Ekstedt at The Yard elevates humble BBQ to the culinary stratosphere

The Masterchef franchise has done a lot of damage to Bencard family finances. Admittedly, it’s only been two weeks since I talked about the excellent value on offer at the restaurant of last year’s winner, Khao Soi by Chariya. Our more usual temptation, unfortunately, is to try out the restaurants of the top chefs featured in the show’s “master classes”, a route that has led us to amazing but pricey meals at places like Gidleigh Park, Murano, and Core.

Now we can add Ekstedt at The Yard to that lofty and luscious list. If barbecues, blazing logs and wood- fired ovens trigger your culinary fantasies, then this is a place of dreams. Niklas Ekstedt is one of Sweden’s top chefs, and made his name resurrecting … and perfecting … the ancient art of cooking over open fire in the Nordic hinterland. (One suspects, however, that an internship at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago couldn’t help but hard wire him for a love of BBQ.) His restaurants turn their back on electric and gas, opting instead for beech wood and charcoal. While he spends most of his time in Sweden, he’s opened a restaurant in London, just off Whitehall, and he pops up regularly in the Masterchef franchise.

We dove in head-first for the Chef’s Table, an evening-long combination of fine dining and high entertainment that takes place at a barstool-height table for six placed perpendicular to the pass, next to the wood-fired oven and pastry station and with clear views into the open fires of the kitchen. (Note that if there are fewer than five of you, you’ll probably be sharing the table with others. As they will also be obsessed enough with food to spend £150 each on the experience … before wine … you will probably have plenty to talk about.)

Head chef Tess and her team are used to chatting while plating up and are delighted to go into detail about ingredients, preparation methods and their personal backgrounds. Tess and I had such an in-depth discussion of pickling techniques and where I might be going wrong that she sent me home with a bottle of her favourite Swedish vinegar on the house. You are deep in foodie territory here.

You’re also going to eat extremely well. Nine official courses augmented with a variety of nibbles will leave you satisfied and replete, but the artfully plated, modest portions won’t over-stuff you. The most impressive dishes bookend the meal: two starters, one of oyster and another of veal tartare, and a soufflé desert made from cep mushrooms.

Eksted’s signature flambadou oyster came from his restaurants in Sweden and appeared on Masterchef in a blaze of glory. Everyone who orders one, not just the Chef’s Table high rollers, gets invited into the kitchen to watch this being prepared and eat it next to the fire. The concept is simple but delicious. Start with beef fat and a gizmo that looks like a metal funnel at the end of a long bar of iron. Fill the funnel with the fat. Ignite it. Do not try this at home as the resulting conflagration is the definition of “fire hazard”. Now place a tray of oysters underneath the shower of flaming fat coming out of the bottom of the funnel. A few seconds later, put each oyster into a clean shell with a zingy dressing and some nasturtium leaves, and shoot it down with a glug of mineral-rich white wine. Haters of oysters will love this, because the cooking method has removed all but a hint of that seawater-swallowing experience and instead given you the rich mouthfeel of the best beef. Not recommended for burn victims or vegetarians.

Soon after that came our favourite dish of the whole night, an exquisitely hand-cut and deftly flavoured veal tartare … gently infused with hay smoke … seasoned with dried egg and served with a quenelle of mustard ice cream that was a thing of tear-inducing beauty.

Two hours later it was time to stick our spoons into the soufflés we’d seen going in and out of the wood fired oven all night. Much as I love mushrooms, I’ve never considered putting one in a dessert. But, oddly, it worked. Mushrooms are, of course, mainly a spongy conduit for other flavours so there was as much wild blueberry and wood smoke on the tongue as fungi. I suspect it would still be a turn-off to a mushroom hater but for those with adventurous palates this is a magnificent dish that manages to turn the forest floor into a showy closer.

In between, we feasted on grilled lobster, barbecued cuttlefish cut ito strips so thin it was like pasta, juniper-smoked tortellini, sea bass done on the coals and a succulent slice of duck breast cut off a crown that had hung for at least six hours several feet above the fire, taking in smoke and heat slowly but steadily for final perfection.

The wine paring, as is usual these days, was just as expensive as the food and is the choice that sends the bill into the stratosphere. But it’s thoughtfully constructed, with all of the wines coming from volcanic soils and therefore bringing the theme of fire through the drinks. And, of course, offering some exceptional options from around the world. Pours are generous and the sommelier might offer some additional tastes if you show enough interest. This is a meal after which it’s best to drink plenty of water and pop a couple of aspirin before heading to bed. If you’re a lightweight on the alcohol front, maybe save the money and just have a couple glasses.

Ekstedt at the Yard is coming up on its third anniversary and it’s puzzling why it’s still lacking a Michelin star. It has the combo of exquisite flavours and Instagramable plating. It’s been consistently well reviewed. Its sommelier commands an impressive wine list and offers clever parings. The atmosphere is sophisticated yet exotically rustic, as if you’ve stepped through a magic portal and found yourself deep the Swedish forest. The final bill certainly screams “Michelin star”. I would no more try to figure out the guide’s issue with the place than I would try to flambadou an oyster over my Weber kettle. But I’d certainly tell anyone thinking about a visit to go in with expectations on par with other starred places. It’s just that you’ll just find it easier to get a spot at this Chef’s Table than those officially blessed by the guide.