At Långedrag Värdshus for a Christmas table sitting, 2020, Swedish west coast.
Text & Photo © CM Cordeiro & JE Nilsson 2020
Julbord 2020, SE.
Långedrags Värdshus is a cozy restaurant by the ocean along the Swedish west coast, neatly tucked away in a corner near the Saltholmen ferry terminal. Saltholmen is the connecting point between mainland Gothenburg and the southern archipelago where we live. So while being proximate to Saltholmen, I think I’ve dined at this restaurant maybe three times in the past twenty years of living in Sweden.
We try to have a traditional Swedish julbord at a resturant every year. For many years, our favourite places have been Sjömagasinet and Tjolöholms slott. But this year, we thought to try a new place closer to home. Långedrag Värdshus would be perfect, we felt.
The scent of the Nordic ocean, its skyline and the serenity of the premise are the first things that impress upon your senses as you walk into the restaurant. The warm lit fireplace invites you to explore further, the patio, and the main dining hall.
There were more than thirty dishes at this julbord by the sea. If you loved seafood, you´ll be in seafood heaven at Långedrag Värdshus. A good portion of the buffet offered variations of pickled herring, and cured salmon. Scallops, shrimps and seafood pâtés were also choice dishes. Then came the cured meats and meat pâtés, where I found my personal heaven for that evening.
The dessert table needs special mentioning. All desserts were made bite sized and served in single portion servings. The cutest berry tartlets, miniature gingerbread tiramisù, inch wide squares of lemon cheesecakes, smurf portioned ramekins of crème brûlée, and kisses of chocolate brownie bites topped with chocolate ganache. It´s a relief that humans are designed with an extra stomach for dessert, that comes in handy for specific occasions such as this.
There was nothing lacking about this evening´s julbord experience, up to and including that we could sit and have coffee right up until it was time for the ferry to leave Saltholmen terminal, headed back to Styrsö. Perfect.
The ocean, dressed in Rothko.
The seaward facing canopied patio of Långedrag Värdshus.
The open fireplace that draws you to further explore the patio, and leads you into the main dining hall.
A selection of cured meats.
A gingerbread house on display.
Swedish ostkaka that resembles clotted cream, garnished with a slice of orange and caped gooseberries.
Liver pâtés, the favourites of the evening.
