Adam/Albin (Stockholm) - Return Visit, deserving of * promotion

I may not be able to see in to the future, but I've got a solid track record at identifying restaurants that are undervalued in the * department, and will some day be promoted (Steirereck in Vienna, AbAC in Barcelona, Humble Chicken in London to name a few).

As mentioned in my last post, I happened to dine at my highest rated 1* restaurants back-to-back, the first being Frog by Adam Handling in London, the other being Adam/Albin in Stockholm, and I'm pleased to say both are clearly worthy of a second star.

You can see my first experience at Adam/Albin here.

What a pleasure to be at the counter, front-and-center, with a view to the kitchen and expert cooking.

While this experience wasn't as extravagant in the luxury ingredient department as my last visit (but still pretty off the charts), it more than compensated with technical masterpieces throughout the evening.

To start, the glazed artichoke with aged comte set off that first explosion of flavour out of the box.

A foie chawanmushi, delicate in its simplest form, but packed with robust chunks of smoked mackerel.

A shockingly delightful combination of caviar with peppers, lime and what's called a "chicken cream" Sweet/salty/gamey umami.

Everything you want in a classic waygu, truffle course with the hint of onion sweetness to round out the perfect mouth feel of this dish.

But why stop there with that as your main, as you're spoiled with a decadent fish course consisting of sole, chanterelles, and a beurre blanc with coffee oil. The coffee oil playing spoiler to a dish that otherwise would have just skewed too "buttery."

Sweets have never disappointed here in their simplicity and clean flavours, as evidenced by the fig pre-dessert (which could stand on its own as a main dessert) and strawberries glazed in honey.

Although not on offer, there was a wink given (or perhaps a forceful nudge) to see if there were still homemade fruit liquors somewhere in the establishment to enjoy. The production of these is a huge undertaking, and a stellar product. My only regret is the restaurant, understandably, stopped production. They went out of their way to rustle up some and present it at the end of the meal, topping a spectacular evening.

Service was friendly, meaning you actually want to be friends with those around you. Stockholm gets a bad rap for rigid service, not here.

Adam/Albin will be moving soon and promises an even larger, in-your-face chef's counter. I can't wait to see it.

The Single Table pays in full for all meals it posts about.