A Veritable Smorgasboard

One day wondering about the city, my friend and I stopped for a glass of wine at a Scandinavian restaurant and also decided to try an order of Swedish meatballs. That was when I fell in love. A perfect combination of meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lingonberries. Forget IKEA, this was definitely the best thing to come out of Sweden.
So when I was invited to have lunch at the AQ café at the Scandinavia House with friends I was excited and dreaming of meatballs. A quick look at their menu had me stumped. I love the meatballs but should I branch out and try something else? There were actually quite a few tasty lunch options to choose from.

Café itself is no frills and looks like…a café. A clean, modern, IKEA furniture filled café. Not the most romantic atmosphere but for a new lunch experience it is worthwhile. Overwhelmed by my choices of sandwhiches, main courses, and cold plates, I decided to try a Gravlax club ($8.25) instead of my beloved meatballs. I was feeling guilty about not trying the Smorgasbord ($9.00) which was simply described as an assortment of Scandinavian delicacies. One of my friends ordered the Swedish meatballs ($9.50), while another went for the smorgasbord, so it seemed we had the menu covered.
My sandwich turned out to be huge and delicious. Great big pieces of salmon with an avocado and vegetable, though I don't seem to recall avocadoes being grown in Scandinavia, but why complain; it was an excellent complement to the salmon. I tried a bit of mashed potatoes minus the berries and meat and found them wonderful. My friend confirmed they were a great combo.

As for the smorgasbord, a word that conjures of images of piles upon piles of food, it did not live up to its name. It was a sampling, but it was mainly herring, which my other friend felt was too salty and left her feeling hungry when finished. There was one small delightful meatball on there, but otherwise a disappointment.
I left full and satisfied to return and try other dishes, so all in all it was a successful lunch. AQ cafe has a lot to offer and if you choose wisely its well worth it. Just don't get too rowdy with the IKEA furniture, which won't hold up as well as the meatballs.