Friday night, and my last night Stockholm. I wanted to end my Swedish venture with an epic Swedish meal without bankrupting myself into a homeless person in Sweden.
Friday 7:30pm: I made a reservation an hour earlier, I didn't really need to, but better safe than sorry. Storstad's lively front bar area was blasting some Euro Electronic dance music, and the beautiful but chatty crowd was further adding more decibels to the already loud volume. Fortunately, the rear finer dining area is significantly quieter, and even romantic, despite the bass bumping in the background. From the phone reservation to the end of the meal, the staff was friendly throughout, and spoke English better than your average college-less American.
105SEK($11.67) Soup of the Day: Goulash. Best gawd damn Goulash I've ever had in my life. Best in Europe. I should've gone for the larger bowl for 175SEK. Goulash is typically blue collar filler food for the masses, but the additional Swedish spices elevated this average dish to something fresh, innovative, and effing delicious.
275SEK(30.55) Artic Char...I never find this fish in America, so I get when I can. Initially this seemed expensive. But in America, you only get one 4-6oz fish fillet...in Sweden you get 3 4-6oz fillets...YES!!! Cooked perfectly with a nice crispy outside, yet still so marvelously moist on the inside. The accompanying "champagne" sauce danced in sync with the natural delicious flavors of the fish. (Note: the wife ordered the 145SEK "vegetarian" variety plate, it was okay).
475SEK($52) French red wine...I can't remember the name of the wine, but it was the cheapest red bottle available...it was good, and a better value than ordering 4 glasses of wine. Again, this was our last night in Sweden, celebrate!
While this all seems expensive to the American perspective, note that the prices includes taxes, and Swedes only expect a 5-10% tip for full service restaurants. Swedish workers are typically paid a living wage. So this is really not much different than dining out in America.
I'm 90% sure we were the only tourists in here, everyone else was speaking Swedish. How do I live here? read more