| Let's have a fika! |
| By Eva Stenskär | |
| Friday, March 02, 2007 | |
Back in Sweden a typical workday is punctuated by at least two coffee breaks, or fikas. And during the weekends, friends planning get-togethers usually meet over a fika. Power lunches in all honor, a fika is a cozier concept which implies a relaxed easy-going atmosphere and coffee of course. It’s simply a social institution. So when David Johansson from Götene and Lars Åkerlund from Stockholm opened their espresso bar in mid-town Manhattan last September they had no problem coming up with a name – FIKA! Stuffed with sandwiches, cookies, and salads, FIKA also features coffee so good it’ll knock your socks off.“Swedes are among the heaviest coffee-drinkers in the world, and there’s really nothing as good as Swedish coffee,” says Åkerlund while I study their menu. Really now! Doesn’t coffee come from Colombia? “Yes, but it’s all about the preparation,” Åkerlund continues. “And Sweden has the best roasteries, that’s why the coffee tastes so good in Sweden.” Åkerlund maintains it was king Karl XII who made coffee known to the Swedes at the end of the 17th century when he brought it back from his involuntary residence in Turkey – for its supposedly medicinal purposes. Whether Karl XII enjoyed a vaniljdröm or räkmacka with his coffee one can only hope. At FIKA both are made, fresh, on the premises. “We pride ourselves in keeping a high quality,” Åkerlund says. “Many of our customers think these cinnamon buns are prepacked or frozen but we bake them right here. We also make our own chocolates from scratch with the finest ingredients. I think that’s what Scandinavian food is about: freshness and purity in taste.” Åkerlund was trained as a chef, but says he likes to do many different things. He’s traveled a lot, and is clearly interested in design as he designed the espresso bar. He is also a lover of coffee and it’s he who had the idea to start an espresso bar long before he even knew Johansson. “When we met, the idea finally took off,” he says. Johansson, then, had worked as executive chef for former Swedish consul general Olle Wästberg, and was ripe to do something different. “I wanted to get away from the kitchen a bit,” he says. “I wanted to do something different, and Lars had done all this research. It seemed a good idea. To create a concept and work on it without having to always be cooking.” And since the espresso bar has proved to be successful, Johansson reveals they are planning more FIKAs in the city. “It’s a challenge, but it’s also fun.” The cinnamon buns and the vaniljdrömmar are favorites among the customers, says Åkerlund. But what, if anything, has not worked? Strangely, smögåstårta. “Somehow that hasn’t taken off,” Johansson says. “We sell it for catering, and it’s popular, but it’s been difficult to sell here.” Among the most popular sandwiches are the Överkalix with gravlax and pickled mushrooms on thin bread, and the Göteborg with Swedish meatballs and red beet salad on a baguette. And if you want to feel like a real Söderböna (or Söderkis) then you order a Stockholm with thinly sliced roast beef and cornichons. Before I leave, with a brown-bagged Överkalix, Åkerlund hands me a shot of espresso with a velvety layer of crema. It’s smooth and strong and good. “Most Americans have never tasted coffee like this,” he says. “You don’t have to add sugar to this, it’s too good.” Yes indeed. There’s no doubt about it – there’s no coffee like Swedish coffee. For more information: FIKA, 41 W 58th Street www.fikanyc.com Phone: (212) 832-0022 |
| < Prev |
|---|
|
|||||||||
| NORDSTJERNAN, Weekly news. Copyright © 2008 | info@nordstjernan.com |