Restaurang Äng

The road to the Ästad vineyard in northeast Halland weaves its way through a staggeringly beautiful cultural landscape – a limitless larder for chef Filip Gemzell, who worked for several years at top eateries in London, and then on Svalbard, before returning to Sweden. Here at Ästad Vingård, just over 10 km from Tvååker, he encountered his paradise. The family that owned it had switched from milk to grapes, and also built an improbably large conference hotel far off the beaten track. The winery itself is in a kind of castle that calls Napa Valley to mind, and on whose ground floor is Äng, with soft chairs and views across ponds and lakes. Filip Gemzell goes all out and takes us on an exciting exploration of Halland. With passion, delight and the joy of discovery he shares with us everything that comes from the surrounding landscape. Ingredients that have always been here, waiting to be discovered while our gaze was turned out towards the world. The dishes follow a clear internal logic. A horn from one of the farm’s Gute sheep serves as the plate for a lamb tartare with fir mayonnaise and horseradish. This is followed by a thicket of juniper twigs concealing kåsor, traditional drinking cups, filled with delicious mushroom soup made with Halland portobello. A pile of black bladder wrack bears a Norway lobster freshly caught by fisherman Anders in Bua. Sea meets land as the lobster is accompanied by a sauce of cream, dill, juniper needles and the tenderest yarrow leaves. Äng’s wine package is also an experience, albeit without wine from the local vineyard as yet – this is forthcoming, though, the pleasant and unpretentious staff assure us. In his quest for origin, Filip has also created what may be Sweden’s tastiest cheesecake.

Published December 2019