Malmö – Page 3 – Scandelights

Brunch at Rosen Bar and Dining, Malmö, Sweden

Published on May 15, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

When I was home visiting I had quite a lot of friends I wanted to meet up with. I went for dinner with some of them and the rest I gathered for a late Sunday brunch in Malmö at Rosen Bar and Dining, the restaurant in Malmö’s only five star hotel.

It is nice here, but not too swanky and at 2pm we almost had the dining room to ourselves, which we quite appreciated as we were twelve adults and two children.

As this, especially with Swedish standards, was quite late in the day for brunch, we were really happy with the substantial spread of non-breakfast items.

At the hot plate you could choose between broccoli quiche, tender ribs, potatoes, chicken drumsticks, the obligatory scrambled eggs and bacon as well as order your own dish straight from the kitchen. The menu, consisting of several omelettes and Eggs Benedict (or Florentine actually as it was ham free), was scribbled on a black board just next to the kitchen and it was nice with a little interaction from the kitchen.

I had the Eggs Benedict (Florentine) which was really good. The English muffin was homemade and very tasty, the hollandaise rich and velvety but the egg slightly overcooked. Still really good on the whole.

At another station you found gazpacho, several cured hams (including a local spickeskinka), wild boar sausage and a few cheeses.

At another (chilled) station you found small pots with seafood in a mayonnaise dressing, small portions of Caesar salad, hot smoked salmon and cold smoked, even herring if I remember correctly.

There were also plenty of pastries, both French croissants and Swedish cinnamon buns, several bread rolls and breads. All the sweets were gathered at one table offering yoghurt and granola, lots of fresh fruit, mini cupcakes, brownies and rhubarb pie with custard.

Something we all really liked was the thought behind all the small portions, which made it so much easier to taste a wider spread and not to plate more than you could eat and therefore it much lead to less waste.

Also tea, coffee, sparkling and still water and four types of juice were included which I think is great. We will definitely be back, probably next time I am home to visit.

Rosen Bar & Dining, Mäster Johansgatan 15, Malmö

Dinner at Atmosfär in Malmö, Sweden

Published on May 11, 2013May 9, 2013 by Hanna1 Comment

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Published on September 18, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

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

A Swedish hen do

Published on June 20, 2012 by Hanna4 Comments

A few weekends ago now it was my best friend Emma’s hen do back in Malmö, Sweden and although it is slightly off-topic (there was food involved) I want to show you what we got up to.

My dear father helped kidnap Emma from her flat and drove her to the park where we had gathered to meet her and to have some breakfast in the sunshine. We had bubbly, nice bread, eggs, smoked salmon, cheese, fresh fruit, juices and other bits and it was a great start to the day. Emma also got to wear a tinsel wig and a special Sweden T-shirt because she used to play football.

Our first activity was to compete in different teams for two hours with different challanged at a place called Utmaningarnas Hus (The House of Challenges) and it was good fun. And not just because my team won.

After the challenges we drove to the beach and had coffee and mother’s cakes as well as fresh Swedish strawberries. Such a nice break!

After that we tried our luck at pole-dancing, but it was really hard. At least I thought so, so I just watched the others instead.

We then got ready at a few different places around town and met up at the bride’s flat, where her husband-to-be had set up a nice long table for us.

We then gathered around said long table for a champagne tasting that my blogging colleague Anders Öhman did. It was great fun and we learned a lot! Also a good start to the evening.

After trying all the lovely bubbly we had food catered from a tapas restaurant called La Roche. I let them decide the menu, and they did a great job. Everyone ate with a healthy appetite and it was a great spread.

We had charkuteries and cheese, olives and large capers, marinated prawns, tender chicken scewers with homemade chutney, strong aioli, tortilla, stuffed small red peppers and wonderful lamb chops. White chocolate pannacotta with raspberries for pudding.

The evening continues with music and chats and it was a great day for us, but hopefully even better for our hen Emma.

Green restaurant, Malmö, Sweden

Published on April 16, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

Malmö is the town closest to where I grew up. It is in the south of Sweden and the third largest city in the country (although it is not very big). It is situated by the seafront and the port was important for the growth of the city.

In the recent years the city has tried to transform its image and become more modern and less industrial. That was why the turning torso – Malmö’s new landmark – was built.

And it at the bottom of this tower in the West Harbour that the Green food market and restaurant recently opened. The restaurant that was here before was expensive and flashy where as Green is more in tune with the times and is presenting affordable, natural food in a more rustic interior.

: Emma and Linus

I have been very curious about this place since I first heard about it. My best friend Emma (above) went there for dinner before and was really pleased so I was hoping my dining experience would be similar.

Unfortunately it wasn’t great, but not terrible either. We went here on Easter Sunday for brunch/lunch and all in all it was satisfactory but it could have been a lot better.

