Buchetto

Buchetto

Rådmansgatan 73
113 60 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 (0) 830 80 88
Tusday-Saturday 17:00-23:00
Map

We passed this little restaurant more than a few times, periodically reading through the menu, but always resisted going because the prices are roughly the same as our favorite Italian place.  Craving Italian food once again, we decided to try it in the spirit of open-mindedness.  The first impression was lovely.  The waiter was kind and attentive (rare in Stockholm).  There was a lovely Valpolicella Superiore for 90 kr/glass, which was quite reasonable.

L: Unable to resist anything containing salsicca, I ordered a pasta with a salsicca based tomato sauce for a bit under 150 kr.  Unfortunately, the promise of salsicca failed.  What I got was a fairly mediocre, but not bad ragú.  The ground meat in it might once have been salsicca, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

S: I got the only thing on the menu that didn’t seem to contain cream, alas that didn’t help. What I got was a rather bland creamy pasta with mushrooms, prosciutto and parmesan. I’m not saying it was horrible but when I can make something better with 10 minutes at home and a can of ready made sauce it sure shouldn’t cost 150 kr.

Summary: The food was ok, not good, and rather overpriced.  Not a catastrophe, but we won’t be back.

Rating: No star

Linguini

Frejgatan 48
11326 Stockholm
Sweden
Monday-Saturday 17:00-22:00
Sunday closed.
+46 (0) 831 49 15
Map

L: I’ve been waiting impatiently to try this place for a few weeks now. We discovered it when we were out looking for a new place to try. It looked absolutely perfect – cosy, good prices, nice menu. Tragically, they were fully booked. I came back at the first opportunity, for a nice cosy dinner with C.

 

I was fully prepared to be stunned. The on-line reviews were all extremely positive, and I wanted to love it. I did love the place. We sat outside, which was nice, but the inside seating looked even better with warm brick and candle light.

 

From experience I know that I should never order pasta with cream-based sauce in Sweden. I always hate it. Swedes seem to have a particular affinity for creamy sauces on pasta. I ordered the big filled pastas with gorgonzola. C. ordered the same, but with truffles. The prices were quite reasonable at slightly below 150 kr.

 

My expectations were crushed when it arrived covered in bland creaminess. Ours tasted almost identical. The pasta itself was lovely, possibly even handmade. The filling was basically without taste, and the whole bit was covered in a creamy sauce. Very disappointing. I’m not usually one for second chances, but this time I think I will be back. Next time I’m going to demand something without any cream, and we’ll see if they can produce anything worth writing about.

 

Summary: Great service, lovely restaurant, it’s a shame about the unremarkable food.

 

Rating: *

Ki-Mama Sushibar

Observatoriegatan 13
Stockholm 113 29

Sweden

+46 (0) 833 34 82

Monday-Friday 11:30-21:00

Sunday 15:00-21:00

Map

Ki-Mama is a bit of a mixed pot.  The sushi is outstanding.  We agree that it’s the best we’ve had in the city. On the other hand, the service is horrible.  You order at the counter, where you are usually greeted with hostility.  It’s as if they’ve been promised the day off to drink champagne on a yacht and then made to work at the last minute.  Something like that.

They offer a much larger selection of types of nigiri than most of the Stockholm sushi restaurants, but only one type of rolls.  Prices are fairly average for sushi in Stockholm.  The small combination which includes 2 shrimp nigiri, 3 salmon nigiri, and 3 rolls costs 75 kr.  During lunch a very nice miso soup (seems to be home-made) is included, in the evening it costs a few kr extra.

There are several other Japanese dishes available, including yakiniku and gyoza.  Both are excellent.

The restaurant itself is fun and funky with a huge whale mural which seems to have been constructed with torn up post-it notes.  You can even sit at the bar and watch them make your sushi.  In summer there are nice tables outside.  

Summary: Great sushi that’s worth the unpleasantness of ordering.

Rating: **

Pappas Deli

Primusgatan 79
112 67 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 (0) 86 56 07 90
Map

L: I’ve been eating lunch at Pappas Deli quite a lot during my time working on Lilla Essingen.  I’ve probably been at least 30 or 40 times.  My feelings about the place are very mixed.  On the one hand, they often have good soup, on the other 85 kr. is a lot to pay for soup at lunch.

There are three daily specials for lunch each day: soup for 85 kr., pasta for 95 kr., and salad for 95 kr.  I do not recommend the pasta or the salad.  The pasta is always some filled pasta served with a small side salad and some nice salami or prosciutto on the side.  It sounds nice, but I’m against paying that much for pasta that comes pre-made from the grocery store (I’ve seen it).  The salads are a strange mixture of canned vegetables and fresh, served with lots of seeds and a dressing.  I find the combinations disconcerting, but some people seem to enjoy them.

