Eight Swedish foods to try in Gothenburg – video

Gothenburg has a well earned reputation as a gourmet destination offering everything from wonderful seafood to traditional Swedish dishes to cosy cafes to sip a hot chocolate or have a fika break with a strong coffee and cinnamon bun. Here are some of the Swedish tastes that you might enjoy in Gothenburg and West Sweden;

I hope you enjoy my video below about the best food to try in Gothenburg

If you can’t see the video above about the best Swedish food, view it on my blog here

1. Inlagt sill (pickled herring)

Herring was staple fare for the fishing communities in the islands, inlets and archipelagos off the West Coast of Sweden. A watch would be kept for the plentiful shoals off the coast and the boats sent out to bring in the herring, which would be smoked, pickled or salted to sustain families through the long, hard winters. Many of the coastal towns also had factories and canneries that packed and preserved the herring and provided much of the local employment. In Gothenburg, especially in the winter you’ll find herring served in endless varieties with spices and sauces – everyone’s granny has their own family recipe that’s been handed down from their mother to daughter. At hotel breakfasts and buffets you may notice large bowls with different styles of herring and you can look out them at the counters in the Feskekörka fish market in Gothenburg. We enjoyed this fish and herring platter with four different types of herring at Restaurant Gabriel in the Feskekörka.

2. Snaps

On high days and holiday, at Easter, Christmas and during the summer crayfish parties and practically any time there’s an excuse, the Swedes will bring out the Snaps. It’s an aquavit with attitude that can be flavoured with fruits or drunk just as it comes.  O.P Anderson is a favourite brand and the snaps goes particularly well with the herring, cutting through the rich, oily flavour. You can hear a traditional Snaps drinking song on my podcast about Gothenburg. If you’re not a great drinker like me then a sip will be enough to warm you through, but a true Swede will knock back the Snaps with a hearty Viking toast, Skol!

3. Oysters

We were in Gothenburg in December which is the perfect time to try the ultra-fresh oysters caught off the West Coast of Sweden. There are many fantastic seafood restaurants in the city but we tried our oysters at Restaurant Gabriel in the Feskekörka Fish Market (literally the Fish Church). The owner Johan Malm was the World Champion Oyster Opener in the 2010 Championships held in Galway, Ireland so I reckon that he should know a thing about oysters. Johan told us that although there are many ways to serve oysters, he always prefers them as natural as possible with just a squeeze of lemon to bring out the metallic taste of the sea. The trick is to make sure that you don’t just swallow them down but chew properly to get the full flavour. You can hear my interview with Johan Malm with all his oyster stories in my podcast about Gothenburg.

4. The Christmas Table or Julbord

In December and the run up to Christmas, many hotels and restaurants serve the Julbord or Christmas table – a buffet where you can try all the traditional foods that would be served at Christmas. There’s an emphasis on the pickled and the preserved that would keep you going through the winter, with plenty of herring, smoked salmon, cured meats and stuffed eggs. The old Swedish tradition was always to keep a pig and then kill it near Christmas. The Julbord can be eaten over an extended lunchtime or in the evening and is especially popular at weekends for families and groups of friends, to get you in the festive mood. We enjoyed the spread at our hotel, Elite Plaza served in the Swea Hof restaurant and I’ve also had a local Gothenburg recommendation for the Julbord at Sjömagasinet, situated at the mouth of Gothenburg harbour as well as  Salt & Sill which is 40km north of Gothenburg, and would be one to try if you have a car or are touring West Sweden.

Christmas Julbord at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden

Christmas Julbord at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden

5. Herring from a cart

If you’re on a budget and want to try a classic Swedish fish dish then make sure that you are in Magasinsgatan around lunchtime on a weekday to find the Strömmingsluckan herring cart open (it’s in the courtyard right by Cafe Da Matteo). The owner Thomas told us that these street food carts are very common in East Sweden but there are not so many in West Sweden so they decided to open one to serve traditional fried herring with creamy mashed potato and lingonberry sauce – it was yummy – if you don’t believe me watch the video!

