Vasalissa Chocolatier
from the Finnish language and
means Mother Earth. The Norwegian
terroir has until now been a relatively
unknown treasure of the international culinary world, but it is something that Esben Holmboe Bang,
the Danish head chef, is passionate
about. Esben was listed in Time
Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Chefs
in the World in 2013.
The cuisine uses 100% organic,
biodynamic and wild produce, of
which 95% comes from Norway, and
85% of which is sourced from within
a radius of 100 kilometres from
Oslo. Featuring local flora and fauna,
Maaemo’s focus is on retaining all
the natural flavour and quality of
the raw ingredients. Waiters are
schooled on the area, the supplier,
and sometimes even the farm where
the produce originates.
Try the 10-course affair, which in fact
consists of over 20 servings once the
chef's extras are added.
Pure Norwegian flavours are
delivered with great precision. The
exceptional tasting menu strips
Norwegian food back to its bare
essentials, before recomposing it in
an entirely new manner. Flavours
focus on letting the quality of the
produce shine, and combine with
Esben's characteristic use of acidic
and sweet undertones that seem to
intensify them.
A meal at Maaemo will take guests
on a breathtaking culinary tour of
Norway, one that carries them from
the temperate climes of the southerly Hvaler Islan ds, to the cold and
pristine waters of the West Coast,
and on to the expansive inland
wilderness of Røros.
The cooking is of the highest level,
intelligent and sublime, original and
intricate. Some meals comfort; others
push the boundaries of the culinary
arts in new and exciting directions.
Maaemo succeeds in doing both.
Appetisers may include frozen cow’s
milk, salsify pickled in juniper, red
cabbage gel with horseradish, a traditional porridge with reindeer heart
and brown butter, a cornet of chicken
liver cream with dried chanterelle gel,
grilled cucumber and parsley, and an
oyster emulsion served in a beautiful
dish with oyster shells.
Other dishes include reindeer with
Jerusalem artichoke and Nordic muesli
with Swedish truffle foam, blue cheese
from Eggen Farm with black trumpet
gel, buttermilk sorbet with mountain
herbs, fried rye bread cream with a
disc of mead gel, burnt marzipan and
wheat beer vinegar, brown butter ice
cream, birch macaroon, and brown
cheese with last year’s strawberry.
Do not miss one of the patented
Maaemo classics, an utter thing of
beauty: a beautiful bowl filled with
branches of spruce with a thick and
juicy langoustine from Føya placed
on top. Before it is eaten, the waiter
pours a pine infusion over dry ice in
the bottom, creating a smoke that
covers the table like an incredibly
looking blanket that smells of pine. It
is one of the most dramatic dishes we
have ever experienced. Executed to
perfection, the stunning presentation
is breathtaking.
The carefully curated wine pairings
are some of the most imaginative
anywhere. A wine is treated as a
crucial part of the dish. Pontus
Dahlström's talent is without doubt
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