Let’s get this out of the way before we begin: Ekstedt at the Yard is expensive. It’s not the sort of place you pop into for a quick bite to eat. It is – for most of us at least – a once-a-year, if that, kind of experience.
I use the word experience because that is exactly what it is – and it is wonderful.
Niklas Ekstedt is essentially the king of open-fire cooking. The first Ekstedt restaurant opened in 2011 in Stockholm, earnt a Michelin star, and in 2021 the chef opened Ekstedt at the Yard in London.
If this new iteration doesn’t also receive a Michelin star in due course, I would be surprised. It is exceptional.
Tucked away on the ground floor of the Great Scotland Yard hotel, Ekstedt is all low lighting, muted colours and rustic chic: think dried plants on the walls and candles in oyster shells on each table. The staff are as welcoming and knowledgeable as you’d expect for the £150 a head price tag.
Ultimately, though, it’s the kitchen that draws the eye. Partially open, you can peer straight in and watch the Nordic fire masters in action as they cook up your meal.
Speaking of which, we begin with an amuse bouche of cured venison served like biltong; a simple snack made mouth-watering by the highest quality of ingredients.
Then, a trio of “snacks from the fire”: a “cast-iron doughnut” with lovage and smoked egg yolk, ember-baked leek with smoked black pudding and reindeer moss, and hay-smoked custard with trout roe and chives. This triad sets the tone for what will be one of the most interesting meals in memory, full of smoky flavours and complex pairings. Who knew a doughnut, black pudding and roe would work so well in tandem?
Continuing the theme, earthy black truffle and Birch-flamed chanterelles are paired beautifully with flambadou lobster and caramelised cream. The ember-baked trout surprises with versace roe and a delicious but light and smoky cream, a more refined combination than the party of flavours that comes with the chanterelles. Slow charcoal-roasted pork neck is ever so slightly red and juicy, served with tenderstem broccoli, fermented gooseberries and trotter sauce.
But it’s the juniper-smoked john dory that blows me away, served on a cloud of brown butter-roasted hispi cabbage and oxalis. I am baffled when we overhear a neighbouring diner complain that “it’s a bit boring … it’s just cabbage”. I was half-tempted to suggest he take a Covid test to ensure he wasn’t suffering from a loss of taste. Either that, or he was served a different dish entirely, because this cabbage was delightful. Its subtle flavour was the perfect accompaniment to the smoky fish. Compared to the heavy and salty (and delicious, don’t get me wrong) pork, the john dory was altogether more balanced, the flavours coming together to produce the sort of dish you don’t really want to end.
Dessert is another clash of flavours, with a wood oven-baked Alaska – the Sixties throwback is enjoying somewhat of a resurgence on London’s menus – with a duo of elderflower and pumpkin ice cream and lingonberries, and a cardamom doughnut with pumpkin custard and sea buckthorn sorbet. I’m drawn more to the subtle flavour of the pumpkin than the rich Alaska. It’s the perfect ending to a meal full of smoky flavours.
Perhaps now it’s clear why “boring” is simply not the adjective to describe this meal. Words simply don’t do it the justice it deserves. It’s a menu of smoke, and each dish adds to the next.
Dinner at a restaurant like Ekstedt is more than just a meal. It’s an artwork. You might eat there once in a blue moon, but you’ll never forget it.
A nine-course tasting menu at Ekstedt at the Yard is £145, or a three-course meal is £85.
3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London, SW1A 2HN | 020 7925 4749 | ekstedtattheyard.com