If you are celebrating something, you might go for the royal shrimp sandwich, it’s a small taste of heaven, but at 150 kr. it’s hard to justify.

They also have a nice assortment of fika bread, including lovely dark chocolate balls.  Expect to pay at least 70 kr. per person for a nice fika.

Summary: It’s a nice place to go for lunch in the sunshine, but only if you’re prepared to pay a bit of an overprice for the food.

Rating: *

Sibiriens Soppkök

Roslagsgatan 25
113 55 Stockholm
+46 (0) 815 00 14
Monday–Friday 10:00-22:00
Saturday 12:00-22:00
http://www.sibirienssoppkok.com
Map

Soup is without question one of the ultimate comfort foods.  We visited Sibiriens Soppkök for the first time when S was suffering the humiliation and discomfort of having his wisdom teeth removed.  Still swollen and chipmunkish, he was demanding real food.  No more smoothies and no more ice-cream.  He wanted meat.

We settled on the daily special (asparagus and smoked salmon in a creamy base) and the clam soup.  It was a surprisingly luxurious experience.  We sat outside in the sunshine eating a lovely assortment of bread with fresh cream cheese while we waited.  Then the soups arrived, steamy hot and luscious.  Both were rich and creamy with lovely full flavor.  Trying to describe it is impossible, you must go and try yourself! 

We were back two weeks later for more asparagus and salmon soup and the Murkla, a morelle mushroom soup.  Lovely soups with great service.

Prices range from 67 kr. for a lunch including coffee, to 135 kr. for a few of the more exclusive soups.  There are a few sandwiches and other assorted things on the menu, plus some lovely sounding desserts.  So far we’ve been too focused on the soups to try anything else.

Summary: Luxurious soups at low prices.  Perfect for a sunny afternoon.  Not to be missed!

Rating: ***

Lux Stockholm

Primusgatan 116
112 67 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 (0) 8619 01 90
Tuesday-Friday 11:30-14:00
Tuesday-Saturday 17:00-23:00
http://www.luxstockholm.com
Map

We have to start by admitting that Lux is one of our favorite places to go. L works on Lilla Essingen where there are few restaurants and even fewer you would like to eat at. Splurging on Lux started when we found out that they have a daily lunch special for 130 kr. More than your normal lunch, yes, but oh so much better.

They even list the upcoming daily specials on the website, so you can plan your next visit knowing you won’t be forced to order from the real lunch menu.

Today we were lucky enough to go with S’s mother, so we got to order the real food.

L: After considering the crispy duck from Hagby farm for 185 kr, I settled on the veal steak with roasted beets and horseradish for 270 kr. It was lovely. The meat was perfectly cooked and tender; the sauce was perfectly balanced to complement the meat without taking over. The beets were smooth and sweet. The horseradish really didn’t add anything for me, but it was ok. The only real complaint I have was that there wasn’t really a lot of food. I’m a pretty light eater, and I needed dessert.

I hit the jackpot with the rubarb and yogurt sorbet with cardamon milk. It was outstanding. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Totally worth 110 kr.

S:  I got the boullabaise with seafood and fish. Very nice taste and cooked to perfection. My only real complaint was the size.  If you order the “husman” you get a solid portion that will definitely fill you up, with this, not so much. At 295 kr i must admit that I was expecting a little bit more. Rating Lux was a bit hard, based on this visit alone I would have given it a 2 star rating, but considering how awesome the dagens husman deal is I’m going to have to give it a 3 star rating. Michelin starred food for 130kr is just unbeatable.

Summary: The daily lunch special is a bargain, not to be missed. The normal lunch menu still offers decent value for those who don’t mind paying around 500 kr. for lunch. No comments about the dinner menu, as we haven’t been for dinner.

Rating: ***

Peppar

Torsgatan 34
113 62 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 (0) 834 20 52
Monday-Sunday 17:00-01:00
Map

L: I went to Peppar for the second time last night.  It’s an interesting place.  Even on a Tuesday night it was full of young, hip Swedes.  The atmosphere is warm and welcoming.  It feels a little rock-n-roll, almost more bar than restaurant.

I was feeling a bit cheap, so I went for the least expensive main course, the New Orleans Hotdog (99 kr).  It’s a spicy sausage served in a baguette with sides of onion, whole grain mustard, and some thick brown cajun spicy stuff.  The hotdog was nice, not really spicy at all, but that’s Sweden for you.  Unfortunately the cajun stuff wasn’t spicy either.  In fact it was so mild I could eat it straight.  Not good.  From an American perspective though, the real problem was the cole slaw.  No sweet and sour flavor at all.  It seemed to be coated in plain mayonnaise.  Inedible.

