FoodWaterShoes

Stockholm is a city laced with islands and bridges. The Venice of the north as it’s so often referred to is also a magical city chock full of viking treasures…

…and culinary dishes that have stood the test of time.

But Stockholm is also so much more than tall blond Nordic seafarers and heavy traditional Swedish food like toast Skagen (a hefty dish that’s worth trying made up prawns, mayonnaise and seasonings smeared on toast).

The country that brought us all caps four letter favorites like ABBA and IKEA is also home to insanely forward thinking restaurants like Pubologi. A number of the hip grub spots in Stockholm, including Pubologi, are helmed by restauranteur Daniel Crespi.

We actually stumbled upon Crespi’s Pubologi by sheer accident, not knowing that we were in for one of my favorite birthday meals of all time. (Thankfully they always save drop in seats for guests.) Pubologi’s fine dining experience is unique from the start. Nearly everyone sits at a long communal table above which suitcases are glued to the ceiling. Craning your neck to see them while sitting atop Pubologi’s high backed barstool chairs is no easy task, but it’s worth almost falling out of your seat for.

The restaurant serves unique plates à la carte like squid heated in sake with foamy potato, ox marrow and fermented garlic, but also offers a wonderful tasting menu as well. (Pubologi’s current menu offerings can be found here.)

Typical pescatarian fare is given a dash of Pubologi’s whimsy. Our dish of blackened monkfish was served with grilled potatoes, a cream of potatoes and nettles and mixed lemon dish. Butter fried nettles crowned the scrumptious serving.

One of our first dishes was an array of raw cockles served with a coarsely cut veal loin that contained an emulsion of mussels, acidic cucumber, pickled onions and a dash of shiso.

Midway through our meal we were served a seared arctic char that was drizzled with a ramson (a type of wild garlic) cream, crispy chicken skins, raw kohlrabi (which is similar in taste to what a broccoli/cabbage mashup might taste like) and buttered chicken stock.

Pubologi has a classy, but approachable gastropub ambiance that suits its delicious and gorgeously plated dishes.

One of my favorite dishes of the evening was lamm & sparris. It consisted of a charcoal grilled saddle of lamb and beside it was a single spear of white asparagus decorated with savory wild herbs of the day and a splash of smoked lamb beurre blanc.

We capped a spectacular night off by ending with bovette & ume which consisted of ice cream made of roasted buckwheat served with a caramelized dark and white chocolate. The dish was toped with sweet pickled ume and ginger and warm buckwheat butter. On the sides the ice cream was cushioned by a luscious chocolate cake. It was the perfect ending to a completely impromptu special fine dining occasion. Pubologi’s menu is a seasonal one, so sadly I won’t get to revisit any of my favorite dishes. I will, however, look forward to packing my bags and heading to stunning Stockholm sometime soon and seeing what new inventive dishes Pubologi’s team whips up.

Pubologi
Stora Nygatan 20
111 27 Stockholm, Sweden
Hours: Monday Through Saturday 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Phone: 08 – 506 400 86
Email: info@pubologi.se
Pricing (All in Swedish Krona or SEK): Snacks 45 to 75, Individual Plates 150 to 195, Desserts 75 to 95, Five Course Tasting Menu Around 550, Seven Course Tasting Menu Around 800