1 Week in Sweden - Part 5 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3.5 Forks

Leva Kungslador  Toftavägen 20, 622 59 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

It was a bit of a bummer that we couldn't rent a car in Gotland to check out the other parts of the island.  I tried to ride a bike but apparently one can forget how to ride one, so we were stuck walking around the immediate area near Visby which I don't really recommend.

I had read about this farm place that didn't look so far away on the map but you do have to walk through a highway and then a giant lily pad forest to get there so having a car is still preferred.  Once you're there, you feel like you're on a hippie commune  - there's a greenhouse, small farm, playground and organic food/craft store on site.  Inside the main building there is an all-you-can eat buffet that is primarily vegan with some meat dishes.  I know, it kind of sounds gross but it wasn't wasn't that bad.  I got a plate of potatoes, salad,  bread with dips, chickpeas, corn, steamed eggplant and they also had a pot roast like dish.  Not surprisingly, everything needed a bit of salt to it, especially the eggplant but it felt very healthy and farm picked. 

But the best part of this place are the desserts.  Oh my god, they are delicious (and separate from the buffet).  I actually went back twice because I wanted to try some many different things.  The above dessert, the dromtarta, was my favorite.  It was like a soft chocolate sponge cake filled with yummy custard - it was basically a chocolate roll but very moist and delicious.  I saved it for the World Cup viewing but wished that I got more for the rest of the evening.

It was definitely an adventure to get here and even though it was a bit of a hike, it was still nice to see a different part of the area.  Plus that chocolate roll was definitely worth the trek.  Total bill: $25/pp for the buffet

 Kitchen and Table 6 Strandgatan, 621 57 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

For better or worse, I have this weird aversion to hotel restaurants when I travel.  I know they have gotten better and in some cities, they are the hot spot to go to and many celebrity chefs are now putting their names all over them.  But in my mind, I still think of them as kind of a list ditch resort when you have no other options.   Not surprisingly, Marcus Samuelson (who was raised in Sweden) has a good presence in Sweden but what's surprising is that his restaurant is in a Clarion in Visby of all Swedish places (although I just read that Visby has more restaurants per capita in all of Sweden!).  

To be fair, Clarions in Europe are much nicer than the Clarions in the US and this one was actually pretty decent.  We decided to give this place a go on our last night here before we hit up a bar down the street.  The menu claims to be New York meets Sweden but I'm not sure what that really means.  It was a mish mosh of items from burgers, pizzas, tacos, meat platters, and an "urban garden" section which was veggies with a choice of protein.  I opted for the cheese burger simply because there wasn't anything else speaking to me. 

I will say that cheese burger was super tasty.  It was a soft potato bun, with a moist patty and yummy melted cheese with all the fixins.  Who knew Visby would be the place for a spot-on American burger?  It also came with super crunchy fries to round out the whole Americana experience. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my meal.  Unfortunately, the downside was the service.  I feel a bit bad crapping on it because it was just 2 girls running the whole place but the service was abysmally slow.  Like extremely painful.  What also sucked is that my cocktail was only half full - it's like they started to pour it, got side tracked and then never finished.  For $15, I should be getting the whole damn cocktail and then some.   Luckily, we got more (and better cocktails) at this bar/restaurant down the street called Supper which was apparently THE place to be.  It was jammed packed with all sorts of beautiful people and super fun.  I wouldn't poo poo Kitchen and Table, I would probably just double check to make sure they are fully staffed before you sit down.

Photo Credit: http://gotlandstips.se/kitchen-table/