6. Take a Fika break – coffee and cinnamon buns

If you didn’t realise the Swedes are great drinkers of coffee, you’ll work it out as soon as you get to Gothenburg. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts from coffee bars in alleyways and courtyards – in winter a cosy place to get out of the chilly winds and in summer a place to relax in a courtyard or park. Fika is what they call it in Sweden – to have a Fika is to have a coffee break, a chat with friends and pass the time of day, perhaps sustained with a cake or traditional cinnamon bun. The cinnamon buns are ENORMOUS swirls of sugary-spicy sweetness, reputedly invented at Cafe Husaren in the heart of Haga – you can’t miss them piled up the window on the main street of Haga Nyata.

In the neighbourhood of Nordstaden, not far from the port there’s Cafe Kronhuset in the courtyard next to the oldest building in Gothenburg, an old artillery store with copper shutters and some craft shops around the courtyard. Then there’s the local’s choice, Cafe Da Matteo with a small branch in the courtyard at Magasinsgatan and across the courtyard a larger branch where they make the bread and grind the coffee as well as a small branch in Viktoriapassagen. In the old working neighborhood of Haga you’ll be spoiled for Fika choice. We tried Cafe Kringlan, marked out by the golden bagel outside and the stunning selections of cakes, pastries and buns inside and then right at the far end of Haga Nyata we came across Le Petit Cafe with sea green chinoiserie wallpaper and vintage knick knacks – so very olde worlde Swedish.

7. Chocolate with sea salt

For chocolate with an unusual salty sweetness, seek out one of the Kanold chocolate shops . The one at the end of Viktoriapassagen is a cross between old fashioned candy store and boutique chocolatier with striped candy canes, marzipan pigs and melt in the mouth chocolate truffles with sophisticated and unusual taste combinations. The house speciality is the “Gothenburg Truffle’” invented by the boss of Flickorna (The Girls) Kanold, Jeanna Kanold, a charming lady who I found serving in the shop on the Sunday before Christmas that I was there. She told me how she invented the Gothenburg truffle which has a soft truffle centre topped with flakes of sea salt because she wanted a flavour that epitomised the taste of West Sweden with the ocean and the seafood.

The Cafe Kanold just around the corner is elegantly styled with sparkling chandeliers and washed out Swedish blue woodwork. I can recommend the hot chocolate with chili flakes to keep out the cold and send you out with renewed energy for exploring Gothenburg. I’ll be amazed if you leave without buying a few of those tempting chocolates and cakes at the counter.

Cafe Kanold in Gothenburg, Sweden

Jeanna Kanold at the Kanold Chocolate shop

8. Michelin Star Restaurants in Gothenburg

I can’t go without mentioning that Gothenburg has a huge reputation as a gourmet destination and was recently crowned the Culinary Capital of Sweden with no less than 5 Michelin star restaurants to enjoy. We were lucky enough to eat at Basement, where I met the Head Chef, Camilla Parkner to find out what makes the food in Gothenburg so special. You can read my account of our meal at Basement and my video interview with Camilla in my article about Gourmet Gothenburg.

Of course, eating at a Michelin star restaurant can be expensive and something that most of us would reserve for a special treat or celebration meal but if you’re looking for the gourmet experience then do make a reservation at one of the top Michelin star restaurants in Gothenburg. They often offer a more reasonably priced lunchtime menu, or a cheaper pre-theatre or bar menu so you can still try them out if you’re on a limited budget. In addition to Basement, the other Michelin star restaurants in Gothenburg are;

28+ (Just next door to Basement) which started as a cheese shop; Kock & Vin for classic dining with Swedish ingredients and in the basement is a popular bistro and wine bar Bjorns Bar; Fond  in a glass building by the Gothenburg Museum of Art and Thörnströms Kök for modern Scandinavian and regional cooking

