ÄNG at Ästad Vingård – Michelin gourmet breakfast in the greenhouse, and the wildest breakfast we have ever had

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The greenhouse and the atmosphere

Breakfast at ÄNG is booked in slots, and ours was at 9.30. So expect the experience to take around an hour and a half – this is not a buffet you just pop by. You eat in the beautiful glass building, the greenhouse, which sits in a meadow at Ästad Vingård in Tvååker in Halland, and we were allowed to sit in the lounge chairs while other guests sat at the bar.

There was a calm, lovely atmosphere throughout, just like the evening before, when we had the tasting menu in the same place. And it's not every place where you can sit in an armchair with a view over the fields and have caviar for breakfast ;)

Coffee drink, salmon and potato waffle

The first serving was a cold drink that at first glance looked like juice – but it turned out to be a cold coffee drink. On the menu it is listed as Coffee & Lingonberry. It did take a little getting used to, but it was fun to try, and it actually tasted rather good.

Then came a serving of cured salmon from Herslöv with dill in a small crisp shell. I skipped that one, as I'm not a big fan of completely raw fish – so Jes got two, and he certainly wasn't sorry about that.

And then one of our absolute favourites: a potato waffle with caviar from Rossini and herb cream. Goodness, it tasted wonderful, and it was beautifully plated too.

Bygsotto, tomato sorbet and Danish cider

Next we had a bygsotto – a risotto- or porridge-like dish made with barley, with mushrooms and grated cheese on top. Ours came with Gammel Knas, although the menu lists the cheese as Camelia from Hagarnas mejeri. Alongside it came a small scoop of tomato sorbet made from their Organza tomatoes, served in a little lidded clay pot. The combination was simply so delicious.

We were also served a Danish apple cider, Rosé Marie from Andersen Winery, made from Ingrid Marie apples and with around 2 % alcohol. It tasted extremely good – and it was rather fun to be served something Danish at a Swedish vineyard.

Croque monsieur, snaps and gubbröra

Their take on croque monsieur was a small toast with wonderfully braised pork neck from Ragnarssons gård and a Gammel Knas cheese cream on top, finished with a little gold leaf. It tasted incredibly good – I could easily have eaten two.

Then came a Swedish, alcohol-free, house-made snaps with caraway, fennel and dill, inspired by the tradition of a snaps with breakfast. Fun and really tasty. With it we had gubbröra – a Swedish speciality with anchovies from Grebbestad, potato, cream and vendace roe (löjrom) from Kalix in a crisp shell.

Yoghurt, tomato juice and English Breakfast

Their yoghurt was made as an airy chiffon with berries and granité on top – the menu lists rhubarb with it. Incredibly delicious, and it simply looked gorgeous.

Next we had a spicy, cold tomato juice made from the vineyard's own tomatoes with chilli and rhubarb. And then came their interpretation of an English Breakfast: a hash brown with beans (broad beans from Valbo according to the menu) and mushrooms. Also really good – but you do need to be prepared that classic egg and bacon is not what you get at ÄNG ;)

The sweet finish

The final serving was baked cheesecake (Basque cheesecake) and madeleines with lavender, served with coffee from Slöinge rosteri. A very polished ending to an hour and a half in which we simply sat back and enjoyed it.

Service

The service was absolutely superb, just like the evening before. There was a sense of calm throughout, the small servings arrived at a lovely pace, and everything was perfect. There is simply nothing to fault.

Price and level

The tasting breakfast costs 1,000 SEK per person including the alcohol-free drinks from the sommeliers, and it is served Tuesday to Saturday. Ours was part of the stay package we had bought at the vineyard, so we didn't pay separately. It is of course a lot of money for a breakfast – but then this isn't a breakfast in the classic sense. It is a gourmet experience at a level we have never experienced before.