{"id":56542,"date":"2013-11-23T05:45:58","date_gmt":"2013-11-23T12:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=56542"},"modified":"2020-04-05T10:53:09","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T14:53:09","slug":"misteln","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=56542","title":{"rendered":"Misteln — a Restaurant in a Cellar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health and safety would have a heart attack if they saw this place… no windows… underground… what if there was a fire? Health and safety would have this place shut down.<\/em><\/p>\n

I knew the comment was coming from a Londoner before I even identified the accent. “Health and Safety” was a dead give away and the sudden building of stress helped me nail the originating city.<\/p>\n

Maybe we shouldn’t stay. We could die.<\/em> One beer later and all was well with the world.<\/p>\n

I was sitting in Misteln (Swedish for Mistletoe), a small cafe built in one of Stockholm’s old windowless cellars. My goal was to sample a sm\u00f6rg\u00e5sbord and have a glass of wine; and, at the same time do some people watching. The later was extremely easy because there were 10 of us crammed in an old dungeon-like cell; there was no hiding anything. <\/p>\n

At one point I realized that I was sitting amongst consular workers who were detailing all their secrets. I don’t know why the NSA needs to tune into phone lines and internet traffic; go to a cafe in Sweden and you’ll learn everything about the world of international diplomacy.<\/p>\n

No one noticed me as I picked at my olives and meats. The bread was abandoned. The wine was pretty good. The conversations even better. There was a moment when American patrons left… and were replaced by German speakers. Then listening to conversations wasn’t as fun.<\/p>\n

The funny thing about Sweden is it is listed as a foodie paradise. The Internet is littered with reviews and 5-star ratings for incredible restaurants and cafes throughout Stockholm (especially along Kungsgatan). I had difficulty finding any of the ones listed; perhaps it was my inability to speak Swedish or some sort of cultural misunderstanding. As for other recommendations, I didn’t make it as far East as G\u00f6teborg, which I’ve heard is a prime foodie mecca.<\/p>\n