass are not advertised, but they are available if you ask.
The waiting staff are young and enthusiastic, and the excellent female sommelier wears a cardigan and casual slacks.
View is fantastic; we have one of the 2 best tables overlooking the water. Decor is blandly respectable and comfortable, not grand.
Kevin, my partner is not amused – his serving of champagne is much smaller than mine.
We begin with an aperitif of Lilbert et Fils NV from Cramant in Champagne, a lovely dry style to suit the temptation of dried, smoked, cured and salted tastes. Gotland truffles are grated over fresh potato crisps; Dutch fin de Claire oysters hide in tide washed pebbles of similar shape and size; tiny smoked salmon and roe is exquisite in intensity of taste; the dried offering is fanned elegantly from its horseradish cream — ethereally thin pressed beef cut along the sinew like a leaf, black bread wafer, beetroot, tongue.
Lots of finely and perfectly sliced dehydrated foods are a feature of this menu, which is very Swedish in terms of its ingredients.
Next comes fat and carbs. The fat presents a Lilliputian cream filled wood oven sourdough roll of Mathias’ childhood, yellow smoky Swedish butter from scalded cream it’s so rich, a suckable tube of goat’s cheese, sour cream with sprouting greens, and a yellow and aromatic olive oil. The carbs are toasted sour dough soakers, thin toasted wheat bread, and a soft thick grainy rye plus a herb coated crisp bread.
There are some special treats on the menu as follows;
Ling and scallop with squid gravy; a delicate and tasty squid sauce, with signature dehydrations again in the garlic, with ultra parley tasting sprouts. The scallops almost dissolve with tenderness. Mmmm!
Artichoke and asparagus; the artichoke is a cream and the tenderest inner portions of the leaves. The asparagus is a tips only affair but there’s an intriguing tiny salad which is also asparagus. Salty white translucent fish roe about salmon size, plus raw salmon slivers add savour. (The artichoke is a bit heavy on the wine match, an extremely delicate German Silvaner Kabinett.)
Langoustine and pig cheek is a superb dish set against a firm pea puree to cut the richness off the pig cheek, which is confit, and a langoustine foam, crispy pig crackling and luscious langoustine flesh. Accompanying is a fruity bitter beer which slices away any idea of cloying fattiness. Hate beer, but this works.
"Pumpkin paper" is an understatement for this dish. It’s pumpkin puree, creamy Swedish filmjolk (soured milk), truffle, almonds, parmesan. Think smooth, crunchy, tasty, mellow, salty, layers. A large rectangle of thin flat dehydrated pumpkin completes the picture.
Fillet of reindeer rare is delicious with braised endive touched with honey, and chopped crispy fried onions. A 100% celeriac puree is also good with this.
Tartare of beef and oysters is tasty and well executed, wrapped totally in tiny watercress leaves.
left — from the sea, middle — pork salad, right — organic foie gras with truffle
So what’s not so good apart from the price? A log of sour dough filled with a strong melty cheese and drizzled with honey is presented on a birch log. It’s delicious, but not haute cuisine. Served with birch sap, which we could have ignited.
So, after dessert and petit demonstrations, we render ourselves into a taxi. It was a good night, not great, and debatable about whether it’s worth the cost. But what is the price of new ideas? Is it time to buy a dehydrator, but iron things down before they curl? And how do we make that yummy soured milk? They give us some rye bread to take home. It’s moist and delicious, but I would have preferred the recipe! Hey Mathias what’s the chance????
author Kaaren Palmer, October 2009 — images courtesy Grand Hôtel Stockholm
