Vollmers

The dish is called Skogsflora (‘forest flora’). On a piece of forest moss, complete with mushrooms and lichen, is a green-glazed ceramic plate bearing something brown-beige and gelatinous. Underneath this blanket of crown dill jelly, right at the bottom, are chanterelles with a purée of cep. On top of them, cubes of caramelised Jerusalem artichoke – crisp and nearly raw despite being roasted for two hours at 145 degrees. It smells of the woods, it tastes subtly nutty and herby, with intense and elegant fungal tones. In short: magical. And it’s true – Vollmers restaurant seems more and more like a shrine devoted to higher gastronomy. Just approaching the entrance to the dining room, you sense a solemn atmosphere taking hold. With its scrupulously selected decor and discrete colour palette, the place feels almost sanctified. That feeling is turned on its head, however (perhaps intentionally) by the cheerful and engaging service staff led by Karin Chudzinska, the sommelier who has ably selected our wines. The excellent champagne, 7 crus from Agrapart, accompanies one of Sweden’s yummiest and prettiest snacks lineups. On glass dish, in a rustic wooden box with sand and seashells, is a croustade filled with green crab, lard, and a sorrel leaf. A sizeable rolled potato crisp that more than lives up to its name is filled with confit of duck leg from Munka-Ljungby. Underneath a blazing green jelly of dill and Norway lobster is a mix of lobster meat with raw shallots and an asparagus mayonnaise. A sturdy marrowbone is filled with veal tartare with dijon mayo and parsley root. To conclude the snacks, a showpiece: three lemon herbs – balm, thyme and verbena – are muddled with basil and lemon verbena juice, and served in a deep bowl with a ball of ice. Then it’s time for the main items. All have travel distance specifications for the main ingredient, as a reminder of Vollmers’ close relation with Skåne producers. The most impressive dish is Barndomsminnet (‘the childhood memory’), a reimagined cabbage pudding, paired with a marvellously mature pinot noir from Philippe Pascalet. Melted lardo in a jelly on roasted pointed cabbage filled with stringy pork meat, lardo and pickled ramsons capers. Acidity against fat. Berries against burnt cabbage. A fabulous display. The boldest presentation is a ball of long slices of the potent Sort Himmel blue cheese together with vanilla seeds. Its force is well balanced by a sweet, petroleum-scented auslese from Schloss Saarstein in the Mosel. This flavour bomb is followed by a welcome palate cleanser – and also possibly this year’s prettiest pre-dessert. In a ceramic bowl with flaming blue-green glaze is an orange ball of fresh cheese in rosehip skin with bee pollen and tart rosehip water. The crockery is an experience in itself. Each dish has its own specially designed piece by Anna R Kinman, a ceramic artist from Malmö. At Vollmers the attention to each and every detail is meticulous. A zero-waste policy is also applied (of which guests are pointedly reminded). As if to underline this, Mats Vollmer explains that the silver cutlery was found at the family’s old inn in Östarp – and he insists it was unused.

Published december 2019