Sirap

Brunch #5 (toast not pictured).

Surbrunsgatan 31
+46 (0) 86 12 94 19
Monday-Friday 9:00-18:00
Saturday-Sunday 11:00-17:00
www.cafesirap.se
Map

We went to Sirap for a late brunch on Saturday with S’s friend O and his flatmate.

L: I have to admit that I tend to be skeptical of places in Stockholm that claim to serve real American food of any kind, particularly those specializing in brunch.  Most such places offer a ridiculously expense buffet of things I don’t want.  Think a table covered in prince sausages (prinskorv), bad scrambled eggs, stale toast, and cold Swedish pancakes for around 120 kr each.  Exciting, no?  No.

But I digress.  Suffice it to say that I probably would have avoided it had not O been such a winning fellow.

The first impression was not great.  The place was hideously overcrowded an underserved, but the food looked amazing.  You can see beautiful and surprisingly realistic pictures of the food on their website.  Annoyingly there is no service, so you have to queue to make your order.  Despite the fact that we were lucky and there were only a few people in front of us in line it took about 20 minutes.  The person who took the orders also had to make the coffee – not very efficient.

After having managed to place the order, it was about another 20 minutes before the food came – a grueling 20 minutes of starvation while watching other people stuff down delicious breakfast, might I add.

So worth it though.  Fabulous fluffy American pancakes with lashings of maple syrup, generous amounts of bacon, and some of the best scrambled eggs I’ve had at a restaurant.  S had the Brunch #5 for 100 kr (which I stole from), and I had the Ceasar Wrap for 85 kr.  The wrap was heaven.  I didn’t realize how much I missed the American version of Ceasar salad.  It was full of chicken and bacon and so huge I had serious problems finishing, despite the long wait.

I recommend reserving a table if you plan to go on Saturday or Sunday morning.  The place tends to be packed.  The crowd is a bit interesting as it seems to be a mix of 20-something Söder-dwelling Indie types and rich kids who have wandered over from Östermalm.

Summary: Great food.  If you’re missing real American breakfast this is your place.  The wait is way too long, with better service we would definitely add a star.  We’ll be back.

Rating: ***

Chaikhana

Lovely tea.

Svartmansgatan 23
08-24 45 00
Monday-Friday 11:00-19:00
Saturday-Sunday 12:00-18:00
www.chaikhana.se
Map

L: I remember walking past Chaikhana one day a couple of years ago. It was raining and cold, and I thought a nice warm pot of tea would cheer me up considerably. Then I saw the price and nearly peed my pants. One pot of tea for one person – 60 kr. At the time I was an extremely poor student, and that was beyond luxury. I took the subway home and made my own pot of tea.

Now that I have a job, we finally ventured back one rainy Sunday to try it out. I must say, I’m in love with this place. I don’t even think the prices are that bad anymore. I think that’s my scone addiction talking, the prices are still a bit on the high side, but oh the scones. The scones cost 60 kr for 3, served with orange marmalade, black currant jam, and clotted cream. That’s right, real clotted cream. S’s favourite thing is the Ceasar salad at 110 kr or 140 kr with a pot of tea. The salad is perfection with avocado, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and homemade croutons. Unfortunately, they also put celery in it, which is just a bit odd. I recommend you request they not put in the celery. We always share the pot of tea, which seems to annoy them, but works perfectly. It’s enough for about 2 cups each, which is plenty for us.

The location is perfect as well, right next to the German church (Tyskakyrkan) on Gamla Stan. You can sit there on a Sunday afternoon and watch the wedding parties go in and out. There’s outdoor seating during nice weather.

I also find the staff endearing, though others might find them a bit on the forgetful side. About half the time they forget to leave the celery out of the salad as requested.

We had a bit of a strange experience a couple of weeks ago. The tea tasted very strongly lemony. There wasn’t supposed to be any lemon in it, so we asked. It turned out there was something wrong with the water. The staff was great. They apologized three or four times and brought us free cider while they made a new pot. The cider is another small bit of heaven. It’s totally non-alcoholic and not to be associated with the sweet swill one gets in Swedish bars. Think of the best apple juice you’ve ever had and then make it lightly sparkling. Perfection. I’ve been looking for it all over in grocery stores and the like, but have yet to find a place that carries it. It’s something French, though the name escapes me now.

Chaikhana tends to be booked up on Sunday afternoons, so if you plan to go then, I recommend you make a reservation.

Summary: Perfection, but still a little on the pricey side. The scones are a must. Cider is a perfect alternative for non-tea drinkers.

Rating: ***