Arkivgatan 7
411 34 Göteborg
http://www.restaurangfamiljen.se/
Celebrating my boyfriend's birthday I got to visit Familjen (The Family) in Göteborg. The restaurant wants with its nice decor and friendly staff to make their guests feel like a part of the family. I was all stressed up coming to the restaurant wanting it to be a good night for my boyfriend and soon enough when the staff greeted me I calmed down and started to relax.
Before we chose what to have for dinner we started with a drink. My boyfriend suggested a Bloody Mary and I couldn't agree more.
SPICY WITH BACON
Jose Cuervo Especial infused with Bacon, Home Made Tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco Chipotle, Ox stock, Red Chilli, Black Pepper, Salt, Lemon
This drink had too many amazing ingredients too not make me fall in love with it. Bacon! Chili! Ox Stock! You get the picture. My boyfriend though it was a bit too spicy, but that is kind of what you have to expect when you order something that is named Spicy with Bacon. I didn't taste the bacon as much as I expected but the drink was very good and we also got a bonus bite, bread with beans. A perfect kick-start before our meal.
After a short present distribution we were ready to order and we decided to go for the Evening Menu
BLACKENED SALMON TARTARE AND SALMON ROE
with horseradish cream and sourdough crispbread
105:-
***
STEW OF GOTLAND LAMB
with artichoke, onion, chestnuts and celeriac
189:-
***
DEEP FRIED CARDAMOM WAFFLES
with warm cloudberry jam and vanilla ice cream
85:-
335:-
We also ordered the suggested wine menu. 275,-
Starter: Blackened salmon tartare and salmon roe.
Creamy, soft texture from the salmon and horseradish cream. The crispbread added some nice crunch and small explosions of salt from the salmon roe. The funny thing about salmon roe is that unlike smaller kinds of roe these don't "pop" as easily as normal so you end up chewing a bit more. The taste of horseradish in the cream was not very present. Even if I read the menu, my mind kept fooling me with thinking that the cream was sour cream and maybe the dish would benefit of having a squeeze of lemon. I don't know if it's because they knew we were celebrating or if everybody with the wine suggestion get it, but we got a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne with this dish. I must say that a glass of champagne was perfect! It actually added that sourness I otherwise missed in the dish. A silky and exclusive start to our meal.
Main course: Stew of Gotland lamb.
The reduced sauce in this stew was packed with flavour. The meat was tender as lamb should be. As a side dish we got a celeriac mash that tasted just amazing. The taste of butter was prominent and o'so good! My only problem with the mash and the stew was that it was very salty. I really didn't want to complain about it because the taste otherwise was so good, but in the end that salt overpowered the dish. I actually ended up drinking water several times during the night. I'm normally a person that wants my food well-seasoned and this dish would have been heavenly with a bit less salt. With the main course we got a French red wine (don't remember the name) that has similarities to a Chateauneuf de Pape wine.
Dessert: Deep fried cardamom waffles
Again a hit on texture. The waffle brought some crispiness to the dish, softness from the ice-cream and warm, sweet taste from the cloudberry jam. It's not often you ask of less of something when the taste is so good but we couldn't finish all the cloudberry jam. Other than that it was a great dessert. Accompanying the dessert we got a glass of "guldkant" (golden edge) a mix of cognac and Swedish punch, which also suited the dish perfectly.
Staff: I also want to write about the staff, which really extended my expectations. They were really friendly and went that extra mile to make us feel comfortable. What I loved was when people were ordering they sat down with the guests. It added to the feeling of being a part of the family. They also made us feel special and not just "another guest".
The interior at Familjen is really nice. They combine black and white photos with green and red decor. Even if the drinks menu isn't that big their bar is. They have all kinds of liquor and I guess they can make whatever you ask for. I even saw on their website that they are nominated for "Best Bar in Sweden". This restaurant is well worth the visit. With a few adjustments to the food it would turn out perfect.
