For over 20 years, Swedish top chef Fredrik Berselius has delighted New York's restaurant-goers with his sharp Nordic cuisine, influenced by memories of his upbringing in Sweden, with a touch of luxury. This summer, he returns to the Nordics briefly with a pop-up version of his restaurant, ASKA, in the Japanese Pagoda at Tivoli.
It is generally difficult to make it as a chef, and in New York, it takes something extraordinary to stand out. The bustling metropolis offers everything the heart desires in the culinary genre, so to make a mark, you need something special. The Swedish chef Fredrik Berselius has certainly succeeded in this. Twenty-four years ago – in the year 2000 – he moved to the American metropolis, where he worked at Per Se, among other places, before opening his restaurant, ASKA, in Brooklyn in 2012, earning his first Michelin star in less than a year.
In 2016, he moved the restaurant to a new location at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, and once again, Michelin did not hesitate to reward the Swede – within a few months, ASKA was awarded its second Michelin star, which has since shone over the dimly lit restaurant, aptly named ASKA, which means "ashes" in Swedish.
ASKA has thus established itself as one of New York's best restaurants, and for a short period, residents and visitors in Copenhagen can enjoy Berselius' cuisine.
ASKA has crossed the Atlantic to showcase its cuisine to visitors in the Danish capital's historic amusement park, Tivoli. Until August 18, you can experience ASKA in the Japanese Pagoda for lunch and dinner, accompanied by a tailored wine or champagne pairing.
ASKA's cuisine is strongly inspired by Berselius' upbringing in Sweden and his love for the Swedish nature and the Nordic philosophy based on seasons and local ingredients. In the wild nature of north-eastern America, Berselius finds similarities to the Swedish nature, and these similarities are the foundation for the food at ASKA, where guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in nature and experience ingredients the finest products Berselius can get his hands on. There is thus the opportunity to try local North American ingredients that Fredrik Berselius and his team have foraged, such as pine, chamomile, and yarrow.
"We have brought a lot of beautiful ingredients to Tivoli from the nature and farms in the wild upstate New York. We also have beautiful oils and vinegars that we have created in the restaurant in Brooklyn. I am excited to show a bit of New York at Tivoli and to serve dishes like grilled langoustine with pickled gooseberries and other favourites from the restaurant in Brooklyn," says Fredrik Berselius, who also has personal reasons to spend the summer in Copenhagen with his family.
"My mother in law is Danish but lived the majority of her life in the United States and my wife still has relatives here. I love being here and it makes it extra special to have my family with me, especially our young daughter who gets to experience a bit of her Danish heritage."
You do not need to get far into the meal until the first small bites reveal that ASKA's menu at Tivoli is of the finest calibre. Among the initial snacks, you can experience crispy seaweed with small dots of lightly smoked blue mussel emulsion, a refreshing and juicy mouthful of kohlrabi pickled in linden leaf vinegar topped with linden tree flowers, before being delighted by a small tart shell with bleak roe, the special orange fish roe eaten on special occasions in Sweden, here with a touch of lilac flower vinegar.
The high level from the snacks continues in the actual menu, which begins with a brilliant serving of gently cooked crème royale topped with raw lobster claw, trout roe, an oil made from the lobster shells, and a light foam with aromatic nuances of elderflower.
Berselius' cuisine is visually extremely sleek and Nordic in expression with its simple, streamlined presentations; but when you delve into the dishes, an intense and refined flavour universe unfolds time and again. The serving of thin slices of hand-dived scallop wrapped around small pieces of turnip served in a concentrated broth made from all the scallop innards is a perfect example of something that looks extremely simple but unfolds an abundance of complexity as soon as it hits your tastebuds.
It is followed by Berselius' arguably most famous dish. A large, juicy langoustine tail grilled over charcoal is served simply with small drops of red gooseberry jelly and a sauce made from the caramelized langoustine shells and preserved red gooseberries; a completely superb dish where the sweet meat of the langoustine melts together with the deep flavour of the sauce from the shells, complemented by nutty notes from browned butter.
Gently tempered turbot topped with caviar served with a creamy sauce made from dark beer split with dill oil and a perfect piece of skin-fried sea bass with small chanterelles round off the savoury section before the sweet finale begins.
It offers milk sorbet with lightly whipped cream and meadowsweet syrup, as well as a delicate selection of petit fours ending a superb meal in Copenhagen's old amusement park, where ASKA, until August 18, must be considered one of the top attractions.
Read more at Tablebooking.
You can also read more about the entire Japanese Tower's exciting line-up of restaurants visiting Tivoli this year here: Tivoli.