Restaurant at Basement in Gothenburg, Sweden

Death by chocolate at Basement in Gothenburg

Visitor Information for Gothenburg or Göteborg

• The local tourism site Göteborg.com is full of information on the best things to see and do
• For information on West Sweden visit the West Sweden Tourism site or follow them on Twitter @WestSwedenTB or on their Facebook page and you will find their blog at ExploreWestSweden.com
• Another useful site for all things Gothenburg is I Love Göteborg
• If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing it’s worth getting the Gothenburg City Card which will allow you entrance to all the major attractions as well as public transport. Look out for the deals that some hotels offer that include a Gothenburg Card with the hotel booking.
• We stayed at the classic 5 star hotel, Elite Plaza Hotel which is in the Inom Vallgraven district and walking distance from most of the sightes of Gothenburg.
• We took flights to Gothenburg from London Heathrow with Scandinavian Airlines who have 2 flights a day to Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport, a 30 minute taxi or bus ride from the city.
• If you’d like to use a guidebook during your visit to Gothenburg I’d recommend the conveniently sized Thomas Cook Gothenburg Pocket Guide which we used.

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Sweden – Gothenburg photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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Staying in luxury with Mother Svea at Hotel Elite Plaza in Gothenburg – video

On the roof of the Hotel Elite Plaza in Gothenburg sits the statue of Mother Svea, the warrior princess who personifies the Swedish nation, with shield on one side and lions on the other, ready to repel all those who might dare to invade her beloved homeland. From our room on the 5th floor just behind the statue, we had the same view as Mother Svea, over the green copper rooftops of the elegant buildings nearby and towards the nearby canal or moat that surrounds the central quarter of the city.

The statue belongs to the time when the building was the office of the Swedish Fire and Life Insurance company, Svea who commissioned the building in 1890 bringing in all the specialist firms in the city to create a grand and solid building that was designed to impress. Clearly no expense was spared in the fine decorative stonework exterior, the marble columns and stairways, the patterned terrazzo flooring and sparkling chandeliers.

Florentine Hall at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg

Staircase at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden

The Elite Plaza’s reception hall to the left as you enter was once the main insurance office and you can still stay in the luxurious Svea suite with beautiful wooden panelling which was once the private apartment of the General Manager, who could ascend his own private staircase like the emperor of this insurance empire. In the 1920s the building was expanded with the open atrium of the Florentine hall and later became part of the University of Gothenburg before being turned into a hotel in 2000. All this turn of the century elegance is far from stuffy and there’s a modern twist with designer furnishings and striking artwork around the public areas on the ground floor.

I hope you enjoy my video below about Hotel Elite Plaza in Gothenburg

If you can’t see the video above of Hotel Elite Plaza Gothenburg, view it on my blog here

After a long evening travelling from London Heathrow with Scandinavian Airlines we had arrived to find thick snow at the airport, but as our taxi got closer to the centre of Gothenburg it had turned to a light sheen of sleet on the pavement. After such a journey we were relieved to be welcomed into the hotel and directed to the glass lift that took us straight to the 5th floor once we scanned our key card – impressive from a security point of view but slightly irritating when it’s magic powers ran out on the morning of our departure. We were relieved to sink into our bed with one of those extremely comfortable memory foam mattresses and slept soundly to the distant rumble of trams in the street below.

The next morning we had a better chance to check out the hotel before venturing out to discover what Gothenburg had to offer. Our superior room was a modern classic under the roof with sloping windows lined with silky soft curtains held in place by a brass rail. Living in a draughty old house as we do, we found the room on the warm side but luckily the large glass windows could be opened at the top to allow some fresh air. The neutral tones were highlighted with accents of deep pink and beige which I loved and rather wished I had a scarf like the pink and lime figured velvet throw on the bed. The room was a good size but divided by a low wall to mount the flat screen TV so that we could watch some trashy old movie while tucked up in bed – something we’d consider far too decadent to do at home but love to indulge in when we are away in a smart hotel.

