The Prince and The Hawker

Walking into NISCH, I was struck by how intimate the space was. Essentially one moderate rectangle, the dining room consisted of one long table in the middle and small tables against the walls. We had a reservation, and we were instructed to choose any two-person table.

We sat down at one of the wall tables where my partner and I both faced the centre of the room. Normally I wouldn’t opt for this kind of table, but it felt right in the space. The wall tables had wooden sections that could be slotted in between adjacent tables to customise table sizes for different party numbers. I’ve seen this at other restaurants in Sweden and think it’s a smart use of small spaces.

We were presented a menu as we sat down. NISCH has a single tasting menu that changes every few weeks. The menu when we went was number 192. We ordered some drinks to start and my partner also opted for the wine paring. As far as tasting menus go in Stockholm, I think NISCH is moderately priced.

Time to Eat at NISCH

The first dish we were served was an off-menu amuse bouche. Digging in, we found a baked egg hidden inside a smoked pork belly broth and under a layer of parmesan foam and chives. I this was a great medley of flavours to awake the palate, though the parmesan was a bit lost for me. The texture of the egg was very intriguing. The yolk was just set but the white was was also super soft and just cooked. Considering the different coagulation temoeratures of egg yolks and whites, I thought this was masterfully executed.

The first dish on the menu consisted of delightful layers composed of butter boiled potato, Kalix löjrom (a specific roe from the vendace fish), and Västerbotten cheese. It was finished with leek ash on top. Both the roe and the cheese come from the same are in Northern Sweden. If ever there is a dish with flavours that scream “Swedish!” it’s this one. Even though there was a full layer of roe on top of creamy cheese, the entire dish felt quite light.

Next came a beef tartare in Jerusalem artichoke broth and cream, adorned with beautiful radicchio Rosa and French truffle. The beef was from Finnish and the marinade was wonderfully sharp.

My partner’s pescatarian substitute was a scallop tartare with the same accompaniments. Unfortunately, he said it was a less successful combination.

Getting into the main dishes was a skrei (cod) swimming in a wonderfully tasty mussel broth, Hispi cabbage, rainbow trout roe, and dill oil. I have to say I really enjoy Swedish cuisine’s liberal use of different fish roe. This dish was also a little playful as the main protein was tucked away, hidden beneath the cabbage.

The savoury dishes culimnated in a duck breast with green peppercorn and Spanish port. There was a foie gras sauce, grilled plums, and a black garlic puree. It was undoubtedly a decadent dish, but still ate quite light due to the expert combination of ingredients, especially the plum to cut through the richness.

Two small desserts ended the meal. The first was a cherry and almond ice cream with cherry coulis, pistachio cream, and roasted white chocolate. I’m usually not the biggest fan of desserts that are mostly “structureless”, but I thought the flavours of this one were pleasingly sharp and fresh.

The last course was a mandarin and timut pepper sorbet topped with a bergamot and lime foam. This was small and mighty, and was one of the highlights of the meal for me. The bitter notes in all the ingredients really tied the dish together for me and they worked wonderfully together. Unexpected flavours with a bitter undertone worked suprisingly well to close the meal.

The visual similarity of the first and last dishes of the tasting menu was a fun way to “bookend” the meal.

Final Thoughts

NISCH is a small and intimate restaurant that serves a changing, well-crafted tasting menu with heavy Swedish influences. Ingredients are thoughtfully combined to create unique flavours throughout the courses. It’s easy to see why NISCH is included in the Michelin guide. The dining room is compact but comfortable and inviting.

There is an impressive wine and alcohol list with unique offerings, as well as an optional wine pairing to go with the tasting menu. My partner did have the wine pairing, but he noted that while the drinks were unique, they didn’t seem to have a massive relation to the dishes they were paired with.

We found the service to be perfectable acceptable, but a bit robotic at times. This didn’t really detract from the tasty and wonderfully composed dishes. Ultimately, I am most focused on the food and we had a great meal at NISCH. My partner had been to NISCH once before, and both of us would gladly return in the future.