Stockholm Eats: Semla at Vete-Katten pastry shop
On the way to and from my hotel, I passed by a cozy-looking café always filled with people leaning into tables with cups of coffee in their hands.
I decided to come in for a break, after a long trek on food through dark, snowy weather. After ordering and picking up my food at the counter, I had a sudden case of déjà vu when I turned the corner into the rear dining rooms.
Seeing this central table with carafes of coffee and empty cups for the taking, surrounded by a motley collection of well worn tables and chairs, I realized that I had been here a few years ago with my parents!
I always figure the likelihood of coming back to any restaurant or store in a foreign city is slim, so I order everything that piques my interest. Although unknown to me when I ordered, this turned out to be a repeat visit!
So of course I ordered like I had never seen pastries before. On the left, a pistachio pastry (I love pistachio), on the right, a chocolate ball (I remember these as being very dense and filling), and a semla. Accompanying all was a cup of complimentary coffee from that central table.
The semla turned out to be a unique pastry at this time of year, the weeks and months leading up to Easter. It's a cardamom-scented bun, filled with whipped cream and almond paste. The bun looks like it could be dry, sitting out in the pastry counter cut open like that, but this one still maintained a bit of moisture, and the creamy cream and rich almond paste complemented the bready texture well. The semla turned out to be my favorite of the three pastries!
As I always say, it's great to visit cities for the second or third time, since you don't have the pressure to check off the sightseeing boxes. And it's even nicer to serendipitously visit restaurants and cafés a second time; the city feels a bit more personal this way.
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Vete-Katten (www.vetekatten.se
Kungsgatan 55
111 22 Stockholm
Sweden