Overall, not too bad, but next time I’m going to go there to drink, not eat.

We went together the first time some months ago.  All either of us can recall from that visit was that the food was a bit expensive for what it was, disappointingly mild, and that the service was horrible.

We went because we’d been told that the burger was the best in town.  L had it, and at 180 kr, it was nothing special.  S can’t remember what he had.

What we both remember was that we were very hungry and the waitress refused to notice our frantic waiving.  There was even talk of trying to detain her physically when she passed so she couldn’t ignore us.  Hey, don’t judge, we just wanted to order.

Summary: Nice atmosphere, okay food.  Would be a nice place to have a few beers with a friend.

Rating: *

Edsbacka Bistro

Sollentunavägen 223
19135 Sollentuna
Sweden

+46 (0) 8 631 00 34

Monday-Friday 11:30-23:00 (kitchen closed from 15:00-16:00)

Saturday 14:00-23:00

Sunday 14:00-21:00

http://www.edsbackakrog.se

Map

 

Our trip to Edsbacka Bistro was a spontaneous choice when our plans for comforting soup from Sibiriens Soppkök fell through (they were closed for the afternoon). S’s dad suggested Esbacka instead, so we piled in the car and called to make a reservation on the way. Interestingly enough, they open for lunch at 14:00, which seems a bit late, but it worked perfectly for us.

 

We were anticipating a lot. The Bistro is the more laidback incarnation of the famed, 2 Michelin star Edsbacka Krog. It’s recommended in the Michelin guide, but has no stars.

 

The interior was very casual with a nice pub feeling. You could image it was your favorite place to get a pint and a burger until you saw the prices on the menu.

L: As soon as I saw the menu I know I had to have the asparagus starter, “Vit sparris från Smedberga gård med Hollandaisesås.” Translation: “White asparagus from Smedberga garden with Hollandaise.” At 140 kr it was a bit steep, but I’m a sucker for Hollandaise and I never muster up the energy to make it myself.

 

The main course was a bit harder. I considered the chicken with tarragon and duck liver sauce (225 kr), but I was turned off by the duck liver. The Ceasar salad (155 kr) was also tempting, but I felt like it was a stupid choice for such a nice place. I mean, anyone can make a decent Ceasar salad. Finally I settled on the Bistro’s lamb sausage at 195 kr. I love lamb sausages and it felt like a nice cosy choice for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Besides, it seemed to be some kind of specialty.

 

The starter was quite disappointing. At first I was confused when they put an empty plate in front of me (um, didn’t you forget something??), then a few minutes later they made a big deal of bringing out my three pieces of asparagus on a little platter. That’s right, three pieces. I know luxury restaurants don’t really specialize in filling you up, but it still seemed a bit little for 140 kr. I mean, that’s more than 45 kr per piece. So it must be amazing, right? Nope. Hideously overcooked actually. The Hollandaise was nice, but not outstanding.

 

The main course was similarly disappointing. It was three lamb sausages served with some kind of small green legumes and preserved tomatoes in a reduction sauce with potatismos (Swedish mashed potatoes). The sausages were completely unremarkable. Not bad, but certainly nothing special. I’ve done better with ones I bought at the grocery store and fried up myself. The sauce was a typical French reduction, but it was a bit off somehow. I found myself wondering if they scorched it slightly. The vegetables were quite ok, but nothing remarkable, and the potatoes were on the gluey side. I must admit that I almost never like the Swedish version of mashed potatoes though, so this is probably just personal taste.

 

I honestly hope we hit them on an off day. I would hate to think it’s always that bad, but I won’t be back to find out.

S: I started out with the mussels in white wine.  Done right they can be outstanding, and I have many fond memories from trying them out at different places in Italy. Unfortunately these just didn’t quite cut it.  They came with some kind of weird biscuit that had been deep fried (yes you heard right) and a pretty bland aioli that I didn’t quite get the point of.

For the main course I picked the entrecote with bearnaise sauce. Sadly this didn’t live up to expectations either, the bearnaise sauce was the kind you’ll get in a pub or the grocery store, thick fatty and with a mayonnaise-like taste. The meat was very well grilled but without the bearnaise sauce it just didn’t make it.

 

All in all it was pub food of roughly the quality that I’d expect in a sports bar.

Summary: Mediocre food for very high prices. Not recommended.

 

Rating: No Star