Original subtitles

Okay, so, if you can hear me over

the roar of the engine,

I am making my way to the tippy topmost northern most

inhabited place on earth where there are more

polar bears than there are humans!

Like this is just wild.

Woo! Faster!

Throughout my career,

I've worked in all kinds of kitchens.

And every challenge I face has made me a better chef.

So now, I'm heading out on a journey.

I'm literally in the middle of nowhere.

To places like this, this and this.

Wow. Look at that.

To restaurants so remote that their chefs face

more challenges in a day...

See what it takes to get a good product?

Than most chefs face in a lifetime.

Oh my God.

And yet, they turn these obstacles into

once in a lifetime meals.

We got a fish.

Oh, yeah. Looking good.

Now, they're welcoming me into their kitchens.

Cheers. Welcome.

Oh yum. Wow. Wow.

It's a chance to up my game.

I'm just blown away.

That's good. I know.

While having the kind of adventures that can only be

had at the very end of the world.

I got it.

After four flights, I've arrived at Svalbard,

midway between the northern tip of Norway

and The North Pole.

At that point, I hopped on this two-hour boat ride that

is taking me through an icy fjord to get to the tip of

Kapp Linne, home of Isfjord Radio Restaurant.

Let's go. Step on it.

It's July, and even in the middle of the summer,

the lack of roads and limited access by sea make this

one of the most isolated places in the world.

Wow. Look at that.

The restaurant is housed in a radio station that

was built in 1933.

With the arrival of fiber optic cable in 2003,

the facility became obsolete.

And though it may look a bit rustic on the outside, it's

been transformed into a hotel and fine dining destination.

Thank you very much.

Hi.

Hold on. I'm Kristen.

I'm Evelyn. Evelyn.

I'm going to be your guard.

My guard. Okay. What do I need a guard for?

Don't worry. Let's go up.

Don't worry. Famous last words, right there.

Isfjord Radio is quite isolated.

So, we are located in polar bear territory...

Which means, um, that, uh, roam around freely outside.

They actually need to be accompanied by guards.

Seriously? Yeah.

Here you go. This is a polar bear paw.

Oh God.

We just had one that broke into the garage,

found his way somehow to the food storage.

Uh, went in there, made a huge mess and then he

climbed out of the window.

That's crazy. Oh my God.

How often around here does it actually happen, like per year?

Well, that's always depends a little bit.

That's basically also the reason why you are not allowed

to just go outside and, uh,

walk around between all the buildings.

So, every time you want to go out, you have to call me.

Okay.

Or someone like me with a gun.

Uh, so we can, uh, escort you and make sure you're safe,

while you, for example, use the sauna and then

have a swim in the ocean...

Mm-hm.

You'll be standing there with the rifle?

We'll be standing there with the rifle.

We all know polar bears can be deadly.

And Evelyn tells me there's over 3,000 of them on this island.

So, as weird as it might be to have a guard,

I'm kinda glad she's with me.

You ready to explore our hotel and restaurant?

Yes.

The reason I wanted to come to this restaurant is because

it has a reputation for not only being remote.

Get rid of your suit and your boots.

But for serving one-of-a-kind experimental

dishes which are unlike anything I've had before.

Okay, come on in. Thank you.

Oh, wow. This is beautiful.

You walk inside and you are immediately greeted by warmth.

Just like the textures, the patterns, the colors,

everything makes you feel like you've now stepped into this

cozy oasis.

And while that gusting freezing world is just outside,

it's clear that in here you're going to experience

nothing but elegance.

Hello. Hello.

Hi.

Welcome. How are you doing?

I'm well. Thank you. I'm Kristen.

I'm Rogier. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.

Glad to see you make it out to Isfjord.

This is great. Thank you very much.

How was the boat ride?

Everything from, honestly even just like the

four-day journey that it's taken me to get here has been...

I can imagine, yeah.

An absolute adventure.

Little magical place, if I might say myself as well.

How does this work?

