Blink:

I had a bizarre dream last night. The year was 2030, I was in Stockholm attending a Circular Economy conference. I had made dinner reservations six months in advance to socialize with one of the conference’s organizers to share a unique culinary experience. Here is what I remembered.

Read On:

The restaurant, called Net Zero was considered one of the top 50 in the world thanks to winning numerous prestigious awards including the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award two times, given to the restaurant that achieves the highest environmental and social responsibility rating determined by the Worlds 50 Best and Sustainable Restaurant Association. It was a dream, but this much I do remember:

• The interior of the restaurant was sleek, very contemporary, pure Scandinavian design. I remember reading the building had received LEED certification. The restaurant was also known for its extensive rooftop vegetable garden and backyard smokehouse constructed with sargassum seaweed bricks.
• I opened with one of Net Zero’s signature cocktails “Smoke on the Water” crafted with Isle of Harris Scottish gin (made with Sugar Kelp seaweed) and a jigger of Oban single malt scotch. Note: Oban had received numerous water stewardship awards for utilizing distilling methods to conserve water. Planet-first mixology at its finest! I also thought it was a great touch they served the cocktail with a generous complimentary bowl of crispy spicy fried dulse seaweed chips.
• For dinner I ordered the evenings special tasting menu. Net Zero earned its reputation for creating innovative culinary delights from vegetables grown on its roof, or purveyed via foraging in Sweden’s forests, or produced in its local commissary (meat alternatives made from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms a fungi protein). The two most memorable meat alternative plates I experienced were the spaghetti squash topped with a Bolognese sauce with their rooftop heirloom cherry tomatoes and a smoked sausage frittata cooked with plant-based dairy eggs and feta cheese.
• The grand finale was Net Zero’s world renown botanical gastronomy dessert called “The End of Summer” a medley of dessert shots each consisting of a seasonal berry foraged daily by the restaurant’s critically acclaimed pastry chef. In addition, a nice closing touch was a complimentary pot of Moringa tea.

The dream was so vivid; I even had a sense of taste. An over the top, memorable, fine-dining experience. I remember everything; the food, the plate presentations right down to the designer Moringa tea pot, the hip/fashionable Stockholm crowd, stimulating #planetfirst conversation with my Swedish connection, etc., etc., etc. Then the waitress came to the table with our bill. I gestured to her I would take it. I opened the billfold: 5,600 Swedish Krona (service included) which is approximately $530. I immediately woke up out of my dream!