Located in Stockholm’s archipelago islands Husmor Lisa restaurant provides a unique home dining experience. Offering dishes that can rival the the food at any of the top restaurants in the city Husmor Lisa has something you will not get anywhere else: fresh, local and seasonal dishes prepared in an all natural kitchen and an intimate and personal dining experience in the chef’s own home overlooking the Baltic sea.
There are days when things just fall into place, when the stars align to provide you with a succession of perfect moments. One of the most memorable and unexpected experiences during my trip to Stockholm was, interestingly enough, not in Stockholm. We where spending the night at Vaxholm, an island 45 minutes by boat from Stockholm.
It had been raining that afternoon and just as we headed to the boat that would take us to Husmor Lisa the first rays of sun pushed through the dark clouds. Our boat sped towards the restaurant as we admired the beautiful scenery and suddenly a double rainbow stretched across the horizon.
We arrived at Husmor Lisa and immediately I fell in love with the beautiful turn of the century Art Nouveau style house overlooking the water. Chef Lisa welcomed us with the brightest smile and we sat at a table out in the deck.
Out on the deck Chef Lisa prepared a delicious original cocktail made with violet water, herbs from her garden, infused vodka and champagne. The cocktail was accompanied by a light version of Swedish toast Skagen, an elegant combination of sautéed bread topped with whitefish roe.
After the cocktail we went inside and sat at her table for a 5 course dinner that included traditional Swedish dishes with her own personal twist, all of them prepared from scratch. All the food is locally sourced and usually from small-scale producers.
Chef Lisa also makes her own sauces, butter, etc. and in her kitchen she tries to tap into the old ways of Swedish cooking using traditional techniques like drying, smoking and pickling.
Many of the ingredients and most of the herbs come directly from Chef Lisa’s own garden from where she picks them fresh as she is cooking. Additionally Husmor Lisa’s kitchen is all natural and chemical free.
The freshness of every ingredient used in each of the different dishes was evident from the moment the food arrived at our table and as you took each bite the flavors and textures all came together.
You can choose a 3, 4 or 5 course menu, all of them created specially by Chef Lisa based on what is available during the season so everything from the ingredients to the cooking methods is constantly changing. Her dishes often include Lisa’s own interpretations of traditional Swedish dishes like herring and Skagenröra; a Swedish shrimp salad with sour cream and dill.
Each course was paired with either local beer or different natural and artisanal wines that complemented the dishes magnificently. The food’s delicious taste and presentation rivals that of the best restaurants in Stockholm. But here the peaceful home atmosphere, the unpretentious plating that focuses on highlighting the food and it’s ingredients and the beautiful view of the archipelago let’s you truly focus on the meal and the company.
As I left feeling content and with a sense that everything was good in the world a final gift: a gorgeous sunset over the archipelago islands.
Dining at Husmor Lisa was a truly marvelous and unique dining experience. It all started with the journey there and everything about the restaurant from the magical location to the fantastic chef and her passionate and positive energy made this a truly marvelous night.
If you go Husmor Lisa is about an hour boat ride from Stockholm. You can take a water taxi from Vaxholm, which will take you just a few minutes and will give you a beautiful view of the archipelago islands and the Vaxholm fortress museum from the water. You can also arrive by car.
Husmor Lisa is open Friday and Saturday evening all year round adding lunch to the schedule during the summer months. In December they serve a fantastic Swedish Christmas dinner five days a week. For reservations and more information visit Husmor Lisa’s website here you can also like Husmor Lisa’s Facebook page to stay up to date with their menus and events.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
