Back in the spring, Bockholmengruppen opened a new bistro at Nytorget 6; finally some tough competition for Urban Deli in this eastern part of Söder.
Located almost next door, the restaurant fits neatly in to the latest dining trend of a casual atmosphere and rustic food on a budget. The interior may be classically styled, with red leather sofas, dark wooden panelling and marble tables with Skultuna brass candle holders, but the cooking is slightly more ambitious than usual.
On the menu, the usual suspects such as mozzarella, tomato and basil salad, omelettes and entrecôte with béarnaise share space with more surprising delicacies such as reindeer heart, sweetbread and oven-roasted bone marrow.
On a summery Thursday evening, the restaurant fills up quickly and early. It’s clearly already a local favourite. Some patrons order “the usual” almost without looking at the menu, while others spend a good ten minutes studying it, and for good reason. With almost 50 dishes, divided in small plates, starters, mains, rotisserie and desserts, it’s a lot to take in.
We start with the mini burger (95 kronor), brioche with eggplant paste (45 kronor) and oven-baked figs with goat’s cheese (50 kronor). The burger is a lovely, towering creation with a slice of duck liver terrine on top, while the figs are soft, mild and perfectly married with the soft, strong cheese and mint leaves. But the eggplant, otherwise tasty, suffers from the dry bread.
The main course selection is more traditional with a mix of Swedish and South European favourites like pasta, grilled tuna and meatballs.
The pasta tagliolini with baked cherry tomatoes, olive oil, parsley and truffle pecorino (165 kronor) is nicely spicy and generously topped with basil leaves, although the truffle doesn’t really stand out.
But it is the artichoke with spring vegetables (155 kronor) that really makes an impression on us. Divinely soft, filled with potato puree and stuffed with whole carrots and asparagus, it’s hand down “the best artichoke” my smiling dining companion has ever had.
The desserts menu make us sigh – so much goodness to choose from, so little room left – so we skip the cheese cake with raspberry jam and cream and opt for a lighter compromise. There’s always space for a crème brûlée, especially if it’s made with cinnamon and orange as it is here (79 kronor), and the chocolate pastry cream with fried banana, piña colada ice cream and syrup (85 kronor) is, thanks to the thin, crisp slices of banana, actually not as heavy as it sounds.
With two glasses of wine, the bill comes to just under 900 kronor, which is pretty respectable. Given the reasonable price and the good quality of the food, we left hoping that Nytorget will stick around for years to come – and that the good people at Bockholmengruppen will open a few other outlets in this hungry city.
