Assessment: Lisa Elmqvist Restaurant, Stockholm, Sweden

The Elmqvist household has been celebrated for its dedication to recent seafood and conventional Swedish fare for nearly 100 years. Lisa was the daughter of a fisherman and commenced buying and selling her produce at a avenue market by the waterfront earlier than shifting to Östermalm’s Saluhall, which was renovated in 2020 and is positioned at Östermalmstorg within the coronary heart of Stockholm.

4 generations later, the Lisa Elmqvist identify now has a major presence throughout the meals corridor, with a number of meals stalls, a restaurant and a wine bar.

The meals

The very first thing to notice is that Lisa Elmqvist has the belief of the King of Sweden, being the one fish and seafood store within the nation to have a Royal Warrant. The place higher, then, to pattern a fish restaurant within the capital?

Amongst our starters, we tried the Skagen toast – a Swedish basic that may be a mixture of shrimps, mayonnaise and dill, served on toast, garnished with trout roe and accompanied by a wedge of lemon. It’s a preferred appetiser and, ready like this with high quality substances, it’s straightforward to see why.

For those who’re searching for a wider vary of tastes, the kitchen’s selection of 5 delicacies is a scrumptious possibility. It consists of the Skagen toast and different basic Swedish delicacies like cured salmon, pickled herring, and smoked eel.

The mains embrace all the pieces from fish and chips served with a inexperienced pea purée and tartar sauce…

…to my selection, which was the steamed halibut served with butter-fried chantarelles, beans and kohlrabi, salmon roe and a Sandefjord sauce flavoured with dill. The fish was cooked to perfection – so delicate and tender – and the sauce was an expensive and indulgent complement.

One other suggestion could be my spouse’s butter-fried fillet of salmon which got here with a parmesan and herb crust, roasted pumpkin purée and a crimson wine gravy flavoured with ginger.

Whereas I skipped dessert, had I not finished so, I might most likely have opted for the youngsters’ selection of the chocolate cake with salted caramel cream and calmly whipped cream, though the nice and cozy cloudberries with vanilla ice cream, calmly whipped cream and almond flake additionally sounded moderately tempting.

The chef

Lisa retired from the enterprise in 1968 and lived for an additional 10 years, however her expertise, information and recipes stay on to at the present time, due to the steerage of 4 generations of the Elmqvists, and a staff of proficient cooks who’ve a real curiosity within the dealing with and preparation of fish and shellfish. An open-plan kitchen lets you see their expertise at work.

The ambiance

The second you enter the meals corridor, the aromas seize your senses. Restaurant seating for Lisa Elmqvist is interspersed by walkways utilized by consumers and diners alike, in addition to meals stalls that set the scene for a really relaxed ambiance.

The associated fee

Starters are priced from 145 SEK, roughly $14 USD (for silltallrik – a herring plate of three varieties served with darkish rye bread and Västerbotten cheese) all the way in which as much as 1,290 SEK (for the Lisa Elmqvist Royal Siberian Caviar).

Mains are usually across the 300-400 SEK vary ($30-$40), however clearly depend upon exactly what you select. Count on to pay extra for the shellfish platter, as an example.

The ultimate verdict

Lisa Elmqvist is a reputation that’s turn into synonymous with first-class fish and seafood – and for good motive, incomes its glorious repute and culinary legacy over the past century. For those who love the delicacies of the ocean, we extremely advocate that you simply go to the restaurant for lunch or dinner to pattern what’s – fairly actually – produce that has been deemed match for a King.

Disclosure: Our go to was sponsored by Lisa Elmqvist and our journey was kindly supported by Go to Stockholm.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxurious Journey Weblog and has labored within the journey business for greater than 30 years. He’s Winner of the Improvements in Journey ‘Finest Journey Influencer’ Award from WIRED journal. Along with different awards, the weblog has additionally been voted “one of many world’s finest journey blogs” and “finest for luxurious” by The Telegraph.