Dinner at The Public: Slipping into something comfortable
I find that the best remedy for a tough week is a nice large glass of something delicious and a home-cooked meal, followed by an early night. But sometimes, when that friend or partner to cook you your home-made supper is out of town, it is nice to have that reliable backup – a neighbourhood joint to slip in at, where the atmosphere is comfortable, the smile is friendly and the food is warm and comforting.
It is with that exact feeling I step into The Public’s large dining room, located in the satellite town of Sundbyberg. Having had a slightly dingy reputation for years, the area has enjoyed quite a renaissance in the last decade. Part of *Signalfabriken*, a former industrial block that has transformed itself to a hub for retail and hospitality, The Public describes itself as a grill and bar and has space for no less than 140 guests. Next door, The Public’s own Cava Bar offers a quaint space for a quick tipple and some Spanish tapas.
Upon arrival at five sharp, the venue is merely half full, but it quickly fills up during the coming hour and half. Families with toddlers ordering burgers and pancakes from the children’s menu sit at the tables, while colleagues in suits enjoy the second round of after-work cocktails at the bar. A hen party seated in the lounge area is getting louder as the evening proceeds. The homey and laid-back milieu, designed by Stockholm-based Millimeter Arkitekter, features an eclectic mix of memorabilia and design pieces, and is sure to get even the most uptight businessman to loosen the top shirt button and tackle down for the weekend.
Over cocktails – an Old Cuban and a Manhattan (both 148 kronor) – my companion and I contemplate the menu. In my book, a menu boasting 40 dishes is not necessarily a good thing, as it usually causes distraction in the kitchen and a fragmented impression. The salciccia wood oven pizza (147 kronor) initially proves me wrong, with its thin crust topped with savoury chunks of salciccia sausage, arugula and Parmesan. The signature Public burger (165 kronor) is also decent, with a patty of juicy ground Australian beef, topped with cheddar, bacon, a house dressing, beef tomato, lettuce and red onions. It is with the so-called ‘classics’ – the restaurant’s trump card, according to our server – where things start to derail. A *Biff Rydberg* (245 kronor), a Swedish classic, should include diced and chopped potatoes, beef and onions cooked simply to remarkable effect, and served with a raw egg yolk on top. Here, the beef is chewy – even sinewy – and the potatoes bland and hefty. While the piece of meat served as the *plankstek* (285 kronor) is definitely a cut above, I have to inquire if the purée used for the pommes duchesse derive from fresh potatoes or from a bag of powder (luckily, it was the former).
At dessert, the *snickers* (105 kronor) brings me back in the zone. A nice big piece of brownie topped with salted peanut ice cream, caramel sauce and soused cherries – obviously inspired by the chocolate bar with the same name – is just as embracing and consoling as is needed on a Friday evening. And perhaps that is just what The Public has in common with that dear friend with the home-cooked meal. Sometimes, the thought, the setting or the consideration is so much more important than the dish itself.
The Public
Signalfabriken, Esplanaden 10, Sundbyberg
08-509 266 10
