Karen Green

Amrita Health

April 2011

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My husband Neil and I took a gourmet tour of Stockholm

during the Easter weekend 2011.

We took £700 with us and spent it on food – it is a

frighteningly expensive city especially when a glass of house

wine starts at £14 a glass

This brief presentation is a personal perspective on the food

we ate and uses some of my photos and some from the

restaurants and other eateries websites.

I was assured by the taxi driver it is cheaper to eat out in the

suburbs but no where near as stunning

It is a fabulous city – go with lots of cash to appreciate the

architecture, the outdoor café culture and delicious food. Not

for hen/stag parties. Ideal if you are teetotal!

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What epitomises Swedish food?

*Herrings – pickled in everyway possible – herb dressing,

green garlic, curry, mustard

*Rye crispbreads – like Ryvita? You will love this!

*Meatballs – yes just like Ikea with gravy and ligonberry jam

*Gravalax – marinated salmon served with mustard sauce

*Potatoes - boiled as starter with herrings, mashed and in

Janssens temptation

*Strong herb flavours such as fennel, mustard, dill

*Cakes – especially cinnamon rolls and punchrolls - cakes

rolled in green marzipan and dipped in chocolate (available

in Ikea!)

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* Coffee – the Swedes love their coffee and are one of the biggest

consumers in the world

* Berry based drinks including ligonberry juice

* Aquavit – don’t make the embarassing mistake we did:

* Aquavit comes in many flavours so don’t just ask for a glass –

its like asking a wine expert for a glass of red!

* Aquavit should be drunk with the starter and not ordered as

digestif as we did (oops!)

* Vodka

* Lager beer – main brands – Pripps Bla and Norrlands Guld

NOTE: alcohol (more than 3.5% proof) is only sold by government

run shops (Systembolaget)– the duty is high so I suggest you pack a

bottle of your favourite aperitif in duty free

** Michelin stars - Five restaurants:

* Frantzén/Lindeberg (2 stars) –beautiful website www.frantzen-

lindeberg.com/en/

* Mathias Dahlgren Matsalen (2 stars) – set in the beautiful setting of the Grand

Hotel overlooking the water.

Due to Easter and limited funds, we did not eat there but did have the wonderful

Easter Sunday buffet at the hotel for a mere £49 – see menu appendix for

afternoon tea at the Grand

* Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren

* Esperanto – see menu on next page

* Fredsgatan 12

* Lux Stockholm

*Hardly anything for vegetarians – they just don’t get it. Except

* See menu appendix for F12 vegetarian tasting menu

* Hermans – buffet style with fabulous view over water

*Expense

* expect to pay £15 for a starter and around £25 upwards for main and that’s

before you get to the wine - £14……….a glass!! VAT on wine in restaurants is

25%

NOTE: We went at Easter when none of the Michelin star restaurants were open – in

*Sturehof

*traditional Swedish fare – herrings, salmon, oysters

*fabulous fish soup (see photo – had already taken spoon hence

messy photo!!)

*Beautiful beautiful woman!

**Chokladkoppen – best ever chocolate cake, hot chocolate,

cinnamon rolls. This is a lovely place to sit outside and watch

the world go by in a beautiful square

*Kaffekoppen – next door also renowned for coffee and cake and

most photographed café in Stockholm

*National museum – vast selection of

cakes, biscuits, salads and savouries

We went primarily to see the Lust and

Vice exhibition –on until 24th Aug – well

worth a look

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*Prinsen – traditional Swedish restaurant

*Vast white asparagus with hollandaise

sauce

*Ubiquitous herrings with beer

accompaniment

*Traditional Swedish sausage

All a bit phallic after all those exhibition

pictures!!

*Bla Porten (the Blue Door)

Fabulous low key service and food –

finally some vegetarian offerings,

reasonably priced beer, amazing tomato

soup and loads of gorgeous cake!

Very pretty garden setting – location great

for the Vasa museum

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Frusen fänkål och Grönländska råräkor

Frozen fennel and shrimps from Greenland

Alggravad makrill med sötad pepparotsmjölk och bakad äggula

Mackerel cured in seaweed, egg yolk 65° and sweetened horseradish milk

Vår via ramslök och nypotatis

Spring concerning ramson and new potatoes

Torsklameller med vårsalladsgröt och algvelouté

Flaky cod with sautéed lettuce and wakame velouté

Rökparfymerad renkalvstartar med renmärg,

selleriemulsion och krispig maltsurdeg

Smoke scented reindeer with its bone marrow served with

celeriac emulsion and crispy malted sour dough

Langoustine stekt i langoustine med sjöborre i foie gras au torchon,

svart trumpetsvamp och frusen hasselnöt

Langoustine fried in langoustine with sea urchin in foie gras au torchon,

black trumpet mushroom and frozen hazelnut

En studie i jordärtskocka serveras med montage av lamm

Degustation of Jerusalem artichoke with Swedish lamb

Karamelliserat Ingrid Marieäpple

Caramelized Ingrid Marie apples

1175 sek

*VEGETARIAN TASTING MENU

«A DRY APRIL IS NOT THE FARMER’S WISH, FOR APRIL RAIN THE FRUITS PROTECT»

DAWN AT THE MOUNTAIN LAKE

nettles with pudding, cucumber and bergamot

BY THE EARTH CELLAR

morels with wild onions and preserved parsley

FISHING THE OPEN WATER

coeur de boeuf tomato with smoky tones, hemp and pepper shoots

FIRST GRASS OF SPRING

new turnips with apple, truffles and red lettuce

BURGEONING SHOOTS

white asparagus with duck’s egg, salt crocant and almonds

APRIL GREENS

blackened cepa with stalk broccoli, black seed and sorrel

THE LONG AWAITED VEGETABLES

braised leek with spring vegetables and tasmanian pepper

THE CHEESE MAKER’S SANDWICH

caramelised goat’s cheese with dried apples, honey and thistle

LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW

crispy soured milk with mint and nèfles

THE APPROACHING SPRING

victoria rhubarb with liquorice and iced cream

SHELTER FROM THE SUN

cassava and açai fruit with grated chocolate

SEK 995:-

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SANDWICHES

Cepes crème with Cucumber

Shrimps in Dill mayonnaise

Smoked salmon with Lemon and Chives

Smoked Ham with Tomato Chutney

SCONES

Macadamia and White Chocolate

Traditional with Brown sugar

served with Calamondin Curd

Blueberry and Blackberry Preserve flavoured with Lime

Stirred butter, Whipped cream

PASTRIES

Raspberry and litchi mousse with a Pistachio Macaroon

Tonka Pannacotta with a chocolate sandwich

Poppy Seed and Lemon Sponge cake with icing

Amaretti with Grandmarnier Truffle

FINEST TEA BLEND OF GRAND HÔTEL

A black tea blended from China mildly lemon flavoured

exclusively made for Grand Hôtel.