The review of the Gubbhyllan restaurant in Stockholm, a very interesting place that is located inside the Skansen Museum, the oldest open-air museum in the world, read here what and how to eat.
A Stockholm unfortunately I was unable to dedicate the time it deserves: we had a few hours available. Furthermore, a Swedish friend had organized our hours with quasi-military rigor. Just the time to land ad Arlanda, put your luggage in a hotel not far from the airport from where we would leave the next morning, and off on the minivan headed for the city center.
We almost run from the parking lot to Old Town, the old Town. Our guide tells us, without stopping, that it is one of the best preserved medieval centers. A couple of photographs at colorful houses of Stortorget, the central square, and we are back at the starting blocks ready to sprint towards it Sveriges Kunghaus, the Royal Palace.
There is not even time to stop in one of the many cafes in the center, or to buy something to take home in the little shop that sells chocolate, in all forms. Ole, our friend, tells us that we must hurry to reach the next destination. He says only two words, before telling the driver something we don't understand the meaning of, but which sounds like a threat: DjurgĂĄrden, Skansen.
Gubbhyllan, Stockholm: review
We find out that DjurgĂĄrden is an island east of the city, while Skansen it is the oldest open-air museum in the world. Or at least that's what Ole tells us. However, we are unable to visit either the museum or the zoo, because when we arrive at our destination we discover that the gates have been closed forty minutes earlier. Our half marathon through the streets of Stockholm, therefore, seems to have served no purpose.
Or almost nothing, because Ole has a surprise for us anyway: he booked a table at Gubbhyllan. Behind the main entrance to the park is a wooden building dating back to 1816, built as a summer residence for a wealthy family in the area. In 1852 it was bought by a pastry chef, who transformed the house into a café.
Now the old house houses the Gubbhyllan. We are greeted on the veranda of the restaurant, where we are offered a appetizer. The name of the place is curious: it has nothing to do with either the open-air museum or the previous owners. The word gubbhyllan means something like "old man's shelf" and meant the veranda where the old people of the area once gathered to have a glass and smoke a cigar together.
A fascinating place
The venue has the charm of ancient places: the chairs and tables outside are rusted, but I doubt they were artfully rusted to look shabby chic. Inside, the worn wooden plank floor creaks underfoot. There is a faint smell of dust, but above all there is the scent of food.
Stockholm's Gubbhyllan gastronomy
Like all successful places, the Gubbhyllan is run by a person who has been able to grasp the complexity of gastronomy. KC Wallberg, chef and owner of the restaurant, is convinced of the fundamental role played by nature and ingredients. The raw materials used in his kitchen come from breeders and farmers who practice a type of sustainable agriculture. Wallberg likes to use simple ingredients: according to him, there are hundreds of different ways to prepare a basic ingredient like carrot and make it interesting and tasty. The secret lies in the traditional cuisine, in recipes handed down from one generation to another, he explains. Al Gubbhyllan tries to recreate those forgotten dishes, which have been part of Swedish gastronomy for centuries. Wild garlic, beets, carrots and pickled pumpkins: Wallberg's talent lies precisely in having brought back to the menu those products that did not have a good reputation and were not taken into consideration.
The ingredients vary depending on the season, but they are all of Swedish origin. Thus, the menu includes game, typical of the northern regions, but also the Scania fish and crayfish.
When we sit down to eat in the dining room I don't know what to look at first: the frescoes on the walls, which portray scenes from past life, or the plants and flowers beyond the window opening onto the garden? The noises of the city are far away. We almost forget we are in a metropolis as we taste the homemade bread, pickles and smoked herring.
The main dish of Stockholm's Gubbhyllan is venison, served with roasted vegetables and prepared according to an ancient recipe whose secrets of course are not revealed to us. We conclude with one slice of rhubarb pie, before leaving this corner of paradise and returning to the city.
