Review: Esperanto

Being placed as the 72nd best restaurant in the world by S.Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants 2008, as well as being recognized as the best restaurant in Sweden by The Whiteguide 2008 & 2009, we had big expectations for this restaurant. After a creative meal full of excitement, we came to the conclusion that Esperanto is everything we expected and more.

Unlike other restaurants, Esperanto only offers two fixed menus: a 5 course and an 8 course one. We opted for the latter as the dishes offered more suited our liking.

The overall experience was phenomenal. From the moment we stepped into the building, we were greeted by a doorman who offered to take our jackets and led us to a waiting lounge. There, we were presented a drink menu. However, having had drinks prior to coming to the restaurant, we politely declined. The waiter then asked if we'd like to order wine for our meal. Being fairly new to wine pairing we asked for his suggestion. He was very knowledgeable and picked one that fitted all our criteria. To our surprise, it was not the most expensive bottle on the menu - rather, it was more fairly priced.

The waiter then led us into the dim dining room, where on the right, part of the kitchen was exposed and we saw the head chef, Sayan Isaksson, plating the delicious dishes.



Dried Salmon Skin - "unreal"


Fennel Mayo to go with the Salmon Skin


Octopus Macaroon - surprisingly good


White Asparagus with Frozen Herbs


Chicken Skin with a Layer of Vinegar Gel


Frozen Ingrid Marie apples with warm pickled oyster from Grebbestad, caviar and oyster yoghurt


In the mood for spring concerning fresh garlic - potato with broccoli; whipped goat cheese, and sweet wild grass from a Swedish Island

Green Grass Drink that came with the dish


Turbot skirt with crème de Breton - also came with assorted seafood

King crab with scallops, black lemon and crab paste

Tartar of lamb in lambjus and caramelized onion with Jerusalem artichoke


Cod with confit of its roe, egg yolk 64.4 degrees with warm fennel


Pork, Foie Gras, potato puree Epoisses and green leaves


Avocado pudding with soy milk, sweetened steam bun oriental style filled with macadamia nut and miso paste

Raspberries filled with creme; Chocolate with Cherry Filling; Hazelnut with chocolate cake; Almond Paste Square; Traditional Swedish Chew Bag

Overall: Worth every penny! Each dish provided a different kind of explosion of flavor in your mouth. With the attentive staff, this meal fulfilled not only the taste buds, but it also provided our eyes with entertainment. Highly recommended if you are ever in Stockholm.

Rating: 5/5
Price: $$$$$