Like I, I'm fascinated by this entire process cause you are

quite literally like in the middle of nowhere.

To be very honest? It's very limited.

Before I came to Isfjord Radio, I was working at a

very busy restaurant in Amsterdam.

And, uh, the trucks came every day.

You know, we unload the trucks...

Yeah.

Every fresh produce came. And then

...I came out here and it's opposite world.

Rogier grew up in The Netherlands.

But he spent more time on the road than any other place.

He fell in love with cooking when he took a job at a

restaurant to help fund his travels and years later,

he went on to become the chef at one of Amsterdam's

top restaurants.

But the need for a new adventure was calling him,

and Isfjord Radio fit the bill.

After two years on the job, he still finds creating

extraordinary meals with very limited resources

to be the ultimate challenge.

It's all about the preservation...

...and making sure that I do have a fully stocked freezer.

Can I see this freezer?

Yes, please. Of course. That's just...

Cause I imagine it's just like packed with

so much good stuff.

It is definitely. Let me show you.

Local trappers are limited to

very short hunting windows,

so Rogier takes what he can when it's available,

butchers it and freezes it to last the entire year.

This is a stack of reindeer mince,

reindeer stock, reindeer necks.

Ah.

And it keeps on going.

Every part of the animal is used.

Nothing goes to waste.

So, you have a freezer full of beautifully preserved items.

And yet you also have a lot of great fresh produce.

So, how is this getting to you?

In the summertime, the fresh produce...

...I get it by the boats...

...which happens about once a month.

Okay.

We don't always get it like in the tiptop conditions.

Because it takes such a long time for

the produce to come here.

So we need to find a way to preserve it, start using it to

like extend the life of it...

Yeah. A little bit longer.

Being resourceful is just the start for Rogier.

He has to deliver a world-class dining experience

night after night.

Let me open up the door for you.

Thank you.

So it's nice to have you here.

While you're here...

...we're going to have an adventure group coming here.

And I want to use them a little bit to start trying out

a few new dishes...

...that I haven't done before

to kinda get us prepared for our CEO, Brita.

She's gonna come the end of this week.

Brita is the mother of Isfjord Radio.

She always tells her chefs the food should be as adventurous

as the journey to get there.

And she comes by every few months to see if the

restaurant is living up to her standards.

I need to make sure that she's going to be

completely surprised and just blown away.

No pressure. No pressure at all.

So, are, are you thinking of any

specific dishes so far?

What kind of ideas are floating around your head?

I always like to implement a little bit of the

freshness that we can find here that doesn't come

straight from my freezer.

If we want to make it a spectacular dinner,

I know there's urchins, mussels, clams

underneath the water somewhere.

So, we're going to have to go diving.

You know it's freezing cold?

The water's warmed up at least a degree and a half

in the last couple of weeks.

A degree and a half it warmed up?

It warmed up. Yeah.

It will take your breath away when you go under the water.

I'm going to jump in the Arctic Ocean.

Oh, God.

Rogier has scouted the area for good diving spots

and found a huge colony of sea urchins in a shallow bay

just 15 minutes from the restaurant.

And then our diving spot is going to be over here.

Hey, real quick, guys.

There is actually a polar bear on the hill.

Shut up. Hold on. Where?

it's a polar bear.

It is a polar bear.

Oh my God, it's moving. (bleep)!

So, a polar bear this close to the shore means

there is likely a food source nearby.

He locked eyes with me.

I felt it.

It's probably a seal,

but I'm not eager to give him any other ideas.

He knows we're here.

He's looking straight at us.

This is nuts.

Yep. It's unbelievable.

Is that too close to go diving here?

Rafael? Yeah?

What does this mean for our dive?

It's too big risk.

Since polar bears are excellent swimmers and prey on

creatures in the sea, it looks like we'll need to

change up our dive spot.

But even though urchins are over-populated in this area,

Rogier can't be sure that there's gonna be any

at this new location.

Oh, boy.

You go first.

