Pläj is Playing with Your Food (In a Good Way)

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

 

A long-time consumer and fan of barrel-aged herring, I wouldn’t imagine serving it with dill yogurt, coriander seeds, radish, salmon caviar, parmesan crackers, edible flowers, and red chili peppers. Thankfully, Chef/Owner Roberth Sundell thought of it for me.

The annual beer pairing dinner at his restaurant Pläj (pronounced "play") in the San Francisco Theatre District included this creative first course preceded by a delectable double amuse bouche, and followed by four more amazingly constructed and wonderfully executed courses.

But let’s start from the beginning. According to Chef’s lovely wife, co-proprietor, and gracious hostess, Andrea Sundell, Pläj is the only Scandinavian restaurant in town. Hailing from Stockholm, Chef Roberth put on the table unusual and inspiring combinations of ingredients rooted in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic cuisines.

For the tasting menu with beer pairing, a selections of Scandinavian beers was picked by the Chef to enhance the Nordic specialties created with a California emphasis on fresh local produce.

Our feast started with a coffee cup of cabbage soup. Then a Danish doughnut stuffed with pork belly arrived on a bed of house-made apple-sauce, dusted with mustard powder. That was the best doughnut I’ve ever had!

The awesome Matjesill (aged herring with all the above-mentioned garnishes) was paired with Einstok White Ale from Iceland – light, clean, and smooth, with oats, orange, and coriander notes.

Second course – oxtail soup with bone marrow, fig jam, and baked in-house brioche toast – was generously supplemented with silky bone marrow, and poured into plates tableside. It was paired with the Danish amber-colored peppery, malty, and hoppy Mikkeller Årh Hvad Belgian Pale Ale.

For the third course, matched with dry and spicy Handbryggeriet Krekling Special Berry Collection from Norway, the Chef chose lightly smoked shrimp garnished with buttery rice porridge, dry shavings of horseradish, whole elderberries, and bright-green stinging nettles sauce.  

Course Four – pan seared saddle of elk with bourbon onions and coffee-roasted root vegetables – came to the table bright, soft, and juicy, with just a hint of gamey aroma, enough to compliment the rich Mikkeller Hr Frederiksen Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee. This beer is a combination of two of Denmark’s imperial stouts with balanced, harmonious and full-bodied flavor.

Course Five – house-made caramel ice cream & chocolate brittle adorned with raspberries, blueberries, hazelnuts, and meringue drops – didn’t make it to the photo shoot for the reasons of its deliciousness combined with natural meltability. It was perfectly matched with Toøl Black Maria Black Imperial India Pale Ale from Denmark – black like stout and hoppy like IPA, served in cordials glasses.

The upcoming highly anticipated culinary event at Pläj is a holiday feast “Julbord” – a famous Scandinavian tradition. The five-course menu will highlight a variety of Scandinavian delicacies served family-style during the four consecutive Sundays leading up to Christmas on November 30, December 7, December 14 and December 21 from 5 to 10 p.m. each evening.  The meal is offered for $65/person with pairings at an additional cost.

The Julbord menu will begin with a welcoming toast of house-made Glögg, a traditional spiced wine, served with candied almonds and raisins. Pickled Herring with caviar and saffron calvados, dill-poached butterballs, crème fraiche, chives, and red onion, will be served on Swedish hard bread. A third course of cold cuts featuring Gravlax, cold smoked salmon, pigs head terrine, pate de campagne chicken liver mousse, syltrulle, and salted lamb will preclude warming options of aromatic ham broth, Scandinavian cheeses, rye bread, Janson temptation, meatballs, Prince sausage, Christmas ham, chanterelles & shrimp with an oven-baked omelette, red and brown cabbages, applesauce, and skåne mustard. Finally, the Ris a la Malta – a traditional dessert that entices diners to find the hidden almond and homemade Christmas treats will end the evening on a sweet note.
The regular dinner menu at Pläj changes daily in response to availability of local produce. Much of it comes from Green String Farms in Petaluma, where Chef Sundell and his family reside.  A full cocktail program includes a variety of options surrounding Aquavit - the essential spirit of Scandinavian drinking culture.
Pläj is listed as one of the Top 100 Bay Area Restaurantsby the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s located at 333 Fulton Street in San Francisco, California. Dinner is served Monday - Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. For reservations and more information, call 415-294-8925 or visit www.plajrestaurant.com.