Frantzén: the Future of Fine Dining

Exterior: a rather ‘normal’ house

With his new restaurant, Björn Frantzén has fulfilled a dream for himself and his guests of rebuilding and staging an entire house from the ground up as a place for culinary encounters. Everything is from the same mould, the hosts show an authentic friendliness and an irrepressible desire for their ‘work’, which all in all creates an extremely harmonious overall experience. After a warm welcome in the foyer with a dry-aging wardrobe and musical crescendo, you drive up to the living room to relax, have an aperitif (what a superb selection of open champagnes, all of which are explained in great detail) and enjoy the first small snacks. Frantzén focuses but is not limited to local products to offer the very best from far and near.

Act 1: The Living Room

The aperos are small masterpieces in itself – each with a blinking eye, playing masterfully with Nordic food traditions while at the same time building on the French culinary foundations as well as integrating Asian/Japanese flavors. 

Apero 1
beer-cooked king crab, trout roe washed in sake, crown dill, aspic
« of 5 »

After finishing the aperos the staff proudly present their products that you will experience in the course of the menu.

Show-case of the menu’s products

Act 2: The main menu

crudo: blue fin tuna “toro”, purple radish, myoga, horseradish and salted tomato vinaigrette

Served at the kitchen table on the mezzanine floor, the actual menu started with blue fin tuna belly (hidden underneath the beautiful purple radish) – the belly kicked in nicely with some intensity whereas its intrinsic fattiness worked perfect with the different acidic shades.

deep fried langoustine: crispy rice (koshikahiri), dried green onions, emulsion of clarified butter infused with ginger

Hard to beat this incredible langoustine dish: quality-wise on par with L’Ambrosie but even bigger it was just shortly fried with the rice underneath to add texture, a bit reminiscent to sushi. Dipping this wonderful species with your hands into the light butter emulsion you just wish it will never be finished!

monkfish gilled over birch embers, carrot “hot sauce”, sea urchin, finger lime and chrysanthemum

Another masterpiece, the monkfish was grilled over open fire in the kitchen just to endow him with the right backing to counter the strong flavors. I loved the interplay of the spiciness and jodic flavors.

chawanmushi, Frantzen “prestige osier caviar”, aged pork broth

While the menu overall is not cheap (3000 skr at this time, about 300€), Frantzén is just a very generous place. The amount of caviar was served with just this generosity. Needless to say, the interplay of the chawanmushi, pork broth and caviar was just yummy.

bitter and pickled greens, “hommage satio tempestas”, crunchy fish scales, warm infusion, whipped butter milk with mortar herbs

The Kaiseki-style homage to the signature dish “satio tempestas”, a preparation of various seasonal fresh and pickled vegetables with crispy fish scales and whipped buttermilk with crushed herbs, is a welcome pause for thought before it heads for the main courses. An almost Zen-like atmosphere sets in, the more than 35 ingredients are discovered successively and you also refresh yourself with a tea-like infusion and do without alcohol at this moment – simply grandiose. 

french toast (grand tradition 2008) with vacua rossa, truffle and 100-year old vinegar

After the ‘salad’ we had the fabulous French toast with Vacca Rossa, really old Aceto and an enormous amount of truffles – one of the best dishes of all time! 

spring lamb, jus clarifié, ramson, matsutake mushrooms

Tender and intense spring lamb for the pre-main course – it’s about this sheer product quality presented in a fusion Japanese and Nordic setting that makes Frantzén so special.

barbecue of quail, pear, endive, sauce périgaux a la royale

My least favorite course of the menu, still strong, but they could have emphasized the quail character a bit more by adding maybe one more piece. In a way very traditionally French, served with a formidable Sourdough bread at the side…

salt baked beetroot, whipped licorice, grottoes cherries and aged violet vinegar

Back on the track for the first dessert, salt-baked beet root, the intensity of which was just breath-taking! Clearly less on the purely sweet side as the whipped licorice and the vinegar balanced the sweetness of the cherries and beet root quite nicely.

Act 3: The Finale

Snickers cream with caramel and foie gras, oxalis, Pedro Ximénez 

So, after this splendid main meal you return to the living room and end your feast with a nice take on Snickers based on foie gras – intense, not too sweet and just delicate. Needless to say, there are also some sweet nibbles to conclude your experience.

Overall

To enumerate all the details would be like to report on a musical masterpiece in every detail – you have to experience it for yourself! The menu is an almost transcendental experience – an ode to the very best products , precise preparation and an almost miraculous dramaturgy, as if it had to go this very way.  And the wine pairing is clearly something to go for – not cheep, but generously poured and so damn-well fitting!

Moreover, it is the combination of the energy and enthusiasm that you can really feel among the whole Frantzén team that is truly outstanding. These guys really really love their jobs and it shows. In a way, it is a modern nonchalance hard to be trained. This energy infects you as a diner and makes your dining an immaculate experience. It’s like dining at friends in a most relaxing but yet inspiring atmosphere. And, Björn Frantzén and his team tell a story about their own culinary heritage, their culinary inspirations and their love of food in general. For me, that’s the future of fine dining!

Go! Go! Go!

Frantzén
Klara Norra kyrkogata 26
111 22 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone:  +46 (0)8 20 85 80
Web: http://www.restaurantfrantzen.com
Mail: reservation@restaurantfrantzen.com

Comments

comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.