Vyn

Experience more of this visit through our video highlights here.

I embarked on a journey to Sweden with some of my gourmand friends, via Copenhagen. Travelling on a very windy cold day, out to the middle of nowhere, driving down a windy road, in the countryside, towards the sea, to arrive at Vyn. What a breathtakingly beautiful setting. Vyn is Daniel Berlin’s new restaurant which had been open for only three months at the time of my visit. I interviewed Daniel for my podcast the following morning, and his story is so remarkable and inspiring; I can’t wait to share that later this Spring. 

I stayed in the most beautiful room, a very contemporary style, with the interior of the hotel being very beautiful and minimalist. 

Firstly, we had a drink to start at a little eatery next door, which was where a lovely Swedish breakfast was served the next morning. 

Through the gorgeous hand-carved door, which was opened via a button pressed on the floor, we ventured into Vyn to be greeted by Daniel and his team. The most beautiful room awaited us, with drinks and snacks to start. Sat next to the fire, I took in the high ceilings and gorgeous structure and design. What a room. Up in the rafters above the open kitchen is the private dining room with a glass front, which looks out above all. 

We start with our bites.

Lightly cured ike jime pike perch. This was served very cold, with horseradish and green gooseberries, a clean fresh start.

Warmed turbot wing, Linderöds pork cheek & local saffron in two parts. The first, a croustade filled with king crab for the others, and turbot wing for me. This was topped with pork cheek fat and saffron flower. The second part, inside as I lifted the china lid, was a delicate bite of fish roe with crème fraiche and caramelised celeriac, scented with verbena.

Marinated Mallard, beetroot & blackberries. The duck breast, served with beetroot that had been soaking in blackberry juice, was delightful, with the base hot and the top cold.

Cockles with smoked red deer heart & roasted barley. Featuring locally sourced roasted barley, and a barley broth, this dish had particularly delicate flavours.

Discovery apple, pheasant liver, pig’s blood & Ingrid Marie brandy. This was complete with a rye tart, made with pig’s blood. On top was a wild duck liver pate, apple reduced and caramelised, acidic, and made into a gel, topped with a blackcurrant oil.

Now, to the dining room.

Langoustine cooked gently in brown butter. The perfectly cooked langoustine was the star of the dish, accompanied by parsley root and sauce made from elderflower. The claw meat underneath was turned in crème fraiche, all topped with a burnt butter milk foam. This dish was beautiful, delicate, and delightful. 

Hot and cold scallop, aroma apple and sugar kelp. I loved this signature dish from Daniel, which we discussed in his interview. With a hot and perfectly cooked top half, and a crust formed from the heat applied, as well as the cold raw scallop on the bottom half, this dish was absolute genius. The dill, apple and sugar kelp sauce was so good that I could have swam in it. 

Skrei cod, birch leaf & spruce. The cheeks and head of the cod had been smoked and baked, complete with a sauce made with mussels and birch leaf. 

White beetroots, raw shrimp, walnuts & fjällko cream. The beetroots, cooked in white current juice, was served with Fjord shrimp from Norway found inside each little parcel. On top was the white currant jelly, with fresh walnut, walnut oil, lemon thyme and mountain cow cream. This was actually my least favourite dish; the fresh walnuts tasted a little stale, and the cream just made it all a bit bland. 

Chanterelles, cured egg, hazelnuts & salted blueberries. Baby chanterelles, picked and preserved in summer, with egg cured in the juices of the chanterelle, all covered with a blanket of blueberries in gel form formed a very tasty Swedish forest.

Poached quail, seaweed, pear & celeriac. The quail was prepared by cooking it in a broth with herbs, lemon thyme and seaweed. It was then dried out for a few days and covered in butter to tenderise it. After removing all the butter and placing the quail in crème fraiche for twelve hours, it was then cooked. 

The quail breast off the crown, brushed with a demi-glace with dry mushrooms, provided an umami sweetness. Alongside was the seaweed, caramelised pear and celeriac, served with a burnt sauce made from lightly browning the bones (a burnt fat emulsion), mixed with crème fraiche from the breast and cooking sauces (like a hollandaise) along with quail skin, created with corn starch to make it ultra-crispy.

We then enjoyed the quail broth as well as the second half of the quail, made into a rillette confit of the legs, mixed fat, and spices. The confit was delicious on its own, with very unique flavours, but was enhanced by the broth that was so comforting, especially as I was not feeling so good on this trip. This was all served with locally made sourdough bread, using Swedish wheat, and butter made from Highland cows. 

Saddle of fallow deer cooked over the fire. Wow, exceptional. The smoked and grilled saddle and tongue of deer over the fire was served with black truffle from Italy and very rich sauce made from the bone marrow and fermented black currants. It was absolutely delicious and my second favourite dish for sure. 

Caramelised Belle de Boskoop, milk & woodruff. The caramelised cooking apples, with milk sorbet, salt meringue and foam from woodruff was all eaten together. The ice cream alone was nothing, but with the apples it worked well.

I then returned to the lounge area for petit fours.

Freshly milled Tanzanian cacao. This homemade chocolate made into a ganache for the tart, which was absolutely delicious. 

Red Hokkaido & sea buckthorn sorbet. I had never had pumpkin sorbet before, but it was beautiful, served with sea buckthorn, with pumpkin seed praline in the base.

Malt & dried plum cake, infused with coffee and a slab of frozen butter on top. By this stage I was so very full but had a bite of this and it was a very British sort of vibe that tasted of childhood flavours and comfort. 

Final thoughts. I loved it all, everything was so very good. I adored the scallop with Daniel’s play on temperatures, as well as the quail in the butter, which was equally excellent. I experienced the most wonderful hospitality, with kind, friendly and knowledgeable service. I would love to return in the summer months for sure. I am certain Daniel and his team at Vyn will get two stars at the Nordic Michelin ceremony in May. He is shooting for three even. Just exceptional.

#mymuybueno #mymuybuenochefs #mymuybuenovisits #eatlivelearn