Aquavit - 2 Michelin Stars

Aquavit offers modern Nordic cuisine and has a collective list of flavored spirit called aquavit. It used to be led by chef Marcus Samuelsson who often became the judge for TV shows such as Chopped and Top Chef. In 2015, it received two Michelin Stars for the first time, instead of one. We went for the $65 three course pre-fix, which was offered through Groupon.

Given that it's been a while, I was not able to provide much insight on this meal but overall, it was not memorable- decent course but it was not a WOW. My faint impression was that the chef liked to utilize smoke in her dishes, as the waiting room and dining room smelt of it occasionally. The good thing was that they were pretty generous by giving us four complimentary dishes, and they had a good butter and bread as accompaniment. I, however, left home feeling a little hungry.

 

Dining room

Stool to put your bag

Exclusive three course meal from Groupon

Snack made of grain, complimentary from Chef. Cruncy was the word.

Another complimentary set. The one in the middle was pretty good.

Delicate quail egg

Tried one of the aquavits. They have various fruit flavors and decently priced <$10. It was pretty strong.

Another complimentary was the 'smoked' soup. It was presented with a lid. You can see and smell the smoke once it was opened, revealing a potato or some sort. The soup was then poured into it.

 

My only impression was that it's pretty smoky.

 

Hay Smoked Gravlax (trout roe, horseradish and dill)

The dish was first covered in transparent dome filled with smoke. One of the better dishes in the whole course.

 

Kladesholmen Maties Herring(red onion, smetana, cheese)

It was lukewarm when I received it, not sure if it was deliberate. It was too salty and tasted cured for me. It reminded me of a canned fish but fancier.

Two flavors of butter for the warm bread. The brown one is the best. Creamy and foamy.

 

Icelandic Cod (swedish anchovies, quail egg, sugar snapped peas)

The cod was cooked perfectly, but lacking in flavor, which was a huge disappointment. Instead, the star was the fried stuff (no idea what was that).

 

Grass Fed Lamb (onion family, black potatoes, fig jus)

As you might agree from the picture, the lamb was a tad undercooked as it was a little chewy at the middle. The lamb was encrusted with herbs (perhaps). The sauce was a good accompaniment to the lamb. If I have to choose between the entree, I would go for the cod.

 

Corn Financier (blueberry compote, corn ice cream, caramelized popcorn)

I am a big fan of corn, but unfortunately, this dessert was not a winner. If you like corn, definitely try the corn brulee at General Assembly Restaurant.

 

Dulcey Ganache (blonde chocolate, basil sorbet, golden raspberries) 

The better dessert among the two. The sorbet was light and refreshing which helps to soothe the thick, creamy and sweet dulcey.

Almond biscuit to bring home. It was nice and almondy. However, it was soft when we ate it the next day. Technical error?