Longyearbyen is not just snow and ice! As I said, Svalbard is not just snow and ice, there are also events on a conveyor belt and between the battles it should be enjoyed too! Here is my experience of the restaurant at hotel Polfareren.
After a long day on tour, it is always good to come back to hotel Polfareren and maybe sit down to relax in front of the fireplace with something to drink before the shower, to get ready for the evening's great dining experience in the restaurant at Plorfareren itself.
Polfareren hotel, a small food mecca! When you get here and choose a place to stay, you can make it easy to check in at the Polfareren hotel. The advantage is that you then stay at the hotel that has the best food. I will enjoy it on the last evening in Svalbard, for this time. The menu is based on seasonal produce and they say that the team has drawn inspiration from Norwegian and local produce. The chefs are good at modern techniques to give us both a pleasant, but not least key exciting dining experience. Regardless of the season, the short-traveled ingredients and home-produced food are the keysharvests to a good taste experience. The kitchen team works closely with local fishermen and harvest seaweed, kelp, and mushrooms from the beautiful Svalbard landscape. The serving staff is two girls in their twenties, who both love the Norwegian climate and not least the nature of Svalbard.
Eyoanan is from Nigeria and Dagmar comes from Slovakia. The chef, Håkon Johansen, comes from Henningsvær and he is also looking forward to this evening. Since I am early, in order to make it to one of the concerts, I have the restaurant almost to myself. I am greeted by the two pleasant and cheerful waiters. They show me to the table and serve me a glass of A.D. Coutelas Cuvee, Champagne as an aperitif. It is perfectly tempered and tastes absolutely delicious. I get time to calm down before the first starter arrives. It's cod from Svalbard with horseradish and potato cream, roe-roe, nori flakes, and fried leeks.,
Since I had an amazing Svalbard cod a few days ago, I thought I would compare these two against each other, but no. Since there were two completely different preparation methods and garnishes, it didn't work, but just note that this dish, too, was absolutely fantastic. Wow! The wine for the first appetizer was the same as the aperitif, a full-bodied and balanced Champagne, with flavors of green apple, citrus and minerals with a hint of vanilla This was actually better than expected. As I sat there enjoying the aftertaste, I took a bit of the bread to soak up all the flavors that were left. There is something about food that can be enjoyed, it is like a symphony. I won't exaggerate, but that fish, that spice, where will this end? When I sit and philosophize, wine number two comes with the second starter. This is a Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay from 2020. A semi-dry white wine with a medium body. It has a somewhat surprising taste of vanilla, pear, and a little citrus, which actually melts on the tongue like butter. This will be exciting.
The dish is presented, and I am asked if I have tasted seal tartare before. The answer is no and the expected, increases a little further. The dish looks very exciting, great presentation. Then I'll taste ringed seal tartar from Svalbard, with wasabi cream, fried soba noodles, pickled yellow beetroot and ponzu foam. I taste the wine, take a small bite with all the flavors, and let it wander in my mouth. There I felt the wasabi cream, it stung a bit. I took another sip from the wine glass and dove into this slightly foreign appetizer, which just got better and better. It's amazing how much short-distance food can provide pleasure when the chef knows his job. This was something for both the eyes and the palate, and I thought of the last time I used that expression. It was when I wrote an article from Tuscany. Yes, why not. This is at least as good. A new wine presentation was underway that would suit one of my favorites, namely reindeer. The main course was Svalbard reindeer, served with a brand new and very exciting black garlic and celery root puree, fondant potato, and demiglace. It was a tenderloin, with a bit of chewing resistance, but incredibly good.
I am tasting the wine which is a red wine from 2019, Zenato Valpolicella Superiore. It fits perfectly. I took another small bite and made sure to include the puree, then tasted the wine again. Wow, here there was a very good balance, medium body. Believe it or not, the nose smells of dark blue plums, a little pepper, and dark chocolate. For those who are not fond of too many tannins, this is a good choice, in addition, it is actually quite dry. Now I'm enjoying myself, this is a hit for my palate. I ask for a little extra of this red wine to allow all the flavors to fall into place. I sit and think about where I'm going to eat next to find something that tastes just as good. I had almost forgotten that there was going to be dessert too. I had got a couple on the neighboring table, and they wondered how it tasted. Yes say it, what could I say but the truth? Perfect. It is the case that food often tastes better in good company, but I probably wouldn't have been able to concentrate as much on the food as I did. In any case, we easily got started with the conversation and there is no doubt that the dessert tasted absolutely delicious, together with this nice couple who visited Svalbard for the first time.
I got a brown ice cream with cranberry jelly and shortbread biscuits. Ice cream is always good, and with a cup of coffee and a Beerenauslese Exquisite, sweet, fresh dessert wine, it was an absolutely lovely ending before I went to a concert at Polar Jazz with Silje Nergård.
This was a fantastic end to four days here on Svalbard. If you are in doubt, there is only one way to find out if you regret it, and that is to go up and experience it for yourself.
Read all about this tour- here
Read about Gruvelagret restaurant - coming
Les om min sommertur midt i en pause i pandemien i 2020. - her
Must see, must do! Ticket - Norwegian to Svalbard.
Hope you also have a wonderful trip. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
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