Bye. Bye.

Oh my goodness.

You gotta be ♪ kidding me.

The ocean is about a degree above freezing.

So, in theory, this seven-millimeter wetsuit

should keep me nice and warm.

Okay. (bleep) three, two...

One.

Ooh.

Woo-hoo.

Oh, my God. It's cold.

Rafael is keeping an eye out on a nearby cliff so he can

give us plenty of warning if there are any more polar bears.

But we'll have to be quick since we're definitely

going to attract attention.

Now we need to go down and search for some stuff.

There's a ton of seaweed in this spot which is

a popular snack for sea urchins.

Where are the sea urchins?

I have no idea.

But we searched...

and searched...

and came up empty-handed.

So, we grabbed some seaweed instead.

I found this one...

...and it interests me...

...because I've never seen it before.

The whole mission wasn't a complete fail.

We got some seaweed.

I know Rogier has a backup plan, so we'll head off to a

different location and then hopefully we can find

something we can actually serve to our guests.

...once I get the human condom off my body.

Let's get some fish.

So, we are going to go to Lake Linne...

...which is where I get most of my char in the summertime.

You can kind of see how

the landscape already changes, like...

...from one place to the next one.

This whole area is protected by the Norwegian

government and no motorized vehicles are allowed.

So, the only way to get to the lake is a two-hour roundtrip

hike across the tundra.

Look at this landscape.

It's like in the middle of nothing.

Amazing!

Once I crested the ridge, I swear to God, the view

literally took my breath away.

X marks the spot.

Wow. That is unbelievable.

Welcome to Lake Linne.

We're going to get some fish.

Let's go do it.

Rogier prefers to fish with nets that he sets out at the

beginning of the season.

And returns to check daily.

As you can see, we have some buoys out already.

We're going to start with this one.

So, how do you feel like going out on the water?

I, uh... yes.

Yes. Perfect.

So, to get to the buoys that mark the nets,

we're taking his canoe.

I have a survival suit here for you.

Rogier makes this trip to the lake every day

in the summer.

He's caught as many as 18 fish at a time,

but sometimes he doesn't get any at all.

You got this? Yep, I can do it.

But whatever he gets in those short months

has to last him all year.

Oh, my God.

And what I now always do, I grab the buoy and

attached to the buoy, you find the floating rope.

Okay. How are we doing?

I don't feel any fish.

Uh-oh. No luck.

Yeah, there's no fish.

Ready for the next one?

Where is it?

They're over there. Oh, I see it.

Well, I should have been wearing your suit.

You're getting water all over me.

Woo. There we go.

Woo. Oh, we got fish.

We got fish.

Holy it's a big one.

Nice.

It may be just one fish, but with one this size,

we can easily feed the party that's coming tomorrow,

as well as Brita and her friends the following day.

Woo hoo.

An Arctic Char from the Arctic.

Who would have thought?

Back on the shore, Rogier suggested we warm up with

coffee before the long hike back.

There is something to be said about the character of a

person who can do this and live in this environment.

Definitely challenges.

Like 24/7 daylight can already upset a lot of people,

from day one, 24/7 darkness...

Yeah.

Of course, you miss your families and friends.

You know, but then...

It's more the challenge for myself

saying, "I can do this".

Yeah. Which I love.

I love a challenge. I, I thrive in it. I need it.

Yeah.

It keeps me on my toes.

It's a good thing Rogier likes to stay on his toes

because working in a spot like this requires an

intense focus at all times.

And now, I'm looking forward to seeing how his intensity

plays out in the kitchen.

Bread is in the oven.

The guests will most likely come in around 7:30-ish.

So...

We have a couple of hours until go time.

For this meal, Rogier wants to test some truly

experimental recipes on a group of Arctic hikers

in order to more finely tune what he serves to the founder

in two days.

It's going to be the amuse...

...a starter, a main and a dessert.

You know, we've got to give them a dessert.

Yeah.

