What a crazy day! Going to Fäviken is such an inspiring yet long journey, not just the courses but the entire trip from leaving Göteborg early in the morning to Stockholm to Åre and finally to Fäviken in the middle of nowhere as if a treasure hunt.
Fun time seating with cool people from various countries at the Gateleg Table. It is a special and definitely different experience that showcase Chef Magasinet's unique style and character on how he sets up the entire dining experience. A lot of people say: here you eat the most "disgusting" food yet the tastiest. For me it is not disgusting nor weird to put in my month, for examples things like pig's blood and pig's head, because I'm used to things like that from Asian cuisines. However, I'm truly impressed by the flavour combinations, the use of unexpected ingredients and transform them into some of the most astonishing flavours I have tasted! Every mouthful is an explosion of surprises.
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| Sausage flavoured with cognac , Fermented Carrots |
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| Linseeds & Attika Crisp, Mussel dip |
Mussel dip is really pungent but very flavourful the same time, a stunning start of the evening.
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| Wild trout roe, Pig's blood 'cup' |
The crispy exterior (the cup) with more pig's blood in a creamy form the inside maximise the aftertaste. In Asian cuisine, having pig's blood in congee is one of my childhood memory, other than that I have never eaten pig's blood in other form/ presentation. This with trout roe is an outstanding creation.
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| Pig's head dipped in Sourdough, then deep fried. Pickled gooseberry, Tarragon salt |
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| Salted herring (aged for 3 years), sour cream, rusk, wild herbs on top |
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| Birds liver, Redcurrant, Burnt cabbage, Black garlic |
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| Cured Pork Cheek |
Delicious salted then cured pork cheek! Definitely wins over Otoro :)
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| Lump of salty butter |
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| Sourdough Bread |
Butter is really fresh and taste 'raw', in a good way. Also the sourdough gets its strong aroma and taste from the culture which started its process in an oak tub made from Swedish wood.
Some of my favourites are from the seafood dishes, Scallop broth, King Crab, Mussel dip and Bog butter from the poached trout dish. Besides I have had the best broccoli here!! Another remarkable ingredient is lupine flower, especially the ' lupine miso' with thyme - absolute flavour explosion! The technique they have here impresses me as well, unlike lots of fine cuisines nowadays, using slow-cook machineries, here at Fäviken mostly everything is cooked with direct heat or open fire. When it comes to gentle heat (low temperature) cooking, everything is done by the chefs themselves! Above all every pieces of edible art is cooked to perfection.
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| Scallop "i skalet ur elden" cooked over burning juniper branches |
The scallop broth is - BOOM ! Nothing else other than the natural umami from the scallop itself. The aroma and fragrant of the juniper branches are undeniably attracting.
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| King crab, almost Burnt cream |
The following course continues to impress, even after the scallop dish. Incredibly sweet and juicy, not overwhelmed by the burnt cream which makes a great pairing with the crab meat.
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| Gently poached trout, Bog butter, Porridge of lichens prepared in lye |
In the ancient time, people take the excess butter place moss and birch bark and bury them together in a box. The idea behind this is overtime you can keep it for many many months and years, over that time the flavours of the wild herbs slowly marinates with the butter. Here in Fäviken they recreated this type of butter and poached the piece of trout in it, which is from the lake just behind. Finish with leaves, herbs and a cream of mosses and lichens found in and around the land. The bog butter is incredible as a condiment, I love the lichens and mosses cream as well, all the condiments uplifts the umami taste that occurs naturally.
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| Cockles injected with Beer |
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| Lupin Curd Gratin |
In Spring when they are closed, they did a lot of things with lupin. Lupin is a flower grow wild, not originally from Scandinavia, instead it is brought here for cattle feed. Lupin is grow as a plant and has a bean is very rich in protein. They apply this same property that soy and lupine shared to make a tofu (a curd) out of lupine, top with its stems (has been pickled I'm guessing?) and dried flowers. A light dish with soothing palates, a bit acidity and crunch from the stems, hint of sweetness from the lupine.
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| Small egg coated with ash |
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| Sauce of dried trout and pickled marigold |
Eggs preserved in ash, a Nordic tradition. The alkaline quality of the ashes can keep the egg from spoiling. Not quite like the Chinese century egg, it is aged for a much shorter period, 5 hours only, for the white just set. The white is rubbery, and a layer of skin has just formed around the yolk. The dried trout adds saltiness and the pickled marigold is a little refreshment.
