A true foodie knows that the kitchen is a fast-paced and high-stress work environment, so Dishtag invites chefs to share a four-minute break together while asking them four questions related to their views on the visual-flavour relationship nowadays.
First up in the series is Chef Jim Löfdahl from , the celebrated Nordic eatery opened by three-Michelin-starred chef Björn Frantzén. Let’s see what’s coming up on the restaurant’s Easter menu and how social media has benefited the restaurant.
For people who are not familiar with your restaurant, what cuisine and experience are your restaurant known for?
The Flying Elk’s setting is best described as a modern Nordic cabin, and we serve genuine food with influences from all over Europe. It’s elevated and elegant pub dining, and the food is definitely the focus of The Flying Elk’s experience, we put so much attention on the flavours, taste and look of the dishes.
With Easter weekend coming up, have you planned any special Easter items?
Yes, we have. We will be serving our smorgasbord of brunch dishes (such a scrambled egg with veal bacon, brown butter, truffle and crispy potato and gravlax with potato in dill and mustard sauces) with free-flow wine, beer and spirits, with the addition of a fun face-painting station outside on the terrace and craft kits for kids sponsored by Little Steps Asia. We have also created a special kids’ menu, featuring dishes such as meatballs with potato, lingonberry and cucumber and fish and chips “TFE”.
The dishes look so good! Speaking of photogenic creations of yours, what do you think of professional food photography and styling?
I think, in general, all publicity is great publicity, negative or positive – of course, positive is ideal! I think that food pictures, videos and all of it is fantastic. I mean, you eat with your eyes as well. So I think it’s very important to document the work of chefs, especially nowadays more than back in the days, with the popularity of social media. I often use Instagram myself to check on food photos and get inspiration. I can’t say I am an avid Instagrammer as that takes time, and most of my time I spend it in the kitchen!
That said, how do you see social media’s food photography trend and how does it affect your work?
For me, customers taking photos of my food and sharing it is a fantastic way of spreading the word about the restaurant or something that they like. I don’t understand why certain restaurants may not allow customers to take pictures. I personally love it as it captures memories that can last longer.
It affects my work – being a chef is a creative process. So sometimes dishes look beautiful while you’re cooking them and you can see the ingredients in front of you and you work very hard to get it done. But once it’s up there – on social media – you always hesitate once, twice or even 10 times. It may be about the plating or the actual plateware. So I can actually take inspiration from the pictures of my dishes that I find online, also from a styling perspective.
The Flying Elk, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, 2898 3788
