The Flying Elk by Björn Frantzén opened last summer, bringing Nordic influenced flavours to Central. They’ve recently started serving a ‘Smörgåsbord brunch’ at weekends.
The Flying Elk is light and airy with cosy decor in wood and shades of green. There’s an attractive bar area, an open kitchen and a small terrace. Brunch was fairly busy, with a relaxed atmosphere and a mix of couples and large groups (including families with small kids, there is a children’s menu available).
The Smörgåsbord brunch is $295 per person for 3 tasting dishes, main and dessert, or $395 per person for 5 tasting dishes, main and dessert. You can add on free flow for $198 per person (for 2 hours).
Starters
The tasting dishes are tapas size plates which you can select from to create a shareable starter buffet at your own table. The tasting dishes offer a selection of Nordic flavours and specialities, and there are 9 in total to choose from. We had 3 per person, and this was plenty.
I particularly liked the shrimp toast “hommage” tore wretman which was flavoured with dill and served with fish roe. The scrambled egg, veal bacon, brown butter, truffle, crispy potato was also good, the egg was silky smooth and had a slight kick (horseradish?). We would recommend getting the sourdough and crispbread to scoop everything up.
Apparently you can’t say you’ve eaten Scandinavian food until you’ve had some herring, and the norrøna herring, red onion, egg, brown butter is a delicious option with meaty, robust flavoured fish. We also enjoyed the gravlax, potato in dill sauce, mustard sauce which came with a delicious sweet butter sauce.
At this point you can add on poached oysters or vendace roe for an additional charge.
Mains
A choice of 4 main courses are included in the brunch package, and there are 3 other mains available for an added cost. The mains are a mix of Nordic and international choices.
I had the “Frenchie” beef burger (included in the brunch package),which is served with a very simple presentation, but is packed full of flavour. The strong cheese, the sweet caramelised onion and some crispy fried onion pieces were ideal accompaniments to the well seasoned, juicy burger. Meanwhile we also tried the venison with honey glazed endive, celeriac cream, juniper, preserved blueberries and crispy onion, which is an additional $120. The venison was a rich and tender meat feast, perfect for weekend brunch.
Dessert
There are two desserts to choose from. The “After Eight” is a chocolate fondant pudding served with vanilla ice cream and crispy mint leaves. Or there’s a Swedish coffee and tahiti vanilla crème brûlée. Both were excellent, but for my money it’s hard to beat a gooey chocolate fondant to finish a meal.
The Verdict
This brunch offers an interesting mix of dishes to try, decent sized portions and a relaxed atmosphere. The price point is reasonable and we’d recommend giving it a try.
Available on Saturdays and Sundays, the Smörgåsbord brunch is $295 per person for 3 tasting dishes, main and dessert, $395 per person for 5 tasting dishes, main and dessert. You can add on free flow for $198 per person (for 2 hours).
Meanwhile you can also catch The Flying Elk at Taste of Hong Kong.
The Flying Elk, 32 Wyndham St, Central, 2565 6788
Find more fantastic free flow brunch options in this article.
Add comment