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| Porridge of seeds & grains, fermented carrot and wild leaves, beef broth filtered through moss |
Porridge made from seeds and grains from Jämtland, seasoned with the lump of butter (one that served with the bread), fermented carrots finely chopped, top with wild herbs. Then finally poured in beef broth which strained through moss.
Beef broth is delicious, with depth of flavours. crispy grains and seeds contrast the creaminess from the porridge(from the butter). I'm sure the moss has done its effect on the broth in order to make it taste that good! A savoury porridge with clean, distinct flavour.
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| Blackcurrant leaves ' tea', infused with Birch, Pine needle syrup |
A 'tea' of blackcurrant leaves sweetened with pine needle syrup. The balance between acidic (cold infusion) and bitterness (hot infusion) is spot on! My favourite beverage of the night!
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| Steamed broccoli, Finnish fish eggs, Fresh cream |
Perfectly steamed broccoli! It changes my view towards broccoli, neither crunchy nor mushy, it is something in between (something I have to master). Simply served with delicious fresh cream and Finnish fish egg, caviar.
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| Blueberry & Lingonberry Cold-pressed Juice |
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| Lamb Tongue from Cajsa Warg, Brined vegetables |
Instead of slow cooking it, they cook it on a very very hot pan with a lot of patience until it is super tender and flavourful. A very old recipe from Cajsa Warg.
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| Wild duck, Fermented - Roasted - Finely grounded lupin beans |
I call it a Lupin Miso. With the addition of thyme, it is a true highlight of the night. The fermentation gives a tart kick, roasting gives richness and thickness (in term of flavour), lastly grounding adds 'graininess' to the sauce, I actually chew the sauce to maximise the taste. Duck cooked to perfection, rare but still incredibly tender. A flawless amalgamation between two.
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| Duck broth jelly, Burnt brussel sprouts |
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| Colostrum, Blueberries jam/ sauce, Meringue case |
Unbelievable amazing! This is recommended to eat in one bite. When the fragile meringue case breaks in my mouth, the instance burst of colostrum creaminess and hint of sweetness from the blueberry is a perfect match made in heaven. (More Colostrum to come..)
Until here, everyone on the table is full and I thought " this must be one of the petites."
Then ...... there are more to come! ! !
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| Raw jerusalem artichoke, Dark roasted cereals |
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| ' Potato Dream ' |
The entire petite is made from potatoes, potatoes caramel made from its own starch and potato cookies. Absolute delicious!
Raw, unpasteurised Colostrum Milk
I feel like a baby again! Although I have tried raw milk before, this is truly FRESH. Their dairy products is from a farm close by, " Oviken " (I simply spelled it in English pronunciations).
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| Brown cheese pie and Gompa |
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| Brown cheese pie and Gompa on my plate |
The gompa is really really bitter but you must have it with the cheese pie as the caramel is ultra sweet. It reminds me of having Rucola and Honey, a perfect bitter-sweet combo.
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| Bone marrow pudding, Frozen milk |
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| Pickled and Semi-dried roots |
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| My choice of tea: Angelica, Clove flowers |
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| Venison, sunflower seeds pie crust, sweet caramel |
Salty and sweet from the venison and caramel, very nice shot crust pasty tart, what a bite of delights.
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| Honey pie, Flower vinegar |
Flaky crust and moist the inside, yummmmm!
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| Dried black currant, Sunflower seed nougat, Smoked caramel, Meadowsweet candy, Dried arctic angelica, Tar pastilles |
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| ' Seeds ' |
From the top(pearl white), clockwise direction: Dill, Blueberry, Mint, Angelica, Coriander, Mustard. Dill is possibly my favourite, the mix of herbs and sweets is always the best combo.
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| Snus |
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| Liqueurs : Sour milk, Egg yolk, Blackcurrant, Rhubarb |
FÄVIKEN is my favourite non-fiction book to read. Despite mouth watering edibles, this meal answered my unexplained questions from the book. Overall, it is blasted with brave and bold distinctive flavours with nordic ingredients and raw materials from the mother nature. I can almost write an essay because there're simply too much thoughts and ideas from this evening! After such remarkable evening at Fäviken Magasinet, the effect on me is imaginative. I'm motivated and inspired to be creative with flavours, to cook my own food and to integrate to another level as whole!
I make my Facebook album to public, go follow my adventure!
I think this is the favourite picture out of all the food. Eventually it is these people who all that happens! (Blushy... besides great chefs !)
