Ed eats

Swedish Delights
George Borg Olivier Street, St Julian’s

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: N/A
Overall: 8/10

Some time ago I lamented about the relative lack of international cuisine available to us. If we want to shake things up a little and depart from the abundance of continental cuisine we have on offer, then our options are limited. If you enjoy travelling, you can get a fix during the time you spend away from our shores.

I was in France recently and, quite naturally, I got my fix of proper French cuisine. At the same time, I took the opportunity to try cuisines that have been imported by nationals of countries that France once exerted a lot of influence upon. These tend to be as authentic as they come and make for a very interesting break from what we’re used to.

Other than that, one has to resort to ordering ingredients and having them shipped over. No matter how bizarre your craving is, someone out there has just what it takes to patch that void. If you are missing Japanese rice crackers spiked with wickedly hot wasabi, jbox.com has just the thing. They sell plenty of other oddities, so you can stick to the snacks and food section unless sailor school uniforms are your cup of tea.

What I refer to as oddities are obviously quite normal in their country of origin. I recall spending some time in Sweden and being exposed to liquorice in forms I hadn’t previously thought possible. Hockey powder, for instance, is a salty liquorice powder in a little tin you basically dip a moistened finger into.

The flavour is a wonderful little shock, mainly because it is something you most likely haven’t experienced before. I took a liking to it. Most of my friends didn’t.

Some time ago, I managed to pick some up at the cheerfully named Candynavia sweet shop in Sliema and was delighted that they even sell Turkish pepper sweets.

These little, black, boiled sweets are also quite particular and remind me of a night during which I was coerced into drinking copious amounts of a Turkish pepper vodka. The black liquid is odd and wicked and I love it. Candynavia don’t seem to sell it and I didn’t have the cheek to ask.

I did manage to get my hands on some though, and was very pleased I did. Someone who knows all about my burning desire to taste food I haven’t yet sampled told me she’d discovered this place that was serving authentic Swedish food and that it was actually quite good.

I promised I’d pay a visit and, a couple of days later, I did, accompanied by a bear and a monkey. Getting into a restaurant is tough for them so they assumed human forms for the evening but, deep down, they remain a bear and a monkey.

You’ll have noticed the ‘Not applicable’ cop-out next to the value score at the beginning of this column. This is because when we walked in, we found out that they were on this trial-period tasting menu where, for the tiny sum of €20, one could eat absolutely everything they’d cooked. We had unwittingly stumbled across the opportunity to sample the entire menu and were absolutely thrilled.

We were also very pleased to be greeted by a Swedish girl and an equally Swedish guy, who turned out to be excellent hosts. Like many of their compatriots I’ve met, they spoke impeccable English with the most endearing accent and have mastered the ability to be politely helpful without ever coming across as fawning.

The place was a restaurant before and much of the décor has remained. The minds behind Swedish Delights have added a whole lot of Swedish memorabilia, mainly in the form of posters and prints. The theme isn’t entirely cohesive but it is convincing nonetheless.

Much more convincing was the menu that was presented to us. There was no food on it since all the food was on display on tables and in chafing dishes. This was the drinks menu and it contains a host of Swedish drinks, from non-alcoholic soft drinks to a very decent collection of Swedish beers and all the way to the harder stuff. And the harder stuff included Turkish pepper vodka.

The bear and I ordered a bottle of Mariestads each, a beer recommended by our host and that I thought I’d tasted before. The monkey ordered a fizzy, pink, strawberry-flavoured soft drink. I eyed the evil black vodka and resisted the temptation to drink it before dinner. I quietly vowed to pay a visit later on in the evening.

As soon as our drinks were served, we were free to get out of our seats and head over to the tables laden with food.

To start with, we sampled bite-sized portions across the table that seemed to be bearing starters. We tried two varieties of marinated pickled herring, one with a garlic sauce and the other with lemon, garnished with parsley and dill. If you’re not quite comfortable with raw fish, I’d still suggest you try these because they’re just perfect.

Shrimps with dill, lemon and crème fraîche on a little sliver of toast were also lovely, as was a dish of salmon cooked with blood orange and served with a dill sauce.

The closest I can get to describing this dish is what a gravad lax would be like if it were lightly seared. Had there not been plenty left for the main course, I’d have just refilled my plate with the same food.

For main course, we tried lovely, little meatballs with pickles, mashed potato and a lingonberry sauce. Then we returned for neat, little tartare timbales with pickles, beetroot and horseradish. And purely to round off our main course, we ended with sautéed beef served with sautéed onion, baked potato, a mustard mousse, corn fritters and guacamole.

Across the board, the food was meticulously prepared and well seasoned. The combinations are at times unusual to the uninitiated but they are based on a kitchen that for centuries has made the best of seasonally available ingredients while catering to the needs of a diet tuned to a cold climate. And with winter around the corner, this kind of food will be just perfect.

There was no way we’d manage the lovely desserts that had, by now, been brought in from the kitchen. But I was sure there was a little gap that would fit a shot of Turkish pepper vodka. I also wanted to see the reaction of the bear and the monkey to this drink.

I ordered three shots, to the slight bemusement of our lovely hostess. She returned with the glasses, still smiling. One look at the faces of my companions explained the smile. They looked in horror at the opaque, black liquid. Then they bravely touched the glass to their lips, head swivelling up as they swallowed in the well-rehearsed arc, traced by those who have fought many a battle with shots of stiff drink. The look on their face was unequivocal. One man’s drink is another man’s poison.

While I refrained from giving a score to the value because I don’t think that a temporary tasting menu should be used as a basis of assessment, I can safely presume that Swedish Delights will be very affordable. I’ve had tasting menus elsewhere many a time and have never, ever paid just €20. They look like the sensible types and have most likely priced their menus accordingly.

So be brave if you’re not usually adventurous and try something you haven’t tried yet. Ask for advice about what the safest food will be. I’m prepared to bet you’ll go back for more.

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