Tastebud : Matcha Ya (3rd time)

7 July 2026

It is Japanese dessert at Matcha Ya. We went here after dinner at Nopo 1988. They were on the same street. Had the same dessert as during my first visit in 2024 - cotton cheesecake SEK68. Price is still the same for the cotton cheesecake. For the drink, I had matcha tea SEK58. It was bitter and watery. Well, it is tea. During my previous two visits, I had matcha red bean tea and matcha chocolate. I should check my blog next time before having the dessert. My friend and I were considering between cotton cheesecake and mango roll. I chose the cheesecake because I read that Japanese cheesecake is nice. Well, it is not very firm and also, it is a small slice. 

Tastebud : Nopo 1988

7 July 2026

Today's dinner is Korean food. My friend and I shared a hotpot for two that came with rice cakes, very thinly sliced fishcakes, egg noodles, an egg sliced in half (couldn't we get an egg each?), spring onions SEK359. We ordered an extra dish - beef 100g för SEK59. No kimchi or other side dishes that one usually gets in a Korean meal. Very different setting here. The broth in the hotpot was gochujang paste. So, it is sweet and to me, I think it is still bland. There are no flavours inside. Probably because I like spices. My best experience with Korean food is still Madame in 2023.

Tastebud : Thelins

30 June 2026

After dinner at Pom Friterie, we had dessert at Thelins. It is difficult to find a cafe that does not close at 7pm. Only larger cafe chains close at 8pm. Thelins and Vetekatten. I had a slice of Budapest SEK62. If one takes away, it costs SEK59. Apparently tax 25% for eating in and tax 12% for taking away. Gosh, what a difference. At least, the cafe is honest with the pricing. Last year, I was at another Thelins franchise at Sankt Eriksgatan and had the princess cake with green marzipan. Also SEK62. 

Sweet cake. Luckily, I cycled today. So, I did not feel bad eating cake. 

By the way, I just found out that there is a difference between cafe, bakery and in this case, konditorei. Did you know this? I learn something new everyday.

A konditorei sells wide variety of pastries, cake and desserts and typically also serves as a café. No bread sold here. 

A cafe serves various types of coffee and beverages. Sells food too. 

A bakery bakes and sells bread. 

Tastebud : Pom Friterie

30 June 2026

Today, I had the world's best french fries. No kidding! This restaurant won the award in the international category in the World Championship French Fries in Arras, France in 2024. This competition is in its 4th year now. This is how Pom Friterie does its fries:

Our Pom Frites are made from a unique Dutch potato, selected for its texture and flavor. Sustainably grown by a single farmer on mineral-rich sea clay close to the North Sea. The fresh potato is turned into crispy Pom Frites through a natural process, without additives. Fried in high-quality sunflower oil and finished with handharvested sea salt from Bretagne.

Wow, sourced from a single farmer. This farmer must have a huge land to plant so many potatoes. Also, one cannot use the same land to plant potatoes after two years due to disease and pests builtup. The land needs to take a break for 4 years. Interesting, right? 

Honestly, the fries were really good. Crispy on the outside and airy in the inside. So good! I had entrecote and fries SEK299. Quite expensive for a small portion. Okay, I know the fries won an award and comes far but still, I wished the meat could be bigger. 

Me and my small portion. I was disappointed. Probably this counts almost like fine dining food. Small portions, large prices.

I took this photo to show that tea light are being used during the warm summer! Oh my goodness. So unnecessary. Waste of money. I moved the tea light and holder away to the next table and the staff took it away and blew out the fire. 

Tastebud : Björkvik Bistro (5th time)

27 June 2026

The annual visit to Björkvik Bistro. This time, I am not taking fish and chips that I had been doing for the past two visits. There is a new dish on the menu which has the lowest price - crispy chicken with coleslaw SEK265. Another dish on the menu has the same price which is fried chevre but I did not take it because I am not a fan of a huge piece of cheese. I think this dish could be cheaper because the chicken piece is not huge and it is a lot of vegetables. It is summer and vegetables (salad and cabbage) ought to be affordable.