Dinner at Atmosfär in Malmö, Sweden

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Although Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city (which perhaps doesn’t say that much when the country’s population is similar to London’s, but still) it hasn’t had a lot to offer in terms of great restaurants. There are a few great ones that I return too, but the restaurant business hasn’t been buzzing like in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Until now that is. Now there are plenty of new tables I want to try when I visit home.

But with that said, we did actually return to an old favourite when I was at home last. Partly because of the convenient location a mere five minute walk from my best friend and her husbands flat where we had a pre-dinner cocktail and after dinner musings and partly because it simply is very good.

Atmosfär serves small plates, and recommend 3-4 per person including pudding. I would say 2-3 per person including puds as the dishes are more filling than you expect. I love this more relaxed way of eating good food; it feels less formal somehow not following the conventional starter – main – dessert.

There were seven of us dining together and I managed to photograph most plates, of course I forgot to take a picture of one of my own dishes. Doh!

The wild garlic soup (above) was velvety and nice served with melt in the mouth sweetbreads and red wine mayo.

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The salmon tataki with quail’s egg, truffle and chives was lovely and fresh.

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And the lamb with sage and pata negra ham was really good too.

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One of the most iconic Swedish starters; löjrom toast with creme fraiche and red onions, was delicious (as always).

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Deconstructed steak tartare was a hit with the men. I passed on it as I new it came deconstructed and I prefer mine mixed to perfection in the kitchen. But that’s just me. The pickled beetroots added a Scandi touch. 

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Everyone who tasted this dish (I sadly didn’t) all agreed it was the best one they had that evening. And it looks magnificent, doesn’t it? Duck breast, beets, almond bread, rygeost ( a smoked cheese from Denmark flavoured with caraway seeds) and shiitake mushrooms.

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Also the monkfish with Jerusalem artichoke, tomato and pepper was very tasty and the fish was perfectly cooked.

It was the amazingly tender pig’s cheeks with lovage and celeriac I forgot to photograph, but I can assure you it was very good indeed. Personally I would have liked a little less lovage in there, but that’s because I am not a huge fan of that herb other than a substitute for stock.

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A few of us couldn’t resist the puddings and most opted for the deconstructed (I sense a theme?) snickers bar with salted caramel, chocolate fondant, vanilla icecream and peanuts, but also the creme brulee was delicious. A9

We had a lovely evening here, just as I expected. And definitely the perfect place to catch up with old friends over food.

Atmosfär, Fersens väg 4, Malmö, Sweden

Dinner at Atmosfar, Malmo, Sweden

My birthday this year was a Wednesday. Rather boring, but a good excuse to have bubbly mid-week. I was in Sweden on holiday and wanted to have supper with my closest family and best friend.

Mum, dad and I met at Emma (said best friend) and Claes’s for a class of bubbly and some nibbles, before walking to the restaurant of my choice; Atmosfär.

In general I am not very impressed with the restaurants in Malmo, but there are a few good ones, Atmosfar included. You can tell that they have a passion for food there, and on the walls hang lots of certifications.

The menu is not very long, but it doesn’t matter as you want to eat it all. They have smaller and bigger plates, but no proper maincourses, so you can mix and match the dishes how you like. This makes the atmosphere less stuffy and it is all about enjoying food.

We started with the fabulous ham (top photo), Jamon from Spain. It was melt-in-the-mouth fantastic and we all loved it. We also had some marinated olives, white wine and plenty of water as it was a really hot summer’s day.

There were also several baskets of bread and we ate and ate. I don’t want to think of how many loaves our table of five went through, but it kept on coming. The bread was airy and light in the middle and had a lovely buttery crust all around it. Addictive!

When we started with the smaller plates (not starters, mind you) both mother and I were very indecisive and ended up sharing two. The first one was the lovely scallops with crisp vegetable and a lovely jus.

The second plate was a Swedish all-time classic, a plate of caviar (löjrom), creme fraiche, chopped red onions, lemon and toast. Yum!

When it was time for the larger plates, the whole table settled for two varieties. I had this lovely lamb fillet with jus, fried button mushrooms and girolles and a thin thin crisp slice of bread. It was wonderful; meaty and light at the same time.

Dad among others had the beef with jus, chickpea creme and roasted tomatoes. Lovely as well and the meat was great produce.

We skipped pudding (had too much bread anyway) and went back to Emma and Claes’s to enjoy a cake my mother had made. After a slow walk and a good rest of course.

This restaurant never disappoints me (as Malmo restaurants often do). For being in Sweden the prices are very good, the produce and cooking amazing and the service and atmosphere good. It reminds me of smart casual restaurants in London, which definitely is a good thing.

Atmosfär
Fersens väg 4
Malmö

Atmosfär, Malmö, Sweden

When Christopher and I went to Sweden the last weekend in May, we were lucky to get an extra day there because of the UK bank holiday Monday. It was a regular working day in Sweden, so we went with dad to Malmö and had a lovely day there before heading to the airport in Copenhagen. (Yes, I fly to a different country than my own when I go home, the bridge and tunnel makes the journey over to Sweden really quick – 12 mins by train). In Malmö we went shopping, had a nice lunch and icecream. That’s my idea of a nice day off!

The two males went for the beef with mustardy potato salad and loved it. After a weekend full of eating I chose the Caesar salad, which was massive and lovely. It had some bulgur wheat in the bottom to make it more filling, but that was a bit OTT, I could only finish half of it anyway. Apart from the main courses they serve you a bowl of soup and lovely homemade bread at the start of the meal, so you won’t risk leaving here unsatisfied.

Atmosfär is good value for money, great service and although the restaurant usually is full up I have always gotten a table here.