Lunch at Proviant

In a city jam-packed with high-quality places, lunching in Stockholm is usually not a problem – for just over 100 kronor, you get a gourmet lunch, with Gastrologik and Mäster Anders being only two of the places worth mentioning.

With a rhubarb dessert to die for, Proviant is the latest in a long line of quality lunch restaurants. But let’s back up the tape a bit and see what it is that makes Proviant stand out from the lunchtime crowd.

Proviant is a French-Swedish bistro representing the kind of cooking that’s become a staple of the Stockholm restaurant scene over the past years. Mixing classic French cuisine and traditional Swedish cooking is a recipe for success, and for a reason – this style feels familiar and is easy to like, and when executed well and using top ingredients, it’s among the best there is.

The atmosphere here is inviting, too: tiles, red and white chequered tablecloths, a black and white colour scale and menus presented on blackboards create a cosy and informal feel. It’s one of those local corner restaurants that make you want to move to Östermalm. And if you really like the food here, you can stop by their newly-opened grocery store next door and buy some of the ingredients to take home with you.

The lunch at Proviant is served every weekday and is a mix of special lunch dishes and a few selected dishes from the evening menu. Every day, a more affordable option, usually a Swedish classic, is on offer. Today, it’s grilled pork from the Råcklunda farm with radish and beans (135 kronor). While it sounds tempting, we go for the steak tartare (255 kronor) and landgång (195 kronor), an open sandwich with prawns, smoked salmon, apple, horseradish and roe, topped with fresh dill.

Before they arrive, the chef sends out a little chickpea salad; a nice touch, even if it feels more healthy than delicious. The breadbasket, often said to be a measure of a restaurant’s quality, is excellent though, with dark, white, soft and hard bread.

The steak tartare is definitely worth recommending. The fresh steak is delivered on its own, allowing you to choose how little or much of the classic sides – Dijon mustard, red onion and capers – you want to add. Following an old French recipe, the sides also include a small glass of cognac, which adds a nice sting to the dish. Even the sandwich is perfectly made; a simple, yet satisfying meal. Due to its full taste, however, it would probably work better as a starter.

The dessert list sounds unassuming, but hidden in there are some true gems. We order two scoops of the restaurant’s home made ice cream, pear and rhubarb (35 kronor), and rhubarb from Stenhuse farm with cardamom (95 kronor). While the ice creams are lovely, light and have a distinct taste of the ingredients, the rhubarb is a real delight. Under a scoop of rhubarb ice cream, a light layer of small meringue cakes and edible, blue, green and orange flowers, lies a rhubarb compote, and under that a cardamom pannacotta. It’s a heavenly combination of sweet, sour, soft and crunchy, which we crown as the summer’s best dessert – so far. The search continues…

Sturegatan 19, www.proviant.se