Now that we're swapping out Arctic Char for the sea urchins,

I'm curious to see how Rogier plans to prepare it

with the other ingredients he's preserved, frozen or

had recently delivered.

We have beetroots...

...so I was thinking about a beetroot puree kind of idea.

We'll do some trial tests.

The main course will be a sous vide preparation of

Arctic Char complemented by fresh apples,

a fermented berry sauce and beet puree.

Another smart mix of fresh and preserved ingredients.

What do you want me to do?

You can do the reindeer tongue with the melon.

Sure. Perfect.

The main will be complemented by an appetizer

of reindeer tongue with fresh melon.

It's a local twist on a tried-and-true classic.

And I want to do desserts that...

...I've also been trial and erroring with.

Maybe a little passion fruit.

Mix it in with some saffron and kimchi juice.

I want to try out carmelized white chocolate.

And maybe some parsnip chips.

And make it into sorbet.

So, Rogier's dessert will be a passionfruit and

kimchi, yes kimchi, sorbet

with white chocolate custard and parsnip chips.

Dusted in lingonberry powder.

It's a new experiment for me as well.

So, let's trial and error and just have fun with it.

Oh, boy.

So, the dessert is making my brain go a little bit crazy.

It would never have occurred to me to put kimchi juice

in a passionfruit sorbet.

It's my kimchi.

Oh, this has got a kick.

Exactly.

But it's sweet in the beginning, and then a kick in the end.

Ooh.

But this is what I came here for, to be pushed out of

my culinary comfort zone.

I'm really hoping these diners' palettes are as

adventurous as the effort it took for them to get here.

I think I looked out of the window and saw

a few of the guests.

Do they look happy and hungry?

They definitely look hungry.

Bread is ready. Thank God.

What do you think about putting a little divot and

putting a little bit of sweetness in?

Love your style. Love your work.

Chardonnay from Burgundy.

Our dinner party is waiting to be served.

So, we're doing the final plating of the

stout beer bread starter,

which we decided to compliment with a

Mork syrup at the last minute,

to give the butter an unexpected sweet kick.

Good evening, everybody.

Thank you very much for coming.

Starting off today, we have some stout bread.

It's a sourdough that you kind of mix in with some

caraway seeds and cayenne pepper.

We have the whipped brown butter,

and some genius person actually puts in...

...a little bit of Mork syrup...

...which is a dark syrup.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

It's good. Mm-hm.

I like the taste of the brown syrup inside.

It's really, really good. Mm-hm.

So, the diners here, they're looking for something

that shakes things up.

They're looking for something they can't find anywhere else.

They're, quite frankly, the dream guests.

Glad to see everybody's still here.

Thank you very much for that.

Go this way.

Definitely an effort that we've done together.

We have a piece of melon in reduced cherry vinegar.

And then we have reindeer tongue pastrami on top of it.

What is it presented on?

This is the shoulder bone of also

the Svalbard reindeer.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Cheers, guys.

Reindeer tongue.

It's tender on the inside but still the,

the crust is like chewy.

Mm.

That is very tasty.

I like it.

Wow.

So, for the main, we have a beetroot puree.

And we have an Arctic Char that we catch ourselves

in Lake Linne.

We have apples, we have a fermented berry sauce

and then some...

...puffed buckwheat on top of it, so...

Enjoy, guys.

I like the freshness of the apple.

It's really good.

And the skin is crisp as well. It's nice.

I'm going to jump on the sorbet.

Oh, boy.

So far, these diners have been very receptive and

a great test for the dishes Rogier would like to serve

for the founder tomorrow.

I love little trials like this.

But even I'm not sure if Rogier will hit the mark

with his experimental dessert.

The white chocolate, the lingonberry powder,

passionfruit, all make sense to me.

It's the kimchi juice and the saffron that's throwing me off.

Thank you.

It's an absolute pleasure.

Thank you. You're welcome.

The last little trial is this caramelized

white chocolate creme anglaise.

