One of New York’s hottest restaurants is coming to Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, from July 18th to August 18th. Led by Swedish star chef Fredrik Berselius, restaurant Aska has taken the culinary world by storm with its North American take on New Nordic cuisine. Brooklyn-based Aska has been awarded two Michelin stars and three stars in The New York Times. Now, Fredrik Berselius and his team bring their culinary expertise to Tivoli Gardens, offering a selection of dishes and unique ingredients that have made Aska a sought-after destination for foodies worldwide.
Copenhagen / New York City
The two-Michelin-starred Brooklyn restaurant Aska quickly became one of New York’s most coveted dining experiences. In their restored 1860s warehouse location in Brooklyn, Swedish chef Fredrik Berselius has impressed guests and critics alike with his distinctive and North American approach to New Nordic cuisine. This upcoming July, Berselius and the Aska team will be relocating from New York to Tivoli Gardens for a month-long residency, where diners can experience Aska’s unique blend of nature and urban elements as New Nordic cool meets New York’s edge.
Aska’s cuisine is heavily inspired by Frederik Berselius’ homeland of Sweden and his love for Swedish nature and the New Nordic philosophy, which is based on the changing seasons and local produce. The chef finds parallels between the wilderness of north-eastern America and Swedish nature. These similarities are reflected in Aska’s cuisine, which features foraged North American ingredients like black pine, pineappleweed, and yarrows, alongside innovative dishes that elevate simple, local produce to new heights, such as slices of scallop complete with coral-coloured roe, which are drizzled with browned butter infused with elderflower, or a slice of grilled red king crab leg with small potatoes cooked almost al dente.
Fredrik Berselius states about his upcoming residency in Tivoli Gardens: “When we visit Tivoli Gardens this summer, we will bring a variety of ingredients sourced from nature and farms in the wilds of upstate New York. We will also bring oils and vinegar crafted in our Brooklyn restaurant. I am truly excited to introduce a taste of New York to Tivoli Gardens, serving dishes like grilled langoustine with pickled gooseberries and other favourites from our Brooklyn establishment. We look forward to starting this journey and meeting our guests at Tivoli.”
About Aska
Within just a year of opening, Aska earned its first Michelin star, and Bon Appétit magazine named Aska one of the ten best new restaurants in America. In the summer of 2016, Aska reopened in a new, two-part space located in a restored 1860s warehouse building in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge. Within a few months, the restaurant received its second Michelin star, becoming one of only ten restaurants in the city with this honour. Shortly after, Aska received an excellent three-star review in the The New York Times by Pete Wells. Focusing on ingredients from the northeastern United States and drawing inspiration from Berselius’ Scandinavian heritage, Aska offers a unique dining experience. Guests are served a series of dishes prepared in an open kitchen, with only ten tables available each night. Aska has been included in the 1,000 best restaurants in the world by the prestigious ranking La Liste. Using ingredients from the north-eastern United States, Berselius’ tasting menu takes guests through 12 seasonal dishes such as razor shells with preserved black pine or langoustine tail, brain, and claw with chamomile.
“I wanted to open a restaurant called Frej, which, in Norse mythology, is the farmers’ god or god of harvest, and it also means ‘seed’ in Swedish. That turned into a pop-up concept and was in the same space where we would go on to launch the first Aska (‘ashes’ in Swedish). In Norse mythology, Frej dies by being stabbed with a fire sword, and the whole world gets burnt down along with him. When I picture that, I picture a charred forest, carpeted in ashes, with all this new life waiting to burst forth. That’s what led me to Aska.”
About Fredrik Berselius
Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, Chef Fredrik Berselius has spent most of his culinary career in New York City. His love for nature is evident in his cuisine, which he seamlessly integrates into the urban landscape. Arriving in New York in 2000 with aspirations of opening his own restaurant, he honed his skills at renowned establishments like Per Se and Aquavit. This experience culminated in the 2012 opening of Aska in its first iteration. Berselius quickly gained acclaim for his ability to blend Swedish culinary heritage with the immediate surroundings of Brooklyn, a culinary profile that he continually refined.
