Adam/Albin
Baked Radish – Chives, Turnip Cream
Rye Bread – Ramson Butter, Red Oxalis
Creamy Rice Tea – Nori, Chicken Broth, Flowers
White Asparagus – Trout Roe, Japanese Mustard
Caramelized Onion Tart – Mushroom, Apple
Lightly Smoked Swedish Tomatoes – Avocado, Espelette Pepper, White Almond Sauce, Nasturtium
Grilled Iberico Cheek & King Crab – Spinach, Crispy Potato, Ginger Salsa
Garlic Mushrooms – Steamed Cabbage, Beurre Blanc, Crispy Rice
Crusty Jerusalem Artichoke – Creamy Coconut, Broad Beans, Curry, Spring Onions
Pike Perch in Charcoaled Cream – Wild Garlic, Morels, Sesame Seeds
Lightly Cooked Cauliflower – Lemon, Taggiasca Olives, Leeks
Butter Baked Rhubarb – Soy Meringue, Maple Syrup, Rosemary Ice Cream
Cherries – Saffron, Milk Sorbet, Pistachios, Flowers
Buttermilk – Chocolate, Cold Cream
With much of Stockholm’s best dining closed on Mondays it was to Adam/Albin that two guests turned for dinner, a place some trusted sources had suggested might deserve a Michelin Star proving thoroughly average throughout a protracted period of nearly three hours.
Located at Rådmansgatan 16 and offered as two differing experiences, a “Blue Menu” Tasting putting diners at the whim of two Chefs working side-by-side in a partially open kitchen while the “Green Menu” trends Prix-Fixe, it was stepping around bar stools that diners were seated in a teensy two-top surrounded in greenery, one glass of Wine starting things off and a cup containing one bite of Radish in earthy Cream arriving soon thereafter as a “welcoming gift.”
Debating options and eventually deciding on the Green Menu with differing plates at each course, the night’s Bread and Butter arriving warm and herbal with a good chew, it was in Asian flavors that two more bites arrived at intervals of teen minutes, the Rice Tea with strategically placed Petals to be taken “one per sip” mostly salty while iced Asparagus in an Emulsion of Mustard and Roe was over-the-top Umami but not especially delicious.
More ‘trendy’ than other Stockholm Restaurants at its price-point, the music too loud and lighting ‘just so,’ one of the night’s best bites was next presented by way of Onions in Puff Pastry plus the sweetness of Apples while first courses were pleasant but unmemorable whether one selected local Tomatoes beneath a veil of Avocado or Pork with King Crab that got muddled and lost in potent Ginger Sauce.
Not so much a “bad” meal as one lacking refinement, second courses of Garlic Mushrooms and “crusty” Jerusalem Artichokes both one-note with the former lacking any real flavor beneath its hefty aroma, it was heartening that a main plates of Pike stood out amongst many seen throughout Sweden thanks to smoky Cream that played well of Morels though the cooked Cauliflower again tasted one dimensional thanks to an overabundance of Citrus.
Improving a bit with Dessert, a lengthy delay seeing interest wane further, it was with both diners presented two plates that a choose-your-own-adventure finale was underway, the bowl of Cherries best taken bite-for-bite with the floral Sundae while tender Rhubarb was best in a single spoonful with Rosemary Ice Cream, though the best bite of the night may just have been a buttery laminated Crisp that accompanied the check.
www.adamalbin.se