Ritesh Shah
Google
Scandinavians have great taste!
We went for East Passyunk Restaurant Week and it was definitely worth it! I hadn't tried much of Scandinavian cuisine before, but after dining here I can say that I'm a fan! The restaurant is located on a corner right in front of the singing fountain. The neighborhood is busy with other restaurants and boutiques, so be sure to come early if you're driving in so you can find decent parking. I parked about a block down, but careful of the different parking rules - it changes block by block (welcome to South Philly!)
Inside, it's dim lit and cozy. The kitchen takes up the the back wall space and the rest is seating. Most of the tables look to be able to accommodate up to 2/3 people. Noord is also BYOB so best to come prepared with whatever adult beverage of your choosing! If you don't (like us), there is a wine/beer shop right around the corner (thank you to the Noord staff on this recommendation!)
Unfortunately we had trouble being able to book reservations through the online portal, so we had to wait a bit when we arrived. Calling to book a reservation only got me to a an answering machine so may be risky to leave requests on there...The wait didn't end up being too long - roughly 15 minutes - just enough time for us to grab a bottle of wine and return to a table waiting for us! The server was ready to open our bottle and pour our first glasses!
From the pre-fixe menu, I ordered the roasted brussel sprouts, the roasted acorn squash, and the stroopwafels. Everything was delicious! Also, as a vegetarian, it was very refreshing that these options were listed as part of a pre-fixe menu!
The brussel sprouts are served with a raisin gastrique over a crème fraiche. They were so tasty, and roasted just right! The crème fraiche added this nice tangy taste but it wasn't overpowering - likely in part to the raisin gastrique. I finished my whole plate!
The acorn squash was served with a medley of other vegetables, including roasted cauliflower, and French lentils. The squash was perfectly done - melting in your mouth. I liked that there wasn't too much seasoning aside from a little salt and pepper. The treatment allowed for the sweet taste of the squash to shine through. The dish was dressed with a parsley vinaigrette which was just perfect!
The dessert was nice and refreshing. Crispy, crumbly wafers looked be stuck together with a jam made of molasses and brown sugar. The dish was sprinkled with some kosher salt - creating that sweet and savory taste in each bite!
The other highlight of our experience included meeting the chef! It was such a delight for him to come out and greet us so we can thank him for the delicious meal. We discussed how some of the dishes were prepared. He was kind enough to share his thought process as well as his techniques on how to treat the ingredients - how awesome!
Noord is worth every bite and I highly recommend venturing into this little BYOB gem. The portions are ample, and the flavors are spot on!