a northern soul
Visitors from all over the world flock to Treehotel in Harads, a village nestled in the north of Sweden, to peer in wonder at its seven elegant, surreal treehouses – but its main guesthouse, Britta’s Pensionat, offers something wonderful of its own. For the past one and a half years, chef Sebastian Gröndal has deftly helmed The Restaurant at Treehotel, introducing guests to the finer points of traditional cuisine from Northern Sweden and delighting them with the area’s unique ingredients.
“Reindeer is probably my favourite because of its flavour and texture,” he muses. “Most people who come here have never tried it before, so it’s great when I can give them a ‘wow’ experience the first time they eat it.” Besides reindeer, diners can expect to sample Kalix löjrom (the king of Swedish caviars), moose, native fish such as Arctic char, perch, or pike, and a flatbread called gáhkko baked on an open fire by the northern indigenous Sami people.
Although the elements featured in Gröndal’s three-course dinners (priced at SEK685/RM320 per person) might be unfamiliar to most palates, in his skilled hands, each thoughtfully constructed dish channels the clean, straightforward flavours of the land. Such an approach is very much in his blood, given that he hails from the neighbouring village of Boden: “This is what I grew up cooking,” he says, “So it’s closest to my heart.”
His prowess in the kitchen is all the more impressive with the knowledge that The Restaurant only has three chefs on their team, with just one chef on duty every evening. “There’s a lot of prep work so that I can help take the plates out to serve them and explain what’s on the menu. That’s one of the most important things to me – I want to be able to see the guests so they can see me, and we get to talk.”
Neither does Gröndal keep his secrets close to his chest. He readily shares his recipes if diners want to try their hand at recreating his reindeer topside with roasted Jerusalem artichoke or his ‘gáhkko taco’ – although without the correct ingredients and his guidance, our guess is that results may vary.
