What springs into your mind when you hear the word Aquavit? St James’s Market? Regent Street? New York? Nordics? Tokyo?

When I first heard of Aquavit, I think of the word calm, and when I link it with London, I think of two different worlds where the calm meets the rush. I remember seeing the St James’s Market being developed followed by the empty sites a couple of years ago, then I noticed more restaurants and venues began to move in and then Aquavit. I’d never considered Aquavit before, because I was usually walking along Waterloo Place or Pall Mall but this was an ideal time to visit – it was time to try another restaurant. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I did realise they had two Michelin Stars down its pocket in both their Manhattan and Tokyo branches, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Aquavit received another star in its London branch.

What’s The Room Like?

So, Aquavit is a ‘uniquely Nordic-style’ restaurant based in St. James’s Market, just a stone’s throw away between Regent Street and Haymarket. St James’s itself has always been associated with the words: luxury and royalty, and having worked in the area, seeing endless high-end vehicles, and suits, as well as knowing the history I would say it’s pretty accurate. Walking into the restaurant, I wasn’t disappointed, in fact, it was more of a relief, an escape. It can be described as walking into a room of peace from the bustling city.

I particularly liked its use of cool stones, slight tints on the ceiling-to-floor windows, and orange wood. It reminds me of the luxury hotels you would see in movies, (and certainly a match with the Dorchester). I didn’t take a photo of the interior, I really should. But this could mean, a revisit to Aquavit!

The double-height ceilings and minimalistic-styled lights made me forget that I was in London, I felt an almost immediate calm once I passed through the doors, despite the sound of diners inside the restaurant. Oh, and the swirling marble floors are worth a mention. I would write more on what I ordered from the menu, but this visit was about National Burger Day (and you’ve guessed correctly, I ordered a burger), I remember eating one of the priciest burgers I could afford a few years ago on an intern salary – at Mandarin Oriental’s Bar Boulud, the burger was something, but slightly Americanised. The burger I have chosen from Aquavit, was known as the Skagen Burger.

What I ordered:

• The Skagen Burger
• Rydberg Potatoes
• Virgin Mojito
• Berry Lemonade
• Arctic Birds Nest

I always find arbitrary days interesting, you do occasionally stumble across a national day for occasions, which can be funny but somehow on a few occasions reminds me to think of the basics in life. But this arbitrary day was about burgers!

The Skagen Burger – a hearty beef patty made from the highest quality short rib and skirt beef, topped with traditional shrimp Skagen and finished with a layer of Västerbotten cheese (from the Västerbotten region of Sweden), smoked whole grain mustard mayonnaise, chive, fill, horseradish, lemon sauce, sautéed onions, and served in a brioche bun with pickled red onion, cucumber and salad, oh and lets not forget the matchstick fries.

I also ordered the Rydberg Potatoes, which reminds me slightly of cubed tofu, which has a thin batter surrounding its soft and silky interior. Trust me, it was potatoes that I ordered and ate. It was a small side but sufficient enough especially when the burger came with.

Probably my favourite part of my blog is talking about the dessert. When you talk to a Chinese about ‘Bird’s Nest’, they tend to think of the luxury Bird’s Nest dessert (look it up on Google), but I was very curious about seeing it on the menu as I believe there was something more to this dish. Our waitress gave a brief description of what the dish was so I trusted my guts and her recommendation and ordered this Artic Birds Nest. I wasn’t disappointed.

Here’s another view of the Arctic Bird’s Nest dessert. 

In short, the Artic Bird’s Nest is made with goat-cheese parfait that was transformed into the shape of an egg, encased within a thin layer of white chocolate. The nest (honey tuile nest) was made with a slight trowel over the batter with the tuile (cookie) shaped into a nest (by hand). The twigs were made with tempered chocolate piped into ice water which resembles twigs (believe it, it was realistic). There were also frozen-and-dried raspberries that were frozen with liquid nitrogen and were broken into shards, there was also some brownie dirt that was made with crumbled brownies (I was told it was Bengtsson’s grandmother’s recipe) which resembled soil with the bird’s nest, and last but not least some shredded halvah that looks like feathers.

See what I mean but it looks quite realistic?

What I’d go back for:

If you are planning to visit Aquavit, you should know that the food focuses heavily on seafood and I am talking about Dooncastle oysters, crab, turbot, and monkfish. It would certainly suit those who enjoy a good seafood dish in the heart of London.

I will also try more of the desserts that are offered on the menu, but I am also curious about their breakfast menu. I always picture reading a book, whilst enjoying breakfast (or even brunch) outside a minimalistic but ‘on-point’ restaurant in London, and I think I may have just found the place.