The first plate of food to come to the table was the hay smoked salmon, it was truly exquisite, Niklas had planned to use Arctic Char, but wasn't happy with the quality so went for salmon. The magic was that the fish was beautifully cooked and the charred hay dust was still on top of the fish, it hadn't been brushed off or hidden with a sauce, it was this beautiful layer of sweet charred hay that made the dish.
The plate was beautiful with salsify puree, beets and delicate fronds of chervil, flavours which all worked together beautifully. Very impressed.
Niklas stood up on a chair and discussed the menu, how it came about and the inspiration behind the dishes, basically his trip over to the UK and seeing the ingredients available to him.
The main came out, and was beautifully presented, though I must admit the asado lamb seemed to be hidden under a lot of wild garlic and lovage, the sharing bowl of lamb was in the middle of the table. I think unfortunately though the lamb wasn't the best, as I had mentioned earlier the lambs look like they'd seen too much of the direct heat, and the subtlety of the smoke and juicy meat was lost to the bitter flavour of the burnt. It was unfortunate, but shows the difficulty of cooking like this for a large crowd. I tried to discuss this with Niklas before I left, but didn't get an opportunity. The other elements of the dish were wonderful though.
The pudding was a lovely almond cake, with rhubarb and was a lovely refreshing end to the meal.
I am glad I went, and wished I had an opportunity to chat with Niklas, but he was very much in demand. I was still fairly hungry when I left, so I had to stop off for a bite to eat as well, but as I said I am a man of appetite. On my table were some lovely ladies who are regulars to Roth Bar & Grill, and they were telling me all about the wonderful Tomahawk steaks that are usually served up there. So I will be returning.
I do wonder if my expecations are different to many of the others who attended, and having cooked many lambs on the cross myself, I know how they should turn out.
One thing it does do, is make me want to visit Niklas' restuarant in Stockholm and to taste the food he cooks there.
If you wish to hear more about events at Roth Bar & Grill make sure to visit their website, there looks to be lots of fire cooked food events going on. Hopefully this will eb the start of more fire food chefs coming down. to Somerset. To find out more about Niklas check out his site below.
https://www.rothbarandgrill.co.uk
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