Superstar Swedish chef Björn Frantzén linked up with N25 caviar to create 50 tins precisely to his discerning taste. Vogue Scandinavia gets the first bite
As the only chef at the helm of three three-Michelin-starred restaurants (the first of which being Frantzén here in Stockholm), Björn Frantzén knows his caviar. So when the Swedish culinary master teams up with renowned Caviar brand N25 on an exclusive tin, you know it’s going to be something special.
“At Frantzén, it’s always about finding the very best ingredients for our menus. Caviar is one of the most special ones we work with, and we handle it carefully so it really complements the dishes, bringing balance and pure umami for our guests to enjoy,” says Frantzén. “Opening many restaurants around the world, I get to travel a lot and taste so many flavours and ingredients during these trips, of course including lots of different caviar brands. But the way N25 is aged hits the right notes and is unlike anything else.”
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Photo: N25
Created in an edition of just 50 tins (one of which found its way to the Vogue Scandinavia office for a preview taste earlier this week), the N25 and Björn Frantzén caviar, which launches on November 30th, is aged especially to the chef’s famous tastes. It comes in an elegant gift box, alongside two mother-of-pearl spoons. In addition to the Frantzén edition, N25 also teamed up with German chef Jan Hartwig, who helms the three Michelin-starred JAN in Munich.
The collaboration came about organically; Frantzén and N25 founder Hermes Gehnen have been friends for “many years”. “The idea came up naturally while we were playing golf in Marbella,” says Franzén. “I was talking about how we start the experience at Frantzén by showing guests the ingredients from our ice box display and how we wanted them to be able to take a piece of that experience home.” It snowballed from there, with Frantzén personally refining the final product with the N25 team.
Caviar is a constant at Frantzén’s restaurants. “In our research and development kitchen in Stockholm, my team and I constantly work on seasonal menu changes for all Frantzén restaurants around the world,” he says. “The caviar is the one element that remains consistent in style, and we build the dishes around it.”
Photo: N25
To get specific about it, Frantzén’s N25 caviar is “a specific N25 Kaluga Hybrid caviar with roe larger than 3.3 millimeters”. “It has an elegant, clean character and a low-salt profile that works perfectly with our Nordic cuisine and its Japanese influences,” says Frantzén. But for novice foodies who are just curious about the taste, he describes it as: “Low-salt, clean flavour profile with fresh nutty notes and a long, lingering umami finish”.
As for the best way to dig into a tin of your own this holiday season? “There are so many ways people can enjoy a tin of caviar,” says Frantzén. “A great way to appreciate the delicate flavours of N25 is to enjoy it on its own with a glass of champagne.”
The Björn Frantzén and N25 caviar is available via the N25 website in the UK and EU from November 30th