And then we have a little carmel of sorbet in the middle

which is a sorbet made from passionfruit, saffron

and some kimchi juice inside of it.

Kimchi juice?

They reacted a lot easier than you did.

Yes, you did. The adventurous group.

Sounds disgusting, I'm not going to lie.

It's a bit weird to think about it.

I was like, why would you even try that?

Dig in. Don't let it melt.

Oh my God.

Oh, it's really good.

Super nice.

The passionfruit, it's amazing.

But yeah, the favorite, there is no question, was the dessert.

I love the ice cream.

Super good. It's so good.

Like had all the components.

It had the sourness that I really like and then the

crunchiness with the chips on top.

That was amazing.

That's a really good dessert.

Cheers.

Mm. That's fun.

It's funky. Yep. It makes sense.

Really? Mm-hm.

Finally, somebody says it makes sense.

The dessert was the shock of the century.

And any doubt that I had that it was just ingredients

thrown together to shock somebody,

all went away when you tasted it.

Thank you very much, everybody, for coming here.

Thank you, Rogier.

And I hope the adventure doesn't stop at this,

just keeps on going.

Cheers, guys.

Cheers. Hey, cheers.

Okay, so yes, today's meal was a total success.

Well done.

Thank you very much. Yeah, love it.

But Rogier's boss is coming tomorrow,

and she has notoriously high standards.

So, game on.

I think we're on a really good course with what

we have been doing.

I was very excited to see the dishes that we made.

It looks amazing and tasted amazing and I think everybody

was super happy with it.

And that dessert was awesome.

You like it? Yeah. I really do.

You want to do it again? Yeah.

Not only was the meal a success, but the star dish

was Rogier's passionfruit kimchi sorbet,

which is inspiring him to push the envelope

even further to impress his boss.

I'm also looking to switch it up a little bit...

...with something exotic.

Just add more?

Just add... Okay.

One more, one more dish as well.

And I also think it would be nice for you...

...to have a little bit of that playfulness with it...

...which is going to be the Svalbard Ptarmigan.

Second course.

How do you, how do you spell Ptarmigan?

It's, uh, P-T armigan.

Roger tells me the ptarmigan is a grouse that

lives in the area.

And is such a staple, they call it the Svalbard chicken.

I have a few of the hearts left.

Okay.

But, of course, Rogier wants to use the parts of the animal

that aren't widely eaten.

Stuff that I really want to work with, what

I haven't actually worked with yet is the stomachs.

I don't, I don't know how to cook, I don't know

how to cook that.

But I will, I'll figure it out.

There's trial and error.

I have one, I have one, one try to get that right.

I got to say it's pretty daunting to be asked to

experiment with a totally new ingredient before this

really important dinner.

But it's also getting me back in touch with how I first fell

in love with cooking.

So, the first thing I ever made at like five or six-years old

was a chocolate pudding.

It did not include chocolate, nor did it include sugar.

It was basically water, cornstarch slurry and

soy sauce to make it turn brown.

And I just went into the kitchen, and I just did it

without fear of failure,

without fear of someone not liking it.

It did not taste good.

Um... But it wasn't about that.

It was about the thrill of discovery and not the

fear of defeat.

And that's how I want to approach this Ptarmigan dish.

Thinking of like this really great rich yummy broth and

then we can skewer the meats and the stomach

in just like a light grill.

Brain is, brain is already going...

Yeah. 100 miles an hour.

I love it. Yeah.

So, we'll do a... Ptarmigan.

Ptarmigan brodo... Broth with a...

With, um, skewer... Stomach.

Stomach.

First time I've ever written that in my life.

Perfect.

But the stomachs aren't the only things

Rogier wants to test.

Keeping with the bird theme, he invites me back into the

kitchen to show off his latest experiment.

In the form of a new cocktail.

I do have something that I'm trying out because

the grouse pouch is what we call the hamster bag.

I've made that, or I've put it inside of

some Dutch malted gin.

Jenever.

I can go and get it and let you have a try as well.

