Nordic cuisine has to - without a doubt - be a firm favourite of mine and with a little slice of Scandinavia in St. James's, it's perfectly possible to get your fill in London. Situated in the exceptionally stylish St. James's Market development, Aquavit showcases som eof the finest Nordic food in a sleek, chic, setting that just oozes Scandi design; think plentiful pine and lots of lovely light from its enormous windows.
From Head Chef Jonas Karlsson comes a menu spanning the region, including a very reasonable set lunch and pre-theatre menu (£29 for two courses or £32 for three) and a brilliant à la carte. The smörgåsbord selection rivals that of any Copenhagen food hall; we love the sound of the pickled herrings with vodka, mustard, pink peppercorn and lingonberrie and the shrimp skagen with toaste sourdough and dill mayonnaise.
We started our feast with a delicious (albeit messy...) langoustine bao bun with cabbage slaw and some succulent pan-friend diver scallops with burnt leeks and fish velouté. Sticking with the fish theme (if it ain't broke...) mains included a pretty wonderful fillet of Norwegian halibut with palourde clams, samphire and saffron butter sauce and a deliciously summery stone bass fillet with celeriac croquette, liquorice jus and avruga. The fish was perfection, light, flaky, full of flavour, close your eyes and you could almost imagine enjoying it in on a balmy summer Stockholm evening. For a refreshing dessert, we adored the zingy blueberry poached pineapple with berries and mint.
This place lends itself perfectly to convivial gathering with friends; it's a brilliant, buzzing space with exquisite food. Keep an eye out for its events throughout the year - the annual summer crayfish partu (a Swedish tradition) is always one of the hottest tickets in town.