The other half of the room had a low arm chair and work area with a well lit modern white desk and an internet point with free internet access. As you can imagine the Internet was in regular use and I found it to be very fast which is always good to find even if you just want to check the opening times of a museum. I also used the wifi in the hotel to check things on my i-phone but found it a bit of a bore that I was given a handful of paper slips with impossibly long passcodes that only lasted a few hours – although at least we weren’t being charged for the wifi, unlike many luxury hotels.

We loved the bathroom which combined classic white marble tiles and a black granite vanity surface with modern sink and bathroom fittings. The bath was so long that I could barely touch the end, a great bonus for Guy who is over 6 feet tall and we both appreciated a long hot soak after our days out and about in Gothenburg dodging the blustery showers. There were plenty of nice toiletries and white bathrobes with a wired in hair dryer beside the large basin mirror, although there was a loose marble tile that had come away leaving a hole at the bottom of the bath. The flat fronted wardrobes blended into the wall but when open contained plenty of hanging and shelf space as well as an iron and ironing board, safe and mini-bar.

After a good night’s rest it was down to breakfast served in the large Swea Hof restaurant which is  set in a former internal courtyard with a glass roof with dark green metal supports and walls of decorative plasterwork. The walls were painted in milky coffee shades with a black and white checkerboard tiled floor and softly padded dining chairs. The colour was provided by red figured velvet curtains sweeping across the inside of the doorway and banners of colourful artwork down the side of the building, with large modern still life paintings like the bowl of lemons or a montage of giant lilies.The dark green woodwork continued around the open kitchen with slightly art deco style light fittings and enormous cream shades hanging from the ceiling, the overall effect being of comfortable modern luxury.

We really enjoyed the huge variety and quality of the breakfast buffet with everything you might wish for from nutty brown bread to local cheeses to fresh fruit, pastries and cereals. The only fault I could find was that the coffee was from a machine which seemed a bit unusual in such a high class hotel and you had to pay extra if you wanted something freshly brewed. We returned later to find that the hotel was offering a traditional Christmas table of Julbord which included all the foods that you might eat at Christmas especially endless varieties of smoked salmon and herring, with cured meats and pickles too.

Christmas Julbord at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg

Christmas Julbord at Elite Plaza Hotel, Gothenburg

The 5 star Hotel Elite Plaza is very well located in a central neighbourhood of Inom Vallgraven and as Gothenburg is not too large you can walk to most of the places you’d like to see or easily hop on a tram for any longer journeys. Turn left out of the hotel and you walk northwards to cross over the canal, passing the City Museum where we found some delightful gifts in the their shop to bring home. A little further and you’ll arrive at the Kronhuset, an old artillery store which is one of the oldest buildings in Gothenburg, set in a pretty courtyard with several craft and gift shops and the delightful Cafe Kronhuset which is a favourite spot for Swedish open sandwiches or a Fika coffee break with cakes and buns.

Bedroom at Elite Plaza hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden

Suite at Elite Plaza hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden

Soon you’re in the harbour area with the Maritiman outdoor Maritime museum which opens from April-October and the Gothenburg Opera house, also built on a maritime theme with the nearby Lipstick tower where you can get a bird’s eye view from the 22nd floor. Turn right out of the Hotel Elite Plaza and you’ll walk south down the main street of Västra Hamngatan passing the cathedral and exploring the network of small pedestrianised streets filled with interesting fashion and home-ware shops. Soon you reach the circle of canal where you might like to pop into the Feskekörka fish market (literally the fish church) where we had lunch at the wonderful Restaurant Gabriel or the glass roofed Stora Salluhallen food hall to do a bit of tasting and buying of lovely local Gothenburg delicacies.

