Bright Red Warehouse

Find Great Food at the Bright Red Warehouse $$$

By Allen Dale Olson, Freelance Writer

November 2007

Right where the Gote River opens into the harbor accessing the North Sea st Chef Leif's "inspirations" always include the very freshest of fish -- in this case, North sea salmon. ands the same wooden fish warehouse my grandparents and their siblings saw in the 1880s and 90s when they left Gothenburg, Sweden, for the United States. At the time, it was probably the last building they saw in their home town.

Today the warehouse is painted a bright red. It still stands somewhat isolated on a promontory, but a couple of hotels, a large ferry terminal, and an enormous suspension bridge over the river tend to give it a hemmed in appearance. It is identified by a simple painted sign, Slomagasinet, Swedish for shore warehouse.

But what a warehouse, as my wife and I discovered when we peered into it through a plate glass window late one Sunday afternoon. Inside we could see tables covered with stunningly white cloths on which stood glistening crystal glasses, cut flowers, and artistically folded linen napkins. Slomagasinet is a fine-looking restaurant, open for dinner, we were delighted to learn, on Sundays.

A witty receptionist, after chastising me for not speaking better Swedish, scoured his book and found a single table available. The place was fully booked, and it didn’t take long to see why. As we were seated, a charming hostess offered us a glass of house wine, as she called it; it was actually a delightful chardonnay from the Cote-de-Beaune, served in a large, clear crystal glass with a long stem. She also brought a small plate of tiny hors d’oeuvres and explained that because it was Sunday, there were few a la carte dishes available but chef Leif Mannerstrom, as he does every weekend, offers a fixed price three-course menu. ($60 each at that The bright red warehouse. day’s exchange rate.) But all the wines on the extensive wine list were available.

First came a salmon filet baked in a dill sauce and topped with a Swedish caviar from rainbow salmon. Though Mannerstrom’s “inspiration” for the day was a filet of steamed cod dressed in a rich butter sauce and garnished with the first spring vegetables of the season – tiny carrots, bright green peas – a dish crying for more of the white Burgundy, we wanted a red wine, and the hostess obliged with a delicate merlot from Spain. Even if the wines and Mannerstrom’s creations had been off the mark, the quality of the setting and service made for a wonderful dining experience.

The sun was setting as we started on the ice chocolate mousse with mint-marinated tiny strawberries topped with raspberry sorbet. Through our window we could see the overnight ferries leaving for Kiel, Amsterdam, and Newcastle. I couldn’t help thinking of my grandmother (who died in Indiana before I was born) and my grandfather who taught me most of the Swedish jokes I still love to tell.

**Photos by Allen Dale Olson

If You Go

Sjomagasinet

Klippans Kulturreservat

S-414 51 SW Goteborg, Sweden

Tel: 46 31 775 59 20

info@sjomagasinet.se

www.sjomagasinet.se