Pater Noster: An Island Visit

Sayan’s travels across Sweden and the world continue. Most recently, he visited Pater Noster, a lighthouse, with one of the world’s best bartenders, Hampus Thunholm.

Pater Noster, is the beginning of one of Christianity’s most important prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and in Latin translates to “Our Father”. The Lord’s Prayer is a classic to the marine world and has been uttered by countless seamen before leaving their homes for perilous journeys across the seven seas throughout history. The lighthouse was erected in 1868 to stave off the hundreds of shipwrecks that regularly took place just outside the island. About 800 shipwrecks are approximated to be on the bottom of the ocean outside the small island before the establishment of the lighthouse.

“The head chef on the island would dive for sea lettuce, bladderwrack, and sugar kelp, which we could use in the dishes”- Sayan

Today, Pater Noster doesn’t see much use as a lighthouse, since a smaller and more tactically placed Caisson lighthouse (A type of lighthouse placed in open water as opposed to land) was erected just by Hätteberget. There was talk of discontinuing Pater Noster until Bohuslän Museum took over the administration of the lighthouse, which was deemed to have cultural significance for Sweden back in the 80:s.

Currently, the lighthouse is known as Pater Noster: A home by the horizon, and is a nouveau type of hotel, where quiet luxury is contrasted by the remoteness of the island and the lighthouse. Hampus Thunholm and chef Sayan and our sous chef David Forsman Törnquist visited the island and the lighthouse to make food, drink whiskey and get inspired by their surroundings. Hampus is known as the 27th-best bartender in the world, and is also known for his restaurant and bar Röda Huset, which houses the spot as the 45th-best bar in the world. Hampus Thunholm is lately also the man behind Nour’s carefully selected cocktails, having put time into consulting at Nour. Sayan Isaksson enjoyed the trip and was happy to answer some questions about the lighthouse

” Hampus and me get along really well; he’s a dear friend. He’s constructive, and we have a great dialogue. Plus, he’s obviously skilled at what he does.”- Sayan

You’ve been to the Pater Noster lighthouse—a unique destination. What happened there?

It was on a tiny island off the west coast. We were there helping to launch a new whiskey inspired by the open sea from the distillery Talisker. So we were a larger group that set out to enjoy the lighthouse, whiskey and the nature.

Pater Noster has won awards for reimagining luxury. What stood out to you about the experience?

It’s really a nature-driven experience, with open sea and a close-knit vibe. It’s like the Stockholm archipelago. The starry skies out there made for some amazing nights. It’s a bit of quiet luxury with its remoteness. The views are incredible, which adds to the whole experience.

There was also interesting local food to sample. The head chef on the island would dive for sea lettuce, bladderwrack, and sugar kelp, which we could use in the dishes, for garnish, or as fuel for the fire.

What did you cook at the lighthouse?

Since it was lobster season, we grilled a huge amount of lobster. The menu was sea-themed, so there was sashimi, lobster, blue mussels, and langoustines. We also cooked over an open fire.

How do you balance travel and these events with your work at the restaurant?

It’s about having the space to do other things. I’ve got an amazing team that can step up, and especially having David from Nour join me on this trip was fantastic.

Hampus Thunholm seems like a good partner in crime. Why do you choose to work with him?

I really like Hampus, he’s a dear friend. We go way back to when we opened Shibumi together, where he was the bar manager and won the Newcomer of the Year award. It’s fun working with cocktail pairings as a change from wine pairings. We get along really well; he’s constructive, and we have a great dialogue. Plus, he’s obviously skilled at what he does.

Is there anything special you’re working on for the menu right now that’s exciting?

We’ve switched from pike-perch to grilled langoustine with a koji glaze and a chawanmushi. Inspired by this Pater Noster trip, we’ve also created a xiao long bao with Swedish lobster.
The pictures that you see are photographed by Petter Bäcklund. With but two months before the end of the year, travel leads to insight and inspiration for the new year. You are of course, as always, welcome to reserve a table and experience all that is Nour.

If you’d like more information on Pater Noster as a travel location click here.