Cross the bridge and you’ll be walking down Kungsportsavenyn or Avenyn (the Avenue) for short where there are plenty of bars and eateries and you’ll end up at the Gothenburg City of Art or can hop on a traditional wooden tram to take you the few stops on to the Liseburg Amusement Park. If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing it’s worth investing in a Gothenburg city card which will provide free entry to most of the city attractions as well as public transport and city tours thrown in. You can walk from Avenyn to the old working districts of Haga and Linne with pretty traditional houses and cobbled streets where you can browse for unusual gifts in the arty and vintage shops and we stopped for a well-priced seafood lunch at the Sea Bar, Sjobaren and later had a cosy coffee and enormous cinnamon bun at Cafe Kringlan.

We loved returning after our days of exploring Gothenburg to our cosy rooftop room at Hotel Elite Plaza where we had the perfect view of the back of Mother Svea as well as the rooftops of Gothenburg. The warrior princess must have had a face lift in the 1960s as we could clearly see the workmens’ signatures and dates on the back of the statue. Many of the hotel rooms are being renovated through the first half of 2012 which will bring an even fresher look to this lovely classic luxury hotel, but we hope that Mother Svea will remain to cast an approving eye over it all. If you’d like to stay with the same view of Mother Svea be sure to ask for room 504.

Hotel Elite Plaza, Västra Hamngatan 3, Box 11065, 404 22 Gothenburg, Sweden E-mail info.gbgplaza@elite.se

The hotel is a member of Design Hotels and it’s worth also checking their website for any special offers. You can also compare prices and book for Hotel Elite Plaza and other Gothenburg Hotels through Hotels Combined.com

 More things to enjoy in Gothenburg

Our winter break in Gothenburg – podcast
Gourmet Gothenburg – Our Michelin Star meal at Basement – video
Exploring the Christmas markets of Gothenburg

Visitor Information for Gothenburg or Göteborg

• The local tourism site Göteborg.com is full of information on the best things to see and do
• For information on West Sweden visit the West Sweden Tourism site or follow them on Twitter @WestSwedenTB or on their Facebook page and you will find their blog at ExploreWestSweden.com
• Another useful site for all things Gothenburg is I Love Göteborg
• If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing it’s worth getting the Gothenburg City Card which will allow you entrance to all the major attractions as well as public transport. Look out for the deals that some hotels offer that include a Gothenburg Card with the hotel booking.
• We took flights to Gothenburg from London Heathrow with Scandinavian Airlines who have 2 flights a day to Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport, a 30 minute taxi or bus ride from the city.
• If you’d like to use a guidebook during your visit to Gothenburg I’d recommend the conveniently sized Thomas Cook Gothenburg Pocket Guide which we used.

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Sweden – Gothenburg photoset

 

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

Gourmet Gothenburg – our Michelin star meal at Basement – video

” The style at Basement is rough food “, I was told by the head chef, Camilla Parkner – strange, I thought for a Michelin star restaurant! But she quickly qualified; “It’s stylish-rough – we take food that you might eat for Sunday dinner at your grandparents but then we make it a bit more stylish” I’d come to have a chat with Camilla Parkner and try the dinner at Basement, to find out what makes Gothenburg the culinary capital of Sweden and how the city can support as many as five Michelin star restaurants.

At Basement we found an understated atmosphere – down a couple of steps from the street level and you’re into a cosy bar area with tomato red walls, natural wooden tables and abstract modern lithographs on the walls. Camilla’s straightforward personality matches the mood of the restaurant – she seems modest and uninterested in any pretension, telling me that the food is great in Gothenburg because the chefs here are down to earth and stick to what they know and love. She brushes off her achievement of being the only female head chef in a Swedish Michelin star restaurant, saying that she is a head chef first, although she is happy to encourage other female chefs.