: Malin and me

Out of the three waitresses that served us, two were really nice and professional but the third rude and less professional.

i chose a breakfast dish; eggs Florentine, and although it looked good (apart from the raw spinach) both the eggs and the hollandaise were cold. Otherwise the eggs were perfectly poched and the toasted sourdough really nice, so I suspect the kitchen did their job but that the plate got cold while waiting for the waiting staff.

The other three ordered the chicke Caesar and were all very happy with it. The chicken was moist and tender and the dressing really good.

Once we finished our meal we were neglected for at least 30 minutes, and we had to ask for the bill at the bar, which we were not impressed with. A shame that the service was like this on a day when the restaurant wasn’t even half full. And I feel sorry for the kitchen that are doing their job properly but because of the waiting staff the customers (at least us) are still left unsatisfied.

I have high hopes for this restaurant I hope it will get better with time and work out the kinks, because the kitchen is doing a good job and the menu definitely make me want to come back.

Spot, Malmö, Sweden

Published on January 14, 2012January 13, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

My last evening in Sweden was spent with my parents in the good company of lobster and wild duck, but my last day in Sweden, the day efter that dinner, I went into Malmö with my dad for lunch and later met up with my best friend Emma for a coffee.

The place where dad and I went for lunch is a place that has existed for ages, but I had totally forgotten about it. The experience, although just a having a pizza, was so good I thought I’d tell you about it too.

The restaurant is situated really close to the pedestrian street and is always really busy. The interior is very rustic with wooden tables and chairs and a large pizza oven in the corner.

You order and pay at the bar, then help yourself to newly baked bread, glasses, cutlery and napkins. There is oil on the tables to dip the bread in as you wait for your food.

We both ordered the same, the prosciutto pizza and it was sooo good. The base was nice and crispy with just enough topping, plenty of cured ham and some salad on top. And it tasted wonderful.

I ate so much more than I normally do, just because it was that nice, and also so I could avoid the poor food options at Copenhagen airport (although Lagekagehuset is OK).

Spot Restaurant

Stora Nygatan 33

211 37 Malmö

Sweden

Autumn in Sweden

Published on October 12, 2011 by Hanna1 Comment

The heading might strike you as peculiar, as we have autumn in the UK as well. But you see, these is a vast difference between the semi-autumn we have here in London, with temperatures around 20C, muggy weather and the coloured leaves and the proper autumn in the south of Sweden. When I went to visit last weekend it was around 10C and crisp lovely air as well as the coloured autumn leaves.

The countryside is wonderful around Malmö, where I’m from, and I went for a slow walk in the woods, trying to find some mushrooms and snapping away on my camera.

When we got back to my parent’s house I continued to take photos in my mother’s beautiful garden. Ok, it belongs to my dad as well, but mother is the one designing it and looking after it. It is so pretty that it has featured in one gardening magazine in Sweden and an agricultural magazine. Well done, mother!

We spent some time in the kitchen as well. On Saturday we had mushrooms (chanterelles and black trumpets) on toast followed by a meat fondue in oil, with potato wedges and bearnaise sauce. After a little break we finished the meal off with a tarte tatin from local apples and icecream.

On Sunday we had a traditional (Swedish) roast with venison, boiled potatoes, creamy gravy, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and jelly. A perfect end to a perfect country weekend.

Salt & Brygga in Malmö, Sweden

Published on August 22, 2011 by Hanna1 Comment

The last night in Sweden Daniel and Maria treated us to dinner at a cosy organic restaurant in the West Harbour in Malmö.

Although I used to live in Malmö before I moved to London I have actually never been to Salt & Brygga before. A shame, because I really liked the place! But it is still going strong after 10 (!) years, so I think it will be around for a while longer so I can come back.

The menu is based on local seasonal produce and they are, we later learned, quite fond of garnishing the food with edible flowers.

They offer an a’la carte menu but also three set menus, with the dishes from the a’la carte but a bit cheaper, so if you know you are having three courses, I highly recommend one of the set menus.

Out of those, all four of us chose the same one, the meaty option. It would be nice to see a set menu with bort fish/seafood and meat, but it was either or here. We were still happy though, meat lovers as we are.

The starter was spickeskinka, basically locally cured ham that is quite salty. It came with a smoked cheese creme, red and yellow beetroots, an egg yolk creme, caviar and fresh horseradish. It was very nice, but trying a bit too hard. The smoked cheese didn’t taste enough I thought, and the salty caviar was not needed with the already salty ham. The beets were perfectly cooked and went nicely with the dish and I really liked the egg yolk creme as well. All in all a good dish, but keeping it simpler could have been even better.

