The Gourmet's Guide to Europe Part 20

And this a breakfast at the same establishment:--

Glachi de Carpe (froid).

Oeufs Polenta.

Pilau.

Aubergines aux Tomates.

There is also a confectioner's shop kept by Capsa, who was for some considerable time at Boissier's in Paris, afterwards returning to Bucarest and opening this establishment. It is as good as that of any Parisian _confiseur_, with the result that all Bucarest are his customers, and his business is an extremely lucrative one.

A cheap dinner can be obtained, _a la carte_, at the Hotel Continental in the Calea Victorici, opposite the Theatre Nationale.

Jordachi's in the Strada Coatch, and Enesco's in the Strada Sfantu Tonica, also deserve mention; they are cheap, second-rate restaurants, but you get there the dishes of the country. In both these places a capital band of Tziganes play the music of the country. Enesco's is, perhaps, the better of the two. If you require any _specialites_ the waiter will be sure to know what to advise; one dish, called _Brochettes de Filet_, may be recommended. The waiters at Enesco's and Jordachi's are intelligible in German and Roumanian; at the Continental, and especially at Capsa's, they are mostly French.

If you pay a call in Bucarest you will be offered _Dolceazza_, a kind of sweetmeat, and a gla.s.s of water.

CHAPTER XIII

SWEDEN. NORWAY. DENMARK

Stockholm restaurants--Malmo--Storvik--Gothenburg--Christiana-- Copenhagen--Elsinore.

Stockholm

Of all the restaurants in the capital of Sweden the Ha.s.selbacken, in the Royal Djurgarten Park, is the most interesting to visit should it be open, which it is from the beginning of March till the end of September.

During the early part of the season Tziganes play in one of the small rooms, whereas in summer a somewhat noisy orchestra plays in the garden.

The price of dinner, _a prix fixe_, is 3 kronor 50 ore; this includes soup, fish, meat, _releve_ (generally a Swedish guinea-fowl called _hjarpe_) and ice. Wine and coffee are of course extra.

The Ha.s.selbacken is often used for the giving of banquets of ceremony, but the dinner at 3 kr. 50 ore is more likely to interest the stranger within the gates than the more extensive feasts, so I give a typical menu of this very reasonably priced repast:--

Puree a la Reine.

Saumon fume aux Epinards.

Selle de Mouton aux Legumes.

Gelinottes roties. Salade.

Soufflee au Citron.

Quite one of the best restaurants is in the Hotel Continental opposite the Railway Station. The food here is excellent, _tornedos_ (1 kr. 50 ore) and _na.s.selkalsoppa_, an excellent soup made from a sort of young nettle, being specialities. The prices are slightly cheaper than those of the Ha.s.selbacken.

Operakallaren is a very good restaurant and one of the most popular.

They serve here a _dejeuner_ at 1 kr. 50 ore consisting of an excellent dish of eggs (a speciality of the place) and meat and cheese or so-called "sweet" (generally a very unwholesome stale cake with cream).

The _table-d'hote_ dinners are excellent, one being at 3 kr. 50 ore and the other at 2 kr. 50 ore; the first consisting of soup (thick soups being a speciality of the place), fish, entree, meat, and _releve_ (generally _hjarpe_), with a _compote_ of Swedish berries called lingon (a sort of cranberry) and an indifferent sweet or ice. Here, as in most Swedish eating-places, objection is taken to coffee being served in the restaurants, people being requested to take it in the cafe, which is generally the next room. Supper is served at the Operakallaren, and the restaurant is crowded for this meal. It costs 2 kronor and consists of a _smorgasbord_ or copious _hors-d'oeuvre_, an entree, and meat.

The Grand Hotel is fairly popular, owing to the smartness of the dining-room and the "swagger" way in which meals are served. The food is not as good as the decorations. The lunch costs 2 kr. 50 ore and the dinner 3 kr. 50 ore.

The Hotel Rydberg is also most popular, and the food is good. A great feature is made here, as everywhere, of the _smorgasbord_ (literally "bread and b.u.t.ter") table, which has a room to itself and on which are a score or more of dishes, there being some wonderful combinations of smoked eels and other fish and eggs amongst them. There are from five to thirty of these dishes, all delicate and appetising. The guests eat them standing. In the same room is a huge plated spirit-stand containing a number of different spirits, white brandy called "Branvin," and other drinks resembling Vodka. The crayfish, _kraftor_, a little larger than the French ones, excellent in flavour and served in a terrine, the _bisque_ soup, _caviar_ served, as of course it should be, on a bed of ice are good at the Rydberg and the cook manages to make even a ptarmigan toothsome. It is a favourite place for people to sup at after the theatre. The _table-d'hote_ dinner costs 3 kr. 50 ore and the lunch 2 kr. 50 ore. Caloric punch is a favourite drink here, as elsewhere in Sweden, and two men think nothing of drinking a bottle between them after dinner or supper.

The Cafe du Nord is very crowded and very popular, although more bourgeois than the others. The food is good, meals being served mostly _a la carte_. A good _filet de boeuf_ costs about 90 ore. The business men who mostly patronise this cafe dine from 3 to 4 P.M. Many people sup there in the evening. There are some excellently painted pictures in black and gold, rather daring and French in subject, on the walls.

There are also the Cafe Anglais (fairly good) and the Hamburger Bors.

The Berns' Salonger, the Blanch Cafe and Stromparterren are cafes where coffee, punch, liqueurs, and sandwiches may be had. The former is the only one open in summer and winter, the two latter being opened on 1st May without regard to the temperature, and closed on 30th September.

Malmo

At Malmo, which is the landing place from Kiel, there is a good dinner or lunch obtainable at the big hotel with twin turrets which faces the statue to Gustavus Adolphus.

Storvik

At Storvik, a station on the Storlieu line, there is a restaurant which is celebrated throughout Sweden. You are charged 2 kronor, which is the price of a meal at all railway refreshment rooms, and help yourself at a big central table, crayfish soup, fish, meat, poultry, game, and sweets all being included in the meal, and a gla.s.s of light beer.

Gothenburg

The restaurant of the Haglund is a good one, and I give one of the menus of its dinner at 3 kronor:--

SOPPA.

Potage a la Parmentier.

FISK.

Saumon grillee a la maitre d'hotel.

KoTTRaTT.

Langue de Boeuf Garni. Sauce aux Olives, ou Fricandeau de veau aux pois.

STEK.

Poulet a la Printanier. Compotes.

EFTERRaTT.

Bavaroise hollandaise ou Framboises.

National Dishes

There are very few Swedish national dishes, milk, cream, b.u.t.ter, and fish being, however, excellent. The _Smorgasbord_ is the great inst.i.tution of the country. _Plattar_, or Swedish pancakes, are also good.

Norway

Norway is by no means a happy hunting ground for the gourmet. Salmon, halibut, and ptarmigan are the usual luxuries, and they pall on the palate after a time. The Hotel Victoria at Christiana is well spoken of in the matter of cooking, and the Brittania at Throndhjem is said to cater well considering the lat.i.tude it is situated in.