I Tried The New Brooklyn Restaurant For Swedish Meatballs (And It’s Not IKEA)

As Food52’s resident Swede, the minute I heard about Hildur, a brand new Scandinavian-French restaurant in Dumbo, I made a reservation—no shock there. I introduced two buddies, each of whom have been to Sweden with me and respect good Scandinavian meals as a lot as I do.

The minute we walked in, I felt a little bit bit like I used to be at residence. On the host stand, co-owner Emelie Kihlström greeted us warmly and personally walked us to our desk, the place we had been met with a stunning server bearing home made lingonberry sodas, a staple my mother grew up ingesting.

When trying across the restaurant, it’s clear to see that the Hildur staff put loads of thought into making the house really feel heat and welcoming, with delicate nods to each Scandinavian minimalism and French design (a gold trimmed vintage mirror, for instance). It’s a spot you need to settle in for hours, which we did—I believe we stayed for 3.

The menu leans into Scandinavian flavors with a French bistro twist—assume pickled herring, Swedish meatballs au poivre, and melted onion soup with Danish rye bread. The meatballs had been an apparent should, served with a gravy-like sauce, silky mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam. For a desk starter, the brown bread service is the transfer, that includes two basic Scandinavian loafs alongside salted cultured butter and a whipped caviar butter (extra particularly, made with Kalles Caviar, #iykyk).

It’s laborious to decide on my favourite meal of the night time, however dessert is what I used to be trying ahead to probably the most. I had, after all, already scoped out the menu and knew they served princess cake, however I didn’t count on them to convey out a complete miniature cake wrapped in pink marzipan. They swapped the standard raspberry jam for blackberry and made the bottom with almond flour, a delicate however good tweak that stored it basic whereas enhancing the flavors barely. And since ordering only one dessert feels borderline unlawful, we additionally received the chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream and crunchy Daim brittle (Daim is Sweden’s superior reply to Heath bars).

I left Hildur utterly happy and already planning my subsequent go to—this time with my dad and mom, who by no means flip down a superb Scandinavian meal. For a restaurant solely open per week earlier than my go to, every little thing felt impressively dialed-in. It’s cozy sufficient for a solo meal on the bar, vigorous sufficient for a date night time, and simply particular sufficient to need to come again—and a lot cheaper than a flight to Stockholm.