Swedish meatball baguette from the Scandinavian Kitchen, Fitzrovia
Another world-class photo from me. The smudgy pink fingerprints really set it off, don’t you think? I could lay the blame at a number of doors, but it’s just that I’m not very good. Sorry.
Working just around the corner from the Scandinavian Kitchen is both a blessing and a curse. It is wonderful to be able to pop out for one of their excellent cinnamon buns or enormous semlor whenever I want; but on the other hand, the convenience of doing so means that I am there frequently, which is not pleasing to waistline or wallet alike. As far as their savoury options go, there are a number of good sandwiches on offer. They sometimes have a lunchtime deal of a hotdog and beer for £5 (just don’t ask them whether the Swedish or Danish beer is better as the staff hail from both countries!), or a number of open sandwiches that you can have as part of a lunch platter: three ‘items’ for £5.95. My favourite is the herring.
Yesterday I had little time to dine in so these options were off the table. I turned my attention instead to a selection of pre-wrapped baguettes behind the glass counter – the kind you can eat at your desk in between phonecalls. Two words grabbed me: Swedish Meatball.
It’s nearly impossible to write about Swedish meatballs without the mention of a certain furniture stall and its food hall. Although this is probably the extent to which much of the UK has been exposed to Swedish food, they are a poor example. They have definitely gone downhill since the horsemeat scandal – make of that what you will. Proper Swedish meatballs, homemade or from a Scandinavian cafe, are infinitely superior. Made into a sandwich, they also work well, and are an interesting alternative to the Italian meatball sub. The Scandinavian Kitchen version comes in a soft white baguette with a delicious sweet beetroot sauce (hence the mucky edges!), some lightly pickled cucumbers and a whole lot of salad. Eternally preferable to the gloopy gravy and lingonberry jam (shudder). The meatballs have a good amount of flavour and seasoning and are plentiful enough to make a substantial lunch. The presentation could be improved a little, but their usual selection is so pretty, we’ll just put it down to an off day on that front.
Plus, who can resist the hilarity of the puns on the board outside?
Indeed…
Scandinavian Kitchen, 61 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PP
Six Hundred and Seven Square Miles 