BrownersSandwichist: Open Sandwiches at the Scandinavian Kitchen
In search of London's best sandwich since sliced bread
Crayfish sandwich
When we were hunkering down in our long johns, cradling our hot water bottles and cursing the Met office, we couldn't help but notice that all the bad weather was coming from Scandinavia! It was as if they had harnessed the destructive power of meteorology and were channeling some supernatural forces to bring our country to a bone aching halt. First they took out the Eurostar. Then Gatwick. Then they stopped all the roads from working and spirited away our salt. And then they took away the thing that is most sacred: the sandwich shop. By forcing us to work from home, they callously swiped away the thing we hold most dear.
So we went in search of a Scandinavian sandwich shop in the hope that they would turn out to be rubbish. Sadly the Scandinavian Kitchen's sandwiches were up there with the best we’ve had. We were highly impressed not only with their extensive range of open sandwiches served on slices of interesting bread, but also by the friendly, quirky atmosphere which was typified by the Lego cutlery holder and a moose warning sign.
You can either order five or three open sandwiches as a smörgåsbord. Feeling greedy, and with our readers in mind, we ordered eight. The fishy sandwiches were our favourites. Hot smoked salmon with dill crème fraiche was moist and moreish. The cured salmon with a dill and mustard dressing was just as good. But the crayfish tail with lemony dressing came out on top. Interestingly, the fish sea food sandwiches were all served on white sourdough whereas the other toppings found themselves perched on slices of rye bread.
Of the remainder, roast beef with horseradish was lacking oomph; liver pate with bacon and mushrooms was very satisfying; beetroot and meatballs was as tasty as it was eye-catching; and egg with smoked cod roe was apparently very traditional - if a bit unusual.
Arguably the star of the show wasn’t even a sandwich. But instead was a piece of pickled herring doing backstroke in a pot of mustardy sauce that was served with a nugget of rye bread. The sweetness of the molasses rich bread and spicy sharpness of the mustard pickle created a sandwich experience that you won’t find elsewhere.
Bronte from the Scandinavian Kitchen informs us that their sandwiches change on a regular basis and because they are served with only half the amount of bread are very healthy. Thanks to their smörgåsbord we have now forgiven Scandinavia for bringing Britain to an icy standstill.
