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SKÄL – Review

January 17, 2020 by Adrian York Leave a Comment

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Husmanskost at SKÅL in Notting Hill.

It’s a family affair at SKÅL, the new Islington neighbourhood Nordic restaurant serving a contemporary take on traditional ‘husmanskost’ (home-cooked) food with a twist.  Dad’s in the kitchen (Chef Lauri Hilli) with mum Angelique and daughter Emma managing the front of house. 

SKAL EXT

Situated in a Grade II listed building on Islington’s trendy Upper Street, SKÅL (which means cheers) has a welcoming  Scandi feel with white brick walls, gorgeous polished parquet flooring and Johnny Cash and Tom Petty on the stereo. 

SKAL AQUAVIT

The menu is divided into nibbles, starters and small plates, mains and desserts.  We started the evening with delicious home-made Aquavit, infused with dill and tarragon and served at room temperature –  a great way to get the evening going especially with a couple of the nibbles!

SKAL SNACKS

Mushrooms came deep-fried in a dry crisp batter, served with the subtle Nordic notes of a pine and dill cream sauce. Homemade whipped cod’s roe spread had a light, grainy texture (it was cod’s roe blended with whipped butter) and came with a basket of warm bread and proper Scandi crispbread. We moved on from the Aquavit to a bottle of Te Kairanga Riesling, 2018,  Martinborough, New Zealand which had a gentle lime acidity and unexpected dill notes which made it a  perfect match with the Nordic nosh. 

SKAL GRAVAD LAX

From the starters and small plates menu, we chose the gravad lax. The salmon was thinly sliced and of excellent quality and came with the traditional dill—mustard sauce with some pickled cucumber and the kick of wasabi to offset the sweetness of the herb.

SKAL Kroppkakor

Crispy deep-fried ’Kroppkakor’ boiled potato dumplings were strewn with wild mushrooms, melted Västerbotten cheese and a cloudberry vinaigrette. This was perfect comfort food for a cold winter’s night!

SKAL HERRING

A dish of herring, apple, sour cream, potato and rye was beautifully composed, the fish freshly pickled with soft light flesh and thin slivers of the apple adding crunch.

SKAL COD

From the mains menu, a perfectly cooked slab of roasted cod was served in a rich creamy white wine sauce, enlivened with horseradish, pert little peas and a dill ‘salsa’. 

SKAL POMMES ANNA

A side of winter slaw was a crunchy collation of kale, cabbage, carrots, toasted hazelnuts with a mild chilli bite. Pommes Anna, an unctuous dish of layered potatoes cooked in butter, showed proper classical technique and showcased the skill of the chef.

SKAL CHOCOLATE CAKE

An intensely flavoured and densely textured chocolate ’kladdkaka’ cake was lifted by the lightness of skyr and a gentle orange and liquorice compote on the side.

SKAL RICE PUDDING

Rich Swedish rice pudding was studded with brandy-soaked cloudberries and flavoured with cinnamon, honey and the snap of toasted almonds.

SKAL INT

SKÅL is the sort of restaurant every neighbourhood should have. It is charming and unpretentious, with friendly service, excellent and beautifully presented food, and a real sense of authenticity. There is a lot of competition in Islington but with its family setup and original food and drink offer, SKÅL is definitely worth a visit and should be supported.

SKÅL

149A Upper Street, N1 1RA London, UK
Email: info@skalnordicdining.co.uk
Call: 07308 031151
https://www.skalnordicdining.co.uk     

Filed Under: North London, Restaurant Tagged With: Islington, Scandinavian

About Adrian York

Musician, academic and writer Adrian York is a keen observer of restaurant culture and the gastronomic scene. His spiritual home is Soho where he is mostly to be found playing the piano, propping up a bar or holding forth about politics, art and culture from behind a restaurant table with a linen napkin on his lap and a glass of champagne in his hand.

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