Okay. Some regurgitated undigested pouch liquid.

It hasn't been regurgitated yet.

Oh, man.

The color's throwing me off, though.

I'm not going to lie.

Oh, really? Oh, yeah.

Oh no, so it's all the stuff that they have yet to swallow?

Yeah, this is what they collect for the wintertime.

So, it is saved in a little pouch.

But it's got all the digestive acid, right?

No, no digestive acid.

It doesn't get digested inside the feeding parts.

Saliva?

Maybe some enzymes, some healthy enzymes.

Probiotic bacterias because if you smell the bag...

...it smells like very herby and seedy from...

But this is very, very new and the idea of...

unswallowed stuff does throw your brain for a loop.

It's as close to Svalbard produce

as you can get...

...only the birds have been gathering it for us.

Oh, my God. Yes.

It is local seeds from Svalbard that they have collected.

If they can't get any food,

they will regurgitate this and swallow it.

Amazing. Yeah.

Just have a quick little smell about it.

I don't know. I...

I mean, I consider myself an adventurous eater,

but this one is pushing my limits.

But hey, I was wrong about that kimchi dessert.

And, I'm always staying open-minded to things

that are new to me.

I will try it.

So, today before we actually go and feed our guests,

thinking it would be nice to go out and

have one more little experience of Svalbard.

Okay.

Give you a little surprise.

This is something to aid in the dinner this evening?

It will add a nice little touch to the dinner, yes.

I think you'll be blown away.

Are you all prepped for the dinner?

Not yet.

We cook together.

I, I promise I'm not going to make you dive.

But I am going to make you touch the water.

I will, I will.

So, today's the day we'll be cooking for Rogier's boss, and

he's taking me to his favorite spot in Svalbard,

to get a surprise last-minute ingredient.

So, this is what makes Svalbard magical.

This is so crazy.

Oh, my God.

So, what are we getting?

We're getting ice. The most obvious choice.

Kill the engine, brother.

If you're really quiet, and you listen through the waves,

you hear all the pops and cracks?

This is the glacier ice that's been compressed snow and

air bubbles over thousands of years.

So, when it melts, all the air bubbles pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

So, if you put this in a glass and you pour

a cocktail on top of it,

you're going to get the same popping effect.

I did not know glacier ice pops and fizzes.

Like even just now, just hold it.

Just, just take a second, everyone.

Like seriously? It's magnificent.

I'm finding myself at a loss for words.

Look in the front of us.

Now he dive. You see?

This is walrus.

No. No way.

!

We're surrounded by walruses.

They're just everywhere.

I can stare at this all day.

But let's collect the salty glacier ice.

Oh yeah, cause we actually have stuff to do.

We actually do have stuff to do.

Yep, and a dinner to prepare.

Here we go.

Move that one? Let's see.

Only 10% of the ice is actually above water.

It's all connected.

Bye.

So, these pieces are a lot bigger than they appear

on the surface.

Hold on.

I got you.

Are you sure you have me?

Oh, damn.

One cubic foot of ice actually weighs 55 pounds.

So, we're definitely going to get our workout today.

that's heavy.

I'm going to taste it. Cheers.

Cheers.

Mm. Salty.

It is salty.

But don't worry.

That saltiness won't be noticeable in a cocktail,

since the ice itself is made from freshwater and we'll be

chipping these giant chunks into very small pieces.

Mm.

I bet there's walrus pee on this.

What do you think?

Little bit of extra flavoring.

Ready?

Yes. I was born ready.

I've been setting up a little bit already.

Okay. We have, what, a couple of hours?

So, we need to move fast?

Fast. Okay.

Fast and efficient.

In addition to the reindeer pastrami and

Arctic Char that we served yesterday...

Fish is going down.

We're adding a new menu item that Rogier and I

are working out together.

Stomach time.

Oh, boy. What's it smell like?

It's got a gamey kind of smell.

And this protein is unfamiliar to both of us.

Smells like olives.

A little bit.

