FAYETTEVILLE — In the Norwegian language, the word “hjem” means “home.” Fitting, then, that Matthew Holland, the owner and head chef behind a new restaurant called Hjem, had a home in Norway for several years.
It was after internships at New York establishments such as Savoy and Blue Ribbon that he moved with wife Camille, a native of Norway, to the towns of Grimstad and Vikersund.
While he was there, he catered meals and cooked for friends.
But after the couple decided they wanted to move closer to his family, Holland, an Arkansas native, got serious about his trade. After weighing Hot Springs and Little Rock as possible choices, the Hollands picked Fayetteville - specifically, a new space inside the East Square Plaza Building on the square - as the right location, both for Hjem and for Nordic Moods, an outdoorthemed apparel store next doorto the restaurant.
Hjem, which opened in late June, combines the flavors of the Pacific Northwest - from which Holland imports much of his seafood - and those of Norway, Finland and Denmark.
There is no deep fryer on the restaurant grounds and very limited freezer and refrigerator space, Holland says, and that’s just the way he wants it. It forces him to use the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market and fresh deliveries of fish and beef in his dishes.
It also allows Holland to change the menu every few weeks, utilizing whichever seafood happens to be in season. All the fish are wild caught and are not from farms.
Holland says that makes his work as a chef easy.
“If your ingredients are really high quality, you really don’t have to do much,” he says.
The fish is delivered from the Pacific Northwest, and Holland uses it to create dishes such as seared halibut cheeks served on a bed of leeks in caper vinaigrette and topped with a potato-crab compote ($26). Also recently on the menu was a Kalgin King Island Salmon filet served with grilled asparagus and a soy, ginger and cranberry sauce ($25) and a smoked white king salmon sandwich served with goat cheese and yogurt mayonnaise ($11).
Also popular are the fish cakes, which change from week to week. They are homemade, and prices vary.
Beef comes to the restaurant from a ranch in Nebraska, and it’s no ordinary meat, Holland says. The restaurant sells beef only from North American wagyu cattle, a cross between the Angus breed and Wagyu, or Japanese cattle. The resulting cuts of meat are a degree above the prime classifications, Holland says.
At Hjem, it’s used in two dishes. The first is the house special, a 9- to 10-ounce handcut ribeye with choice of a side ($32). The beef is also ground into half-pound patties for the wagyu burger, which is served with Jarlsberg cheese ona brioche roll with spinach, beet slices and juniper mayonnaise ($12). It comes with a side of fresh fruits from the farmers market.
Dessert choices, like the dishes on the menu, change with the season but recently included a dish of peaches and blueberries in a bay leaf custard cream sauce.
The restaurant offers a selection of wines, beer, coffee and teas. Hjem’s house tea is a combination of tea with lemongrass, blackberry leaves, rosehips, hibiscus, mint and farmers’ market honey ($2.50).
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FAQ
HJEM RESTAURANT
HOURS - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays
WHERE - 1 E. Center St. Suite 160
PHONE - 966-4344
Whats Up, Pages 19 on 07/23/2010