Ekstedt at the Yard Westminster: Scandinavian Michelin star food 

Located within Great Scotland Yard Hotel, which was formerly the headquarters for the Metropolitan Police, Ekstedt at the Yard manages to feel special, upscale and cosy all at the same time.

With minimalistic décor, an open plan kitchen, dark interiors and dried herbs hanging from the wall, the aesthetic makes the word “Hyyge” spring to mind.

Ekstedt at the Yard manages to feel special, upscale and cosy all at the same time. (Image: Emily Davison)

The restaurant has a unique approach in that it serves a standard five or seven course menu to all (with dietary alterations when needed), served by Michelin-starred Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt, who made an appearance on MasterChef UK this year.

The food is cooked using a rustic approach, with wood fires and scaled back cooking methods as our ancestors would have before the time of gas.

The menu is an experimental fusion of Scandinavian flavours, seasonal produce and wood-fired cooking methods rather unlike anything I have ever tried before.

The menu is an experimental fusion of Scandinavian flavours, seasonal produce and wood-fired cooking methods. (Image: Emily Davison)

I recently went with my friend and colleague Glen to give the menu a try and I will start off by saying that the night was certainly a culinary experience.

The meal first began with an invitation to visit the kitchen to watch the chefs prepare the first course, which was a flambadou oyster served with beurre blanc – a creamy butter sauce made with vinegar, white wine and shallots.

The meal first began with an invitation to visit the kitchen to watch the chefs prepare the first course. (Image: Emily Davison)

The experience of watching the chefs cook the oyster using intensely hot wood-fire methods was such a unique experience and unlike anything I’ve ever done before.

We then got to try them for ourselves in the kitchen and, although I am not the biggest paid-up member of the oyster fan club, I would definitely have this again with the creamy sauce and crunch of the shallots.

The restaurant also had a knowledgeable sommelier who was able to recommend a suitable wine for the evening.

The restaurant also had a knowledgeable sommelier who was able to recommend a suitable wine for the evening. (Image: Emily Davison)

Moving onto the next course we were served two dishes of aged beef tartar served with vendace roe and smoked mayonnaise, along with an ember baked scallop served with sugar kelp and roe emulsion.

Both had a lot of flavour, and I really liked the smoky flavour of the mayonnaise in the beef tartar.

Both the aged beef tartar and ember baked scallop had a lot of flavour. (Image: Emily Davison)

The next course consisted of hay fried summer peas served with charcoal cream, lardo and caviar, before the last of the savoury dishes which was smoked wild duck breast served with grilled apple puree, pickled gooseberries and a juniper brioche.

Out of all the dishes I tried, the duck was my favourite and went really well against the sweetness of the apple puree.

The duck was my favourite and went really well against the sweetness of the apple puree. (Image: Emily Davison)

Finally dessert was a cep mushroom soufflé served with woodruff ice cream and blueberries.

Don’t let the name fool you, this dessert was sweet and fluffy and the ice cream had a really distinctive taste, with the blueberries giving it a real tarte flavour that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The soufflé was sweet and fluffy and the ice cream had a really distinctive taste. (Image: Emily Davison)

Whether you’re a foodie, enjoy Scandinavian cooking or want to experience a curated menu put together by a Michelin chef, this place is a gem worth a try.

The experience was unique and, despite being a standard menu, it still felt personal with enthusiastic and knowledgeable servers and made me really keen to explore more Scandinavian food.

The five-course set menu at Ekstedt at the Yard is priced at £90 a person and is bookable from 6pm to 9pm.