By Flying to another continent just to eat at a restaurant and go back home seems unorthodox. That is.. Until you actually do it. Exciting, adventurous, and living freely are some ways that I can describe the feeling of traveling. In life people are either going to be happy for you or question your decisions. Those that question your decisions hate what they don’t understand. It’s not the norm, so they don’t particularly agree with what makes you happy; but it will allow you to scratch those associates off your list because they mean you no well. — Wait. This isn’t a life blog on how to express your feelings. What the F*** am I talking about right now? Let’s talk about this restaurant that I took a Seven Hour flight for and had to change clothes in the bathroom because TSA wanted to know why I’m traveling to F***ing Sweden causing me to be seven minutes and thirty eight seconds late.
Oaxen Krog, a Two-Michelin Starred Restaurant, that focuses on quality and taste in neighboring areas from the Nordic region. It is gastronomy focused and is the upper tier of their sister restaurants. The interior of this restaurant is quaint with a casual feel to it but could confuse you because if you don’t dress up you may feel a bit out of place.
During my visit I was able to indulge in dishes that ranged from Moose to Langoustine. Yes, you read that correctly… Moose! I’ll start off with the first four bites of the night. Clam, Moose, King Crab, and Potato Skin Wrap Tenderloin set me up for what was in store for the evening. A 200-Year-Old Clam, Red Currants, and Truffle Seaweed was the perfect bite. The earthiness of the Truffle mixed in with the saltiness and sea flavor of the Seaweed and Clam made the dish delicious. Red Currants are usually tart, but I didn’t taste any tartness within this bite. The Smoked Moose was next up which consisted of a Cherry Compote and edible flowers. The Moose has a very gamey taste to it, but with it being smoked it added another layer of flavor. Think of this dish being like duck being smoked but with a less rich flavor. The next bite was the Potato Skin Wrap with Dry Aged Tenderloin and Sturgeon Roe. Think of this dish as a flavorful potato chip mixed with beef tartar and caviar. No sauce was needed with this dish and each chew provided the right amount of seawater flavoring with a meaty texture from the tenderloin. The last bite was the King Crab Taco. Crab meat assembled sashimi style mixed within a small bite sized taco was memorizing. This dish was beautifully presented, fresh, and fragrant. The perfect bite to round out the beginning dishes.
The next few dishes were Pike Perch, Scallops, Elderflower, and Langoustine. The Pike Perch consisted of a beautiful barely touched fish with smoked zucchini and soy waxed beans. The Pike Perch was light, meaty, and succulent. The sox waxed beans didn’t really stand out for me, so I don’t have much to judge, but the smoked zucchini did give the dish more of a milder flavoring. The Scallop dish was next up. Served sashimi style topped with fermented pear, gooseberry horseradish, and green juniper. The spiciness of the horseradish that went along with the sweetness of the scallop made me curse after each bite. It was absolutely that good. The fermented pears were there for the added scent, but the star of the show was the sauce that was topped on the scallops. Creamy, flavorful, spicy, and overall immaculate is the perfect way to describe this dish. One of my favorites of the night. The next dish was the Elderflower which was mixed with Grilled Cucumber in Smoked butter and Vendace Roe. This dish was different for me because it was more about textures than anything. Creamy smoked butter that was accompanied with the musky scent of the Elderflower was a bit over-powering for me. The presentation was spectacular, but this was a dish that I would pass on. The last dish was the Langoustine. It sat on top of a lukewarm salad which consisted of mixed green and topped with a sweet black pepper. The Langoustine was gently poached in butter and melted in your mouth with each bite. Avocado mousse accompanied the dish which helped give it an earthy flavor, but the star of the show was the Langoustine.
The last dishes that rounded out the evening consisted of Beef, Lamb, Pike Perch, and Woodruff Ice Cream. Beef with Beans, Peas, Seaweed and Pineapple weed was presented for the next course. This had a very strong smell and flavoring to it, maybe because of the pineapple weed being so pungent. The Beef was served medium rare but was overshadowed by the ingredients of the peas and beans. This had a vinegar taste to it and wasn’t one of my favorite dishes of the night. I thought that it was too many ingredients that were jam packed into one dish. The Lamb was up next which was cooked medium rare served on top of pine branches. The Lamb was juicy, fatty, and moist. I thought that the aroma of the Pine branches would’ve given the Lamb more of an acidic bite, but it wasn’t overpowering. The Pike Perch was next which was presented lightly pan seared and finished with garlic, red onion, kale, and flavoring from the langoustine head. It was buttery, flavorful, fresh, and infused with just the right amount of garlic flavoring to make the dish come together. The red onions were braised in wine and the kale was crispy. The absolute last dish of the night was the Woodruff Ice Cream. Which consisted of Fresh Berries and Quince Apple Juice. The Woodruff Ice Cream had a very bitter flavor but if eaten with the Fresh Berries and Apple Juice it was amazing. Woodruff doesn’t taste like much but can be resembled to hay. If used with the proper ingredients it can hide the fact that it doesn’t taste like much.
Overall, this restaurant is an absolute go-to. The different ingredients used along with the presentation of each dish is memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and if given the opportunity would dine here again.
OVERALL RATING: FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE
SavoryTravels 