Wasa Allé & Wasa Källare

Description:

• This is one of the most appealing restaurants in Gothenburg, an elegant, even posh, enclave of good times and fine dining that's the culinary focal point of the Wasastan neighborhood, just across the avenue from the downtown campus of the University of Gothenburg. Set within what functioned for many years as a pharmacy, the restaurant contains a large and angular bar, contemporary-looking crystal chandeliers, touches of stained glass from its earliest incarnation, and a high-ceilinged sense of grandeur that stands in quirky contrast to the animation at the bar and at the dining tables. Menu items in the restaurant include such favorites as shellfish lasagna with squid, crayfish, and scallops, served with "sugarpea foam" and a confit of tomatoes; or else oyster and parsley soup with a sashimi of Swedish fish and shellfish. The grilled halibut is set off perfectly with fresh rosemary and garlic, though we find ourselves gravitating to the pot-au-feu of tender veal served with beans, lentils, roasted garlic, apple mash, horseradish, and a purée of root vegetables.

  Menu items are simpler and cheaper in the street-level Källare, where Swedish home-style food, displayed in refrigerated glass cases, stands in distinct contrast to the more exotic cuisine served upstairs. Daily platters might include filet of chicken in parsley-flavored wine sauce; roasted elk with chanterelles and mashed potatoes; that standard, Swedish meatballs; a platter of Spanish-style tapas; or vegetarian lasagna. Glasses of wine in the cellar cost around 55SEK ($11/£5.50) each. Although service in the restaurant is attentive and fast-paced, in the cellar-level cafe, you'll place your food order at the counter, then carry it to a table, either outdoors or inside.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010