Aquavit London

I was invited to review the new delivery service from the Michelin-starred restaurant but sadly, St. James isn’t exactly my hood. They wouldn’t deliver to Tottenham. Hmpf! Luckily, I have a friend in King’s Cross who agreed to let me be his social bubble for the occasion. I was very bubbly!

My bike ride provided me with yet another wondrous London discovery. Barnsbury! My new aspiration in life is to live there. If you are reading this, please send money!

Our delivery was ordered for 7:30. I arrived an hour before, packed in bubble wrap, for a pre-din-din Martini. It seemed the best way to kill off any unwanted bacteria. At 7:40 I received a call from Aquavit. The food was just leaving and should arrive in 15 minutes. No worries. I’m on corona time…and gin! The doorbell rang at 8:30.

The feast was beautifully presented in eco-friendly and compostable packaging, it was clear much care had been taken. Still, there was a lot of it and got me thinking once again about waste removal in the time of Corona. This has nothing to do with Aquavit, just more thought for food! What I appreciated was how nicely everything was plated in the recyc containers.

I lived in Denmark for 25 years and worked in Sweden and Norway for much of that time. What binds them in the kitchen is rye bread, the core of the Scandinavian diet. It’s the one thing I miss the most. The loaf from Aquavit (£8) was excellent. Fresh, dense, moist and full of seeds. It is so nutritious…until I added copious amounts of very lightly smoked butter (£5). The sacrifices I make!

Nordic Salad (£14) with hot smoked salmon, shrimps, pickles, iceberg and rye bread crumbs was lovely…even without the hot smoked salmon. Somehow it had been forgotten.

Isle of Wight tomato salad with Västerbotten cheese, crispy quinoa and tomato chutney (£12) was a great combination of both preserved and fresh tomatoes, complimented by the lovely hint of parmesan that is typical of many Swedish cheeses.

Unfortunately we gobbled up the salmon burger (£18) before we discovered the tomato, lettuce and pickle garnish that came in a separate container. Luckily, the full flavor of salmon and dill stood on its own.

Bao buns were the only big departure from traditional Swedish ingredients. These two came with coleslaw, pickles, seaweed mayo and a single langoustine each for £17. Fresh, delicious and beautifully cooked, it definitely left me wanting more.

The restaurant chose a bottle of 2019 Château Miraval Cotes De Provence (£40) to accompany my selections. Red berries, hibiscus and a little citrus made a pleasant pairing on a hot summer night.

Pavlova with strawberries and whipped cream (£8) and a wonderful Kladdkaka, somewhere between a brownie and a chocolate fondant (£9) got me ready for my bike wobble home. On the way, I was enchanted by a red crescent moon, transfixed by foxes and bewitched by Barnsbury!

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