We move into the main room of the restaurant where the upmarket brasserie atmosphere continues with teracotta tiles, roughly plastered whitewashed walls and square red abstract paintings dotted around the walls. Camilla tells me that the owner Magnus Larsson collects art from the local galleries in the neighbourhood and I’m reminded of the Camilla Lackberg murder mystery novel I’ve brought to Gothenburg as holiday reading. Set on the West Coast of Sweden The Ice Princess features an elegant Swedish murder victim who owns an art gallery just around the corner from here on Chalmersgatan and sells striking red and yellow abstract paintings by the talented but alcoholic artist, Anders, much like the ones on the walls of Basement. There’s a kelim on the floor with chairs and seat cushions in washed out shades of dusty olive and burgundy with olive green glass candle holders on the white table linen.

Camilla tells me about the food at Basement which is known for it’s signature dish of slowly cooked roast meats – just like your Swedish grandmother might have cooked. “For 10 years we’ve always had a slow cooked meat dish on the menu at Basement” explains Camilla ‘”and that’s what we’re a bit famous for”. The meats are cooked at a low temperature of 85 degrees C for 16 hours making them succulent and tender and they are served with different accompaniments according to the seasons.

I hope you enjoy the video below with Camilla Parkner on what makes the food in Gothenburg special

If you can’t see the video interview with Camilla Parkner above, you can view it on my blog here

Fish and shellfish also feature heavily on the menu – how could they not in Gothenburg? Camilla confirmed what I’d already heard, that the deep, cold, coastal waters create the outstanding quality of seafood that the city is known for and told me she has never found a flavour to match it in the world. In the main restaurant area Camilla serves a Seasonal Selection tasting menu which changes every fortnight based on whatever produce is in season – as she said; “I’m not a person that always longs for the summer because I love every season and try to use the best from every season.”

For example, the menu that we tried later that evening included slow roasted suckling pig with a puree of apple and celariac with a crispy topping of fried green cabbage – a typical Swedish Christmas vegetable. There’s also a Wagner’s classic menu that changes only slightly and is a homage to former chef Ulf Wagner who has now moved to another great Gothenburg seafood restaurant at Sjömagasinet - the lobster salad is his signature dish. In the bar area at the front, where tables can’t be reserved in advance, a more informal and less expensive menu is served with just a couple of choices per course such as fish of the day or a slow cooked meat dish.

Each fortnight Camilla creates a new menu using the seasonal and local produce and then the whole team of waiting and kitchen staff sit down together to try it, together with different wines for each course, carefully chosen by sommelier Daniel Rodriquez to compliment the food. This gives the team a chance to adjust any of the flavours before it is served to the diners in the restaurant.

Later that evening, having watched the Julfilm (Christmas film) on the facade of the Museum of Art and being nearly swept away by the windy weather, we are blown back into Basement, hungry to eat some food and not just talk about it. Once again we are charmed by the relaxed atmosphere and find our table right opposite the open kitchen where we can observe the chefs at work. The action in the kitchen provides a fascinating side show with none of the clattering and chaos that I would expect if my own family was creating the meal. After a while I became hypnotised by the culinary ballet as the two chefs glide about with a look of intense concentration on their face, carefully placing a spoon of sauce here or a tiny sprig of dill there. Camilla and the rest of her team stayed in the enclosed kitchen behind where there was no doubt some more serious pan bashing going on.

We opted for the 4 course Seasonal Selection menu but if you were looking for a serious gourmet blow-out you could go for the 6 course version with additional courses of terrine of fois gras and a cheese course before the desert. Although the courses were small, we were full by the end and in fact there were a couple of extras – a ‘pre-starter’ and a ‘pre-desert’ as the restaurant apparently offers something a little extra on Fridays. We also opted for the wine tasting menu which is carefully chosen to accompany the food, with a different glass of wine for each course.

Our pre-starter was a few slivers of smoked salmon with a mustard mayonnaise sauce, a miniature wafer of rye bread and a small but delicious cup of frothy lobster soup. Guy was unimpressed by the tiny portion, forgetting that we hadn’t even started on the main menu;  ”I hope the next course is bigger than this or we’ll have to stop off for a cinnamon bun on the way home!”