The main course on the other hand was pure perfection. Three types of meat (cutlet, leg and sausage) and perfectly cooked. The sausage had a nice earthy taste of cumin and almost a bit spicy. I say almost, the other three agreed that it actually was spicy… Nice, anyhow. Served with all the meat was a carrot purée (will have to try this at home), girolles and pointy cabbage, a jus and the most wonderful deepfried goat’s cheese (beautifully soft and creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

The dessert was a homage to crispy rhubarb with buttermilk sorbet, a lovely vanilla-flavoured creme, petit strawberry meringues and cardamom jelly. The latter was redundant as it didn’t taste much of anything, but a nice idea though.

All four of use really enjoyed the lovely meal in the relaxed restaurant. A Monday night in Malmö is always quiet, but still the restaurant was half full – definitely a good sign.

I would dare to say this is one of the best restaurant in Malmö, and it is well worth a visit! Thank you Daniel and Maria for a lovely evening with excellent food and wonderful company!

The last picture is of the Turning Torso, the landmark of Malmö.

Where to go for ‘fika’ in south of Sweden

Published on August 17, 2011 by HannaLeave a comment

Fika is a common Swedish word, meaning to sit down with a hot drink and either eat a sandwich or a cake with it. We do this a lot. When I grew up we would have six meals a day, and three of them being fika. Our day usually looked like this:

breakfast
morning fika
lunch
afternoon fika
dinner
evening fika

When meeting up with friends in Sweden you usually go for fika instead of a drink sometimes, since alcohol is more expensive there, but also because the culture is slightly different. Swedes drink, a lot actually, but not usually much on weekdays unless going out for a meal or it being an occasion.

If you ever go to the South of Sweden – where I’m from – I recommend you to try these few places for fika, lunch or just a cup of coffee:

Kust (Coast): A gem in Falsterbo with a cosy deck with tables, feeling almost like New England. The food is fresh and nice and the sandwiches huge. Everything is made to order, and they ask for your name instead of giving you a number – a nice touch. I went there with Emma and we had a salad each. Caesar salad at the top, and sweet chili chicken below.

http://www.kustcafe.se/

Katrinetorps trädgårdscafé (Katrinetorp’s garden café): Near where the bridge between Denmark and Sweden attach to the mainland you find a nice old house called Katrinetorp. On the grounds you find both an antique shop, English garden and this lovely café with outdoor seating in the most adorable courtyard. We had prawn sandwiches here after my parents had picked up us, and I was too hungry to take any photos. But the food is nice, the cakes look amazing and the surroundings are lovely as well. They also serve proper mains for lunch if you prefer.

http://www.malmo.se/Medborgare/Idrott–fritid/Natur–friluftsliv/Natur–och-rekreationsomraden/Katrinetorp/Katrinetorps-tradgardskafe.html

Lilla kafferosteriet (The little coffee roastery): On the street Baltzargatan in Malmö you encounter this low yellow house on the corner where Christopher had his best latte ever (!). You can buy all sorts of coffee, sandwiches, cakes and buns and it all looks lovely. You can either sit in the mismatched cosy sofas and chairs indoors or take a step out into the garden and enjoy the sun. They also have coffee to go, and a shop where you can buy different coffee blends to use at home. As far from Starbuck’s as possible and sooo much better!

http://rosteriet.blogspot.com/

Mosaik, Malmö, Sweden

Published on August 15, 2011 by HannaLeave a comment

We went out eating with friends in Malmö, one evening in Sweden. We headed to Gränden, a cosy court yard restaurant with cheap and cheerful food; but the reason you go is that court yard. But not any more. After been waiting for 45 minutes, having dealt with really rude staff, experienced flat drinks and having tables given away to other people although we were first on the waiting list is just not acceptable.

Tired, hungry and grumpy we went to Mosaik on the grand square instead. We were greeted by happy, efficient staff and managed to have a lovely evening despite the way it began.

Mosaik is a tapa style place with dishes from all over the Mediterranean. One dish Christopher and I shared was these mussles. They look fantastic don’t they?! They were good, but less tasty than they look unfortunately.

The fried potatoes looks quite plain but was delicious! After the meal my friends asked me what the best dish was and I actually said the potatoes. They looked at me with amazement and shook their heads… 🙂

But then I remembered the mushroom risotto, which actually was the best dish we had that evening. Creamy, light and full of flavour.

Christopher enjoyed this goat’s cheese toast all by himself, I had no idea what was with me, but for some reason I didn’t fancy goat’s cheese that day. Didn’t fancy cheese, how unlike me!

I love calamari, and when I make them myself I usually don’t coat them with batter because they are so soft and lovely as they are. Normally when dipped in batter it is because they are either readymade and rubbery (read: horrible) or like they want to hide less good produce. With those sceptic thoughts I was quite surprised when these calamaris were smooth and soft on the inside with crispy batter on the outside, not the rubbery limd at all.

We were three couples eating together and each couple chose their selection of tapas to try, and all of us ended up trying the teriyaki marinated chicken wings which were lovely.

We managed to have a really nice evening together, like you always do with good friends, and we definitely had better food were we ended up. Still a cheap place, but with far better service…