The Ptarmigan stomach, which we plan to

grill on hand cut skewers, with other parts of the bird,

and then serve with a broth on the side for dipping.

And don't forget, there's the Ptarmigan feeding sack that

Rogier wants to mix into a cocktail.

I have a little Hibachi grill and we can

put the skewers on it.

And you're going to make the skewers?

Yes, I'm going to make the skewers...

...because you kind of surprised me with that idea and...

...I did not have any skewers ready.

But, just like everything in this place...

You gonna kinda have to make do with what you got.

Seven skewers, coming up.

Too big?

I think so. Too thick, yeah.

A little bit too thick, huh?

One more time through the middle

would be perfect, actually.

Oh, great. Yeah, I love it.

So, I'm just trying to find my way into the stomach.

Oh, man.

Oh, there it is. It's, oh man.

Out come the little rocks.

She was a little freaked out by the stomachs, definitely.

I like that.

It's like I got freaked out by some of the things

I do as well.

But then it's just a mental challenge to like get over it

and find the right way of working with it.

My God, do you hear that?

It's rocks in the stomach...

...that the bird has eaten.

It helps them digest.

I wonder what Brita is going to say about this.

When, um, Brita is coming in, is it a different

kind of energy for you?

I'm definitely a little bit more focused and

I'm trying to serve her like very playful things.

I would hate to let her be bored with the food.

Right.

I understand that Brita's mandate for Rogier is

to be experimental.

If you feel this, it's super tough.

Oh yeah, that's like leather...

I don't think that's edible.

But to be experimenting with new protein

and new flavors with less than two hours before her arrival,

is pretty nerve racking.

Let's see if we can skewer an apple on that,

without it splitting.

Oh, beautiful.

Perfect.

The way I think about food is my point of reference is

nostalgia, it is comfort, it is things that I'm familiar with.

And then I kind of start to manipulate and bring it to

a place where it feels slightly more new.

But it's not completely far departed

from the point of origin.

Let's get rid of the rocks.

Need to make sure that we're giving edible food

on the skewers.

Yeah.

Rogier likes to start with the wildest, craziest ideas and

then he just starts messing with them.

We have completely opposite approaches in the kitchen.

So, I'm excited, but also kind of nervous to see

how this all plays out.

Oh God, we have 30 minutes.

What do we have to do?

Fish is in.

Tongue and everything is prepared.

Broth is on. Apple we have just a la minute.

Dessert? Sorbet's on.

So, the only real thing we have to do is skewer?

Skewer, and make sure we have happy guests.

Yeah. See how this goes.

Happy days.

We're experimenting with the best way to serve up

these grouse organs.

I think we should go olive, heart.

Are we writing this down?

We're thinking since the Ptarmigan stomach smells

similar to olives, we're going to include actual olives.

Along with the apples soaked in dill oil to give a bright

compliment to the gamey dish.

Stomach in the middle.

No, we should put the apple in the middle

to keep it separate.

And then stomach.

Look at that. How fun.

Arctic kebob.

I love it.

Rogier's teaching me to trust my instincts more.

And not be so scared to mess up.

I dig it.

Yeah, me too.

I think we're ready to serve.

Welcome. Just come in and have a seat.

This is beautiful. Wow.

Hello. Hello, Brita.

Good evening, everybody.

Hello.

I'm so glad to see you guys here.

I will just quickly put some bread in the middle.

When you come this far north, through the valleys

crossing the frozen fjords, this is a unique adventure.

And I think that the food should be as adventurous

as the travel itself.

I'm going to get this out of your way.

It'd be a shame if you couldn't reach the bread.

Thank you.

So, our chefs have a big responsibility in adding

to that adventure.

Thank you very much for coming, as always,

to Isfjord Radio.

I have the pleasure of being accompanied by Kristen Kish

to create an exciting dinner for you guys tonight.

Thank you.

It's mad.

Syrup in the middle.

This place is a touch of madness.

This place is adventure.

