Smørrebrød is an amazing little Scandinavian café-restaurant in Al Quoz. Brainchild of eccentric Swedish Chef Tomas Hoog, this hidden gem of an eatery is actually very hard to find. And that’s because it’s tucked away inside the Hungarian Games warehouse in possibly the last place you would expect to find a restaurant. In fact, the surrounding industrial area amplifies the shock you get when you walk in – the contrast is so great. Because inside is this quaint and cosy Scandinavian café, complete with memorabilia from the 50’s and 60’s.
Originally Danish, Smørrebrøds are basically open-faced sandwiches. And that’s what you should have at this café. We tried the Göteborg, which comes with a delicious, crunchy fried fish topping, and the Malmö, which has a topping made of (Swedish) meatballs. Both were outstanding and quite filling, making their Lunchbox deal of two Smørrebrøds surprisingly good value at AED79 (including one of their imported drinks or fruit juices). Sadly, their amazing hand peeled prawns only arrived when we had finished our meal, but Chef Tomas gave us a sampler to try. Wow! The next Smørrebrød I order will definitely be The Royal King Prawn.
Smørrebrød, the café is an amazing discovery and I thank my Welsh neighbour for pointing it out to me. So, whether you, your kids and/or office staff are participating at Hungarian Games (https://hungariangames.com), itself a fun reason to visit, or you just want to enjoy some excellent food and friendly service in a comfortable, retro, Scandinavian environment, this charming café is the place to go: https://smorrebrod.ae.
Waste NOT. Want NOT.
zomato.com/xerxestheravenous
Instagram @ravenousxerxes
Email: xerxes@dellara.com