Swedish for back pockets, bakfickor seem to be popping up like mushroom on a rainy day in Stockholm right now. For those unfamiliar with the term, these establishments are smaller and cheaper siblings to upscale restaurants: you get the same level of cooking, but in an environment that is more relaxed, with the food usually more rustic and the prices always lower.
The Flying Elk in Gamla Stan is the back pocket of Franzén (formerly Franzén and Lindeberg). It’s a gastro pub specializing, in their own words, “food that’s prepared with care and from real ingredients – proper pub grub”. The food is far from the tired hamburgers and fish n’ chips that are typical pub fare, and so is the interior. There are no worn-out wooden benches and beer-soaked carpets in sight. Instead, the space, with big windows towards Mälartorget, is airy and bright. On the other hand, it never quite feels as cosy as one would like a pub to feel, at least at daytime.
We popped in for a Sunday lunch and were positively surprised by the menu. Divided into snacks, starters, sandwiches, mains and sweets, it features several new versions of classics not often seen on the capital’s menus: macaroni & cheese, an English breakfast, pulled pork sandwich and Eton mess, to name a few. Having brought our two not-so-quiet small children along, we’re also glad to find that this is no place where absolute silence is to be observed. The smiling staff made us feel welcome and the menu, while not featuring any children’s specialities, has something (other than meatballs) for them, too.
The snacks, as the name states, are small but delicious and are an effective substitute for a starter if you’re not starving. The macaroni & cheese with truffle and mushroom (70 kronor) arrives in a tiny cast iron form. Under its wonderfully crisp, cheesy surface hides a dish that absolutely crammed with flavour. The mushroom and veal croquettes (55 kronor) are small, crispy bites that leave us wanting more, and the same goes for the French toast, which, with truffle, parmesan and 25-year-old balsamic vinegar, is unlike any French toast you’ve ever tasted (80 kronor). As we’re in a pub, after all, we order drinks from the beer list and find a great selection of brews from small breweries such as Mikkeller and To Øl.
For the mains, we choose the pub’s Sunday special – a hamburger (195 kronor). Juicy and with a perfect balance between its ingredients – the patty (a combination of chuck and brisket), slow-roasted tomatoes, truffle aioli, dried mushroom, caramelized onions and two kinds of cheddar cheese – it must be one of the best in town, even at this age of gourmet burgers. Our other main, a salad with cold, smoked whitefish (165 kronor) also hits the jackpot. It’s a generous, and again, perfectly balanced portion of chunks of firm fish, organic eggs, new potatoes and grated horseradish.
We finish the meal with the childishly delicious Eton mess, an English version of our own marängsviss: a mixture of summer berries, whipped cream and meringue, served in a high bowl filled to the brim (95 kronor) and a mudcake, with a scoop of pistachio ice cream on the side (105 kronor).
With the bill ending up at 1,000 kronor, it’s got to be called a great deal – albeit, one packed with an amount of calories that will carry you through until next morning.
The Flying Elk is located on Mälartorget 15, Tel: 08 20 85 83