The real starter was thinly sliced deer tongue that had been given the 16 hour slow cooked treatment with a sour cream sauce mixed with tiny balls of bleak roe that popped delightfully in my mouth. It made a very pretty picture layered with crunchy sweet miniature onions and  slices of yellow pickled beetroot topped with another crisp wafer of sourdough bread. The whole meal was explained to us in great detail by the charming waitress to the point that we thought she might tell us the name of the deer or point out the very slopes on which the grapes of our Austrian Kremstal Riesling wine had been grown.

Carpaccio of deer with sour cream and beet roe at Basement in Gothenburg, Sweden

Cured char with lemon sauce and linguine at Basement in Gothenburg, Sweden

The fish course that followed was cured char beside a neat coil of linguine which was covered over by the frothy lemon and cheese sauce, although I could taste more of the lemon than the cheese. The garnish was lemon tossed fennel and there was a pile of crispy fried shallots on the top, with the freshness of the lemon cutting through the fried garnish perfectly.  ”Almost as good as my lemon chicken at home” exclaimed Guy smacking his lips as we washed it down with the more full bodied Lorcher Kappellenberg Riesling from Germany. A few more glasses of this Reisling and we’d be in danger of falling in the canal on the way back to our hotel.

Between courses we took the opportunity to look around us at the restaurant which was now filling up. An elegant, casually dressed 30-something couple sat down beside us and then asked to be moved a moment later. We hoped that we hadn’t scared them away but were assured that they just wanted to sit beside rather than opposite each other in the more romantic softly-lit room towards the back. Most of the other diners were couples from 30s to 60s and looked as if they were there for a special meal together. On the other side of us were an older couple who looked on in amusement as I (discreetly, I hoped) whipped out my camera to take a picture of every course. We chatted to the sommelier Daniel who told us had practically grown up in his father’s restaurant, with his earliest memories from the age of 3 being the sight of potatoes baking in the oven.

Our main course was the signature roasted meat dish that Camilla had promised me earlier – a cinnamon glazed, slow cooked neck of suckling pig served with a creamy and aromatic apple and celeriac puree. The meat was scattered with apple slices, small cubes of smoked pork and crispy fried green winter cabbage, with the seasonal apple flavours being used in different places within the dish. With the roast suckling pig we drank a light and fruity Pinot Noir from the Hahn winery in Monterrey, USA.

It seems that no Michelin star restaurant can resist a bit of drama with swirls of liquid nitrogen and ours arrived in the form of an extra pre-desert course. We were offered a marshmallow mouthful on a lolly stick – flavoured with Julmust, a traditional Scandinavian soft drink that looks a bit like coca cola and is only produced at Christmas. This was rolled in gingerbread crumbs and dipped in the liquid nitrogen to freeze it slightly, giving us a Christmas flavour Popsicle. Our waitress told us that the Swedish and Norwegians down the Julmust at Christmas parties if they’re driving and want something non-alcoholic. “It’s not sold in Denmark though”, she told us, joking that the Danes drink beer even if they’re driving! (You may gather that the Swedes were always being invaded by the Danes and have a bit of a love-hate relationship)

Slow cooked suckling pig celeriac & apple purée at Basement

Death by chocolate - layer cake with hazelnut icecream with nuts & violet

The real desert was Camilla’s version of Death by Chocolate, using the technique she had told me about of using the same ingredient in several different ways on the plate. The chocolate cake was made up of four different layers of chocolate brownie, truffle, mousse and jelly accompanied by hazelnut ice cream and mousse. The whole plate was scattered very prettily with dried raspberries, violet petals, pomegranate seeds and roasted pistachio nuts, making it more of fashion statement than a desert. On the top of the chocolate cake there was a sprinkling of sea salt, a typical Gothenburg touch that we had seen in the Gothenburg truffles at Cafe Kanold earlier that day.With the desert came a sweet red Italian wine – produced by Domini Veneti from the Veneto region.

