Review: Restaurant Tegelbacken in Stockholm

This vivid splash of pink is beautifully located along the water near the Central Station in the heart of Stockholm. The large windows overlook the water, the bridges and parliament buildings, which is especially captivating during sunset. The restaurant serves tasty middle sized dishes in a glamorous yet cozy environment. You are well taken care of by the staff and waiters, as they do their best to ensure that you’re having a great evening.

Drinks

The restaurant offers a small but classic range of cocktails as well as wine, beer and spirits. As this was a celebration of me getting my driver’s license, we opted for a glass of champagne, as well as cocktails followed by a glass each of red wine. I am no wine connoisseur, so I’ll just state that the drinks were good and went well with the rest of the dinner.

The food

The concept at this restaurant is middle sized dishes – a concept with advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, one of the best things about it is that you get to try a little bit of everything and don’t have to commit to a single dish. The negative aspect is that if you are indecisive, it is usually more difficult choosing two or three dishes rather than one. Meals also tend to get more expensive when you go tapas-style and order a few smaller items rather than one large item. We ordered the following dishes to share:

Piked perch

Although this was good, pike perch is something I have lukewarm feelings towards. It usually does not offer much of a taste, and the consistency is a bit strange. I did, however enjoy it in combination with the side items, which were crispy, and offered plenty of taste to an otherwise kind of plain dish.

Quail

To me, chanterelles are one of the best things I know and I never pass on an opportunity to have it as part of a meal. This was no exception, and it tasted really good along with the quail, which was also tender and perfectly done. Quail is usually a bit boney and messy to eat, but it was definitely worth the effort this time.

Tortellini

I honestly expected more out of their tortellini as it looks beautiful and it is made up of delicacies that taste great on their own. I did, however consider the dish kind of plain, and the flavours were less powerful than I had expected. It is a good tortellini, but nothing remarkable or unique.

Black rice with seafood

This is essentially a modified version of the classic Spanish paella, and it is a really good one too. The rice is chewy but has a good taste, a bit similar to whole grain rice. The seafood itself was of great quality and went well with the sauce, but as always with seafood, it gets a bit messy with all the peeling that you’ll have to do. This might not be the best course for a first date.

Baked farm egg

This is one of their cold dishes, which makes it feel more like a starter than an actual main course. The truffle cream and baked egg have both been blessed with perfect consistency, and although I am personally not a parsley-person, it did go really well with the rest of the course.

Fried sweetbreads

The above was probably one of my favorites out of the actual food dishes at the restaurant (let’s not count dessert as that will always be my favorite). Potato puré is one of the best things in this world, and you can’t go wrong with a tender piece of meat.

Strawberries with cream

Now, if I were to choose a favorite dish out of the whole visit, it would be the dessert. It looks stunning and you can’t go wring with sweet strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. It is a classic Swedish summer favorite, and I encourage everyone to try it out!

The Venue

Restaurang Tegelbacken is a truly beautiful restaurant. They have invested a lot of time and money in creating a unique interior design. The seating options (chairs and sofas) are comfortable, which I find very important. It is unbelievable how many restaurants that put their guests in uncomfortable chairs and it remains one of my largest pet peeves of the industry. This is, however not one of them.

Another reason that you’ll enjoy yourself is the waiters and service. The staff here is really good at explaining the food, making suggestions, as well as providing great service without delay. They put great effort into ensuring that you’re having a good time.

Final thoughts

My favorite thing about this restaurant is their interior decor. The choice of color stands out from most other restaurants in town, and it makes you feel happy and excited about what’s to come when entering. The food, does however not match the creative environment. Even if it tastes great, the dishes are classics that most people will enjoy. They’re not very remarkable or exciting. Everything is beautifully presented, but nothing really falls into the wow category except for the bill. This is not a cheap restaurant and I wouldn’t say that the value for money is very good either. This restaurant is, however great if you want to have tasty, classic food with a lot of variety in a beautiful location.

What are your favorite restaurants in your city? Please let me know in the comments!