Oh. Mm.

So, the meals should represent a touch of madness.

Have they had this before?

No, Brita has tried my

reindeer tongue pastrami before but not...

...even close to what we're doing at the moment.

Rogier's plan is to start with the more expected

dishes like bread and butter and the reindeer pastrami.

Oh, yes. Wow.

The way they're presenting the food is amazing.

Yes.

Fantastic.

So much taste.

Next up, is the Char.

Oh, oh.

Which also takes advantage of

the local ingredients.

But doesn't stray too far from a traditional

Scandinavian preparation.

I have to learn how to cook this beetroot puree.

I love the beetroot.

But now, we're going into totally unknown and

experimental territory.

Now I'm nervous.

Are you? Yeah.

Aye.

So, this is an interesting one.

We've been playing around with the Svalbard Ptarmigan.

On the skewers, you will find a black olive,

Ptarmigan heart, then there's a breast and a piece of apple

marinated in some dill oil, and a piece of stomach.

We have a sauce that's made of apples, star anise...

...and also a tiny little bit of langoustine stock inside of it.

Don't forget to mention that he hand whittled

the skewers himself.

Do they add some flavor?

Is there a slight burn?

They are definitely adding a little burnt flavor

from the inside...

...but I would not recommend to eat it.

It tastes extra special.

I promise.

Enjoy.

We have never had those parts of the ptarmigan...

...and the stick in our restaurant before.

That's delicious.

I think it's perfectly cooked.

Yes.

We want to deliver innovation, elegancy, contrast, surprise.

This dish answered to all of those areas for me.

I know Isfjord Radio has amazing food, but not,

not like this.

Takes it to a new level.

Really, a new level.

It's playful and creative.

They managed to create this fusion of our local

resources and leveling it up to a gourmet level.

That's what makes it special.

And that's worth the trip, so to say.

You got to go.

Ice cream's melting.

After Rogier's gamble with the Ptarmigan stomachs paid off,

I was pretty sure the kimchi passionfruit sorbet

would also be a hit.

It's, it's very strange, but it's fantastically good.

Life will be not the same after this dessert.

But this feeding bag cocktail, total wild card.

So, what's this?

I have infused the feeding bags of the ptarmigans,

inside the young Dutch malted gin.

So, the herbiness that you have in it, it comes from the

local fauna that the ptarmigans gather.

The ice we have collected ourselves

today from the glacier.

Wow.

I recognize this ice.

I hope you enjoy it.

It's interesting. I love the glacier ice.

But I don't like it.

Rogier...

...I have some problem.

I cannot understand how you get this idea...

...and you go to these conclusions.

It doesn't taste good for me, but we had fun with it.

And I think that is more or less what I get out of it.

I think this here, this is playful, this is adventurous.

I like that it's a touch of madness,

doing things differently.

That's our idea, right?

Doing it a bit differently.

Thank you, Rogier. Cheers.

Rogier, thank you for being brave with us.

Thank you for allowing me to be brave.

By embracing radical experimentation, this chef has

turned the challenges of having very limited resources,

into an opportunity.

I wish you'd stay forever - both of you.

I did not, I honestly, I was just, I was,

I was a help for him in the kitchen and it was truly

an absolute pleasure.

This place is magical.

It has inspired him to cook the foods that he cooks,

and I was just a really lucky recipient to be

on the other end of learning all this.

So, thank you very much.

You're being very humble.

We brainstormed together and I loved it.

Rogier truly is an inspiration.

And if I can bring that sense of playfulness and discovery

back into my own kitchen, who knows what might come out of it.

Cheers to both of you. Thank you.

But this is a lesson I can apply outside the kitchen, too.

This amazing restaurant is innovative, experimental,

and most of all, gives space for wonder and curiosity.

That's what made me fall in love with cooking in the first place,

and it's a reminder of how I want to live my life.

And now I'm ready to take the plunge into the next

great adventure at the very end of the world.

Captioned by Cotter Media Group.