After a long day of meandering around a lake, or part of a lake as it transpired, we realised that there were limited food options. I found this restaurant in Jönköping, a town we’d been earlier in the day, but I wasn’t sure how long they’d be open for and so we thought we’d just have a main course so as not to be annoying.
There was a friendly welcome and the server didn’t seem to be hurrying us at any point, and we realised we had enough time to have two courses before the restaurant’s closing time.
Richard likes fine dining and I like cheap dining, but it’s only fair that I find him somewhere decent to go on these trips. This menu had looked appropriate for his demanding needs and I liked the look of a few things.
Firstly, this is Richard’s main course, he opted for the cod loin with Pommes duchesse and a bacon & lobster sauce. He was tempted by the Wienerschnitzel, but wanted something a little more local. I didn’t pay much attention to what he said, but he liked it.
This photo isn’t as clear as I’d like, the restaurant was quite dark (I think low lighting is fashionable in venues like this) but I had moved the table light in the hope of it being clearer. Anyway, it’s the Arctic Char served with crispy kale, herb-roasted potatoes and a browned butter infused with lemon and capers.
I’ll confess that Arctic char was new territory for me, it’s not something that tends to appear on the JD Wetherspoon menu, but it sits somewhere between trout and a particularly rich salmon, with a delicate but satisfying flavour. The fish was nicely cooked, the browned butter bringing a lovely nutty depth while the lemon kept everything fresh. The capers were a particular highlight, popping up with little bursts of salt and acidity that lifted the whole plate. There were more herb-roasted potatoes than the photograph suggests and the crispy kale added a pleasantly savoury crunch so that the whole arrangement felt balanced and comforting without being heavy.
I also had a glass of Eriksberg Karaktär, a Carlsberg produced lager that might be technically mass-market but was actually rather agreeable, it was malty, clean and refreshing enough to cut through the richness of the butter sauce without getting in the way of the food.
Richard’s fried Camembert, which was a treat whilst undertaking his latest diet, with cloudberry jam. I didn’t know what a cloudberry was until I looked it up, as I’ve never had that in KFC, but it was very agreeable.
I’m generally far more of a starter person than a dessert person, but this lava cake made a very convincing case for changing allegiances. This lava cake was cooked perfectly so that the liquid chocolate poured out when I cut into the thin outer sponge. The ice cream was clean and smooth, this was really rather decadent and just a little elegant.
The restaurant wasn’t busy, but this was towards the end of the Sunday service. The venue was clean, tidy and well presented, with the server always being attentive, polite and helpful. He also spoke perfect English which was handy as my Swedish isn’t coming along very far at the moment. We were pleased with the restaurant selection and I’m now pleased that I know what an Arctic char is.