Vendel at Sturehof | Adelgatan 13
Cost for Dagens Husman Lunch: 135kr

Sometimes a restaurant is too expensive to try for dinner… lucky for us, some of them also serve lunch.  Vendel at Sturehof is one of those restaurants. The daily lunch special is 135kr and is accompanied by their own organic bread and a lovely fresh starter (today: a cauliflower salad with cilantro and pimento). Everything was exquisitely prepared and seasoned. The delicate fish entree was not overpowered by the sauce — even with horseradish and lemon. Sure, this is a luxury lunch. But who doesn’t deserve that every now and then?

Well, it must officially be spring…. outdoor seating has returned to Lilla Torg!  Only in Sweden can you sit outside and not be the least bit chilly. This concept confuses foreigners:  Can you really sit outside in 5C (40F) degree weather and *enjoy* yourself?  The answer is yes. Swedes aren’t crazy — they have the best heaters around and the tall, linked umbrellas keep the heat in like a tent.  And if you’re still cold, there are fleece blankets on every chair just in case.  Food always tastes better with a beer and fresh air.  (Sorry for all the close-ups; I only had the macro lens with me….. below: Pilsner Urquell, daffodils, lingon gräddfil, potato wedges)

By some weird coincidence, Systembolaget in Malmö has txakoli wine!  Txakoli is a slightly sparkling dry white wine produced in Basque Country.  We recently tried txakoli at Euskal Etxea in Barcelona, Spain.  This is a truly refreshing wine, and I look forward to drinking this in the summer, as I reflect back on our Barcelona trip. Please note that there was a “Tillfälligt i butiken” (Temporary in-store) sign in front of the wine.  If you want to try it, don’t wait too long; it’s likely that it won’t be re-stocked.

Wine:
Maskuribai, 2008
Arabako Txakolina, Spain

Purchased at:
Systembolaget
Södra Förstadsgatan 50 B Malmö

Casa Batlló: Roof

The restaurant info for the places we loved are up — but for those of you interested in just photos, please visit the gallery.  We ate amazing food, and saw some very inspiring architecture… definitely one of the best 5-day vacations we’ve had. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Happy Viewing!

Esqueixada de bacallà

Day 5: We almost didn’t make it out for dinner at Café de L’Academia, another LUXE City Guide recommendation. It had been snowing all day, and we weren’t looking forward to going out in the melting slush. I’m glad we did! It was the perfect ending to a short-but-sweet vacation. This small, quiet, romantic restaurant is another place you’ll want to book in advance. We arrived without reservations 15 minutes after opening, and were offered either a seat at the bar or right by the door. We opted for the bar, and ordered a bottle of red wine bottled exclusively for the Café. For dinner, we split the Esqueixada de bacallà (raw cod with romesco sauce) and Fideuà (Catalan noodles with seafood). Again… the seafood is as fresh as it gets, and the presentation is beautiful.

Café de L’Academia
Carrer Lledó 1
+ 93 319 82 53
Metro:  Jaume I