Best Nordic restaurants in London

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Swedish-Danish fusion: with its huge selection of smørrebrød open sandwiches served on home-made sourdough or rye, Scandinavian Kitchen serves up a Nordic feast

Healthy Danish cuisine: Madsen

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A study from Copenhagen university has found the traditional Nordic diet is superior to the much-lauded Mediterranean one in terms of its health-giving benefits. It's all down to the winning combination of rye bread, lean meat, oily fish, leafy greens and super fruits - bursting with slow-release carbohydrates, vitamin d, omega-3 and antioxidants. so whether you've a hankering for herring or a longing for lingonberries, we bring you the best Nordic restaurants in town.

SCANDINAVIAN KITCHEN
A Nordic partnership made in heaven: swedish Jonas and danish Bronte met four years ago at Stockholm airport when Jonas had a broken leg and Bronte helped him with his bags. The couple discovered a shared passion for food and the Scandinavian Kitchen was born. It caters both for hungry local work folk and homesick Scandinavians, who pop in to its deli to stock up on jars of pickled herrings (£2.45). Grab homemade muesli with oats, dried berries, nuts and yogurt (£1.75) for breakfast or, come lunchtime, choose from 26 varieties of smørrebrød (open sandwiches served on home-made sourdough or dark rye). Or try senapssill (herrings with mustard) or rare roast beef with danish remoulade and horseradish. For dessert, you have to try Great Auntie Inga's Kladdkaka ( chocolate cake, £2.50) - okay, it's not so healthy but its worth every calorie.
61 Great Titchfield Street, W1, 020 7580 7161

SKYLON
This modern European restaurant with panoramic views of the Thames benefits from the Nordic touch of Finnish executive chef Helena Puolakka. She's passionate about oily fish and serves gravadlax in the Grill - raw salmon cured with coriander seeds, star anise and lemon zest (£8) - and warm smoked salmon with Charlotte potatoes and leeks (two courses from £37.50) in the restaurant. Helena will be adding seasonal cloudberry and lingonberry desserts to the menu come summer as an accompaniment to nutty curd cheese from Lapland. Even the cocktails (£9.50) are bursting with antioxidant-rich fruits and she cooks up berry consommé in a bain-marie to be added to delicious concoctions such as home-made lingonberry syrup and cognac topped with champagne.
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1, 020 7654 7800

FIKA
Swedish restaurant Fika is a breath of fresh scandinavian air in curry-heavy Brick Lane. The name is slang for "kaffi", the old swedish word for coffee, but has evolved to mean "break" or simply taking time out from the daily grind. The menu has been honed by owner sadaf, who sources all her fish and meat from the nearby Billingsgate and smithfield markets. Start with re sorters sill (£4.50) - that's a triad of pickled herring, or Vaffla - with savoury waffles and cream cheese, lemon and cracked pepper (£4). Go for a main course of Lax Planka - grilled salmon (£13.50) - or Plankstek - prime rib eye with béarnaise sauce and caramelised onion, ginger and fennel seed relish (£14.90). Reindeer sausages with tossed greens and juniper berry sauce (£10) are another winner. Cocktails are named after Abba hits and include the Super Trouper - a healthy(ish) mix of liqueur made from antioxidant-packed lingonberries, vodka and lemonade (£7.50).
161a Brick Lane, E1, 020 7613 2013

TEXTURE
The interior at Texture is fresh and light - just like the food, which is free from preservatives. Head chef and partner in the venue is Icelander Aggi Sverrisson, whose cuisine is as healthy as they come. He eschews butter and cream, allowing the flavours of his ingredients to speak for themselves. Favourites include söl (Icelandic seaweed), which he uses to flavour his line-caught cod with chorizo, avocado, squid and artichoke ( £ 22 . 50 ) . Also popular is the Skagafjörður lamb (£24.50). It's superlean and has a delicate aromatic flavour - the animals roam freely, eating wild herbs and berries from the mountains and söl washed up on the beach. Another key ingredient is skyr (a bit like our fromage frais), which forms the basis of many of Aggi's sauces and is a great butter and cream substitute - try the dessert version with poached rhubarb and granita (£3.75).
34 Portman Street, W1, 020 7224 0028

MADSEN
This South Kensington newcomer flies the Danish flag. Keen to look after the environment as well as our waistlines, owner Charlotte Kurse Madsen uses locally sourced produce and instead of gas-guzzling heaters, provides blankets to keep you toasty should you decide to dine alfresco on the terrace. Stop by for lunch and feast on smushi - mini versions of smørrebrød (three pieces £4.95) - including Greenland prawns with egg or traditional Danish liver pâté with pickled cucumber. Charlotte says that in Scandinavian countries herrings are usually only served at lunch but proved so popular over here that they make their way on to dinner menus, too. Head chef René serves them up as a starter (£5.75), marinating them in vodka and cranberry or cinnamon and cardamom. The hakkebøf (£13.50) is a surprisingly healthy treat. It's a burger but the meat is especially lean and it's served with potatoes instead of a bun. Danes certainly know how to party, too, and shots of home- brewed schnapps, (vodka infused with star anise, liquorice root and orange peel, £4.50), are a must.
20 Old Brompton Road, SW7, 020 7225 2772

 

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