Monday, August 10, 2009

Mathias Dahlgren (Stockholm, SWEDEN) ★★★★★

Housed in the 19th century Grand Hotel Stockholm, Mathias Dahlgren is one of the top restaurants in Stockholm if not the best in the city. Chef-owner Mathias Dahlgren, the winner of the culinary championship Bocuse d'Or in 1997, prides himself on using the finest ingredients to create a seasonal menu that is natural and modern.

There are two restaurants under the same roof here at Mathias Dahlgren - a more elegant fine dining room at Matsalen (Dining room, 2-star) and its casual sister Matbaren (Food Bar, 1-star). Unfortunately, Matsalen was closed for holidays during our stay so we had to settle for Matbaren instead.



I love the extensive use of wood in the dining area, evoking a great sense of comfort. Some of the seats have the perfect view of the open kitchen in which chefs could be seen working hard behind the scene.



Designer furniture can be seen anywhere in the city. So why would we be surprised to see a few here at the corner of a cozy restaurant?



Our server told us a typical meal here consisted of 3-4 dishes and if we were still not full, perhaps a dessert.

What a great way to start our meal with this lovely fried Italian sepia. Slices of sepia, or squid was slightly fried before serving with garlic, parsley and lemon. I love the texture there!



Just when I thought no other starter could top the previous dish, the talented kitchen managed to prove me wrong. Meet my cocotte of Bohuslän ling with 63 degree egg, horseradish hollandaise and dill.

We were told that ling fish is the distant cousin of cod fish and it has such a unique flavor. That was again an excellent dish.



For main course, I had the Beef Dahlgren which came highly recommended by our server.
I thought the fillets of beef were incredibly tender and flavorful with the egg 63 degree and truffle gravy providing a great finishing touch.



Perhaps the least impressive dish of the night belonged to this fried canette from Bretagne that was served with a cold soba noodles, ginger, soy sauce and scallions. A little too chewy for our liking.

 




Food Rating: 7/10
Price: €€
Address: Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6, 111 48 Stockholm, Sweden
Closest Metro Station: Kungsträdgården T-bana
Tel:
+46 8 679-3584
Website: mdghs.com
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 25th (2010)



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