Three hours later and we were feeling very mellow, having savoured every mouthful and enjoyed every drop of wine, just about making it back to our Hotel Elite Plaza without falling in the canal. The memory of our meal at Basement was of flavours in complete harmony and balance and the precision and care with which it was all created in the kitchen and served by waiting staff. We loved the informal atmosphere too and the unpretentious approach to food. Camilla Parkner got it right when she told us that the art of Basement is to take familiar flavours that you might eat for Sunday lunch at your Grandparents and then recreate them in a new, stylish, and totally delicious way.

You can listen to my interview with Camilla Parkner in my podcast about our visit to Gothenburg

Need to know about Basement

Restaurant Basement, Götabergsgatan 28, 411 34 Göteborg E-mail: bokning@restbasement.com

Basement is open in the evenings Tuesday to Saturday, closed on Sunday and Monday and at lunchtime.

Take a look at the Basement menus;  4 course set menu 675 sek, 6 course set menu 895 sek accompanied by a wine tasting menu 495 sek – these Seasonal Selection menus change fortnightly on a Friday. There is also a pre theatre menu which includes a glass of sparkling wine served 5.30-7.30 for 495 sek and the Wagner’s classic menu originally created by Ulf Wagner is 895sek. The Bar menu is served in the front room of the restaurant but you can’t reserve tables in advance – starters such as seafood toast with salad or terrine of fois gras on toast 115-169 sek, main courses such as fish of the day, slow cooked meat in red wine 179-249 sek and desert of the day 115 sek

(Currency Conversion; 1 sek Swedish Krona is currently aprox £0.09, $0.15 so the 4 course menu that we tried for 675 sek = £63, $99, 75 Euro)

You can read more about Head Chef, Camilla Parkner in this interview

Ready to try more Michelin star restaurants in Gothenburg?

The other Michelin star restaurants in Gothenburg are;

28+ (Just next door to Basement) Götabergsgatan 28, 411 34 Göteborg – the restaurant started as a cheese shop and cheese is still one of its specialities.

Kock & Vin Viktoriagatan 12 411 25 Gothenburg – Classic dining with Swedish ingredients and sometimes unexpected flavours. In the basement is a popular bistro and wine bar Bjorns Bar and they also own Familjen with a relaxed atmosphere and Swedish home cooking

Fond  Götaplatsen, 412 56 Göteborg – in a glass building by the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Swedish tradition with new flavours inspired by the Nordic landscape.

Thörnströms Kök Teknologgatan 3. 411 32 Göteborg - Modern Scandinavian and regional cooking

Visitor Information for Gothenburg or Göteborg

• The local tourism site Göteborg.com is full of information on the best things to see and do
• For information on West Sweden visit the West Sweden Tourism site or follow them on Twitter @WestSwedenTB or on their Facebook page and you will find their blog at ExploreWestSweden.com
• Another useful site for all things Gothenburg is I Love Göteborg
• If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing it’s worth getting the Gothenburg City Card which will allow you entrance to all the major attractions as well as public transport. Look out for the deals that some hotels offer that include a Gothenburg Card with the hotel booking.
• We stayed at the elegant 5 star hotel, Elite Plaza Hotel which is right in the centre of Gothenburg in the Inom Vallgraven district and walking distance from most things.
• We flew with SAS to Gothenburg from London Heathrow with 2 flights a day to Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport.
• To get a flavour of the West Coast of Sweden, you may enjoy the detective novels of Camilla Lackberg set in the coastal town of Fjällbacka and with references to Gothenburg
• During our visit to Gothenburg we used the conveniently sized Thomas Cook Gothenburg Pocket Guide which I can recommend.

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Sweden – Gothenburg photoset

 

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