Ullas Café [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Ullas Café
Address: Kyrktorget 1, Luleå
Website:  n/a 
Style: Swedish 
Price: $-$$ 

After writing up two not so stellar reviews from Stockholm, coming to Ullas Cafe is as much a breath of fresh air as stepping out of the train and taking in the cool, crisp air of Norbotten/Swedish Lapland. *-*

Ullas Cafe is located in the heart of (no, really) Gammelstad, the old church town and UNESCO world heritage site on the outskirts of Luleå and, from the outside, certainly doesn't look like so much. There isn't a lot of seating, neither inside nor outside, you get your own coffee and utensils, and, despite the Gammelstad website touting they have a large selection of pastries, they really don't. Just a few items that, further accentuated by the 'home kitchen' look to the place, could almost be called home-baked. I'd actually already done a Cake Tour in town, so I didn't need to come here. But I couldn't help it... and I was starving. :P I mean, really, coffee cakes aren't the most common fare at a konditori and I just love them, so this was my chance!

I was actually going to say that this was one of many instances where my efforts to speak Swedish failed, in that I didn't understand the answer, but my ears didn't desert me this time around, since Google is giving me the same thing I got!! Therefore, I picked out for myself a slice of drottningkaka (22kr), a deliciously soft, spongy coffee cake with berries. When asked if I wanted vanilla sauce (yes, this I understood ;D), I replied with an affirmative and received in turn a gigantic dollop of thick, perfect sauce that would be enough for three pieces of cake, not one. ^^ Man, this was sooo good! There was nothing fancy or "skilled" about it, but who cares? It was definitely a highlight from my Cake Tour in Sweden. Actually, Ullas was my first taste of the Cake Tour in Lapland, and it was simply a good sign of things to come -- this leg of the journey came out a huge, very tasty success!

Rating: ****   

Complé Konditori [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Complé Konditori 
Address: Kista Galleria, Stockholm 
Website: http://www.complekonditori.com/
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$ 

Knowing that I certainly wouldn't be returning to Kista Galleria (I wouldn't be here in the first place if my budget apartment weren't a few blocks away) the second time in Stockholm (when I had another budget apartment in the completely opposite suburban direction), I took advantage of it in order to make my coverage look even more impressive. :) 

Complé Konditori is without a doubt the only bakery/confectionery in Kista and, according to Google, in the nearby area, not including the few baked goods available at the supermarket. At the same time, I suppose you can't expect anything overly exciting from a mall business and the same applies here. Complé seems more of your light lunch/sandwich with coffee destination than known for its sweets, but I guess that's what konditori implies nowadays. :/ Past shelves of shrimp sandwiches and quiches, there were finally a few baked goods (to be fair, there were quite a bit of cakes), although they were all kind of just piled up in a corner by the cash that it was hard to distinguish them. As is typically Swedish (which just began to irritate me so much -- seriously, Sweden is *expensive*! People deserve to know how much they're paying upfront; if Norway can do it, you can do it too, Sweden! -_____-), there wasn't a price to be seen. 

However, seeing as mall food is always overpriced, 18kr for a cinnamon bun was fairly reasonable. I can't say I paid under 20kr for a lot of things during my trip. :( Fairly standard cinnamon bun, with a bit of cardamom in the dough and then rolled with rock sugar on top. Whether it just didn't fully grow or it was supposed to be like this, it was really flat and the dough was hard, which I just couldn't figure out. Unless it was already stale when I bought it at 11:00? Taste-wise, it was alright, though it might have used a few minutes in the microwave. By the time I ate it, it was brittle like a cookie -- you're not supposed to *crack* your cinnamon bun apart. The picture -- probably due to the generous glazing -- makes it look a lot better than it was. So, pretty good as a cinnamon cookie; not so satisfying as a bun. :/ 

Rating: **

Sundbergs Konditori [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Sundbergs Konditori 
Address: Järntorget 83, Stockholm
Website: n/a 
Style: Swedish
Price: $-$$ 

Sundbergs Konditori, in the very heart of Gamla Stan, is -- or so they claim at any rate -- Stockholm's oldest konditori (confectionary/pastry shop). With that kind of selling point, you know who was there to taste a piece of history. ;)

The decor and cafe itself is absolutely lovely, with classic interior complete with mirrors, dark wood panels and chandeliers, although a lot of the tables were in a bit of a mess with stacks of cups and plates, as though it's pretty much expected you should sit outside (the workers who ignore you and keep gossiping while you're waiting to order didn't provide a very pleasant atmosphere either). The selection of cakes and goodies wasn't really as impressive as I would have imagined with such a claim to fame. One or two buns and a few slices of cake. As I would come to discover, a lot of places in Stockholm didn't have any prices (or names) listed and this really irked me. There was a rather unclear sheet printed out right next to the cash which hardly helped. Especially in a place as touristy as Gamla Stan, this lack of prices sets the "scam" alarm off and I was too scared to get anything above a sweet bun (especially as Sweden is *expensive*), but surprisingly enough, Sundbergs was actually -- by far -- the cheapest place I encountered on my tour of Stockholm. Mostly due to the fact that they actually had takeaway prices, which is great! Though Sundbergs was my first stop in Stockholm and I then got this impression that I'll be able to get baked goods everywhere for under 20kr. Hah... :/

Sadly, this was also one of the most disappointing trips in Sweden as a whole. Blame me for picking something stupid, perhaps, but I thought I'd get something a little more unique than the usual cinnamon bun. So I got a pistachio bun (15kr; takeaway) instead. With the too-green-to-be-just-pistachio filling, slivered almonds, and not too flavourful dough, this reminded me of the "European" buns you'll find at a lot of Chinese bakeries. I mean, for Chinese baking, they're alright and at $1 or less, perhaps, this would be amazing, but the oldest Swedish konditori? And no butter! *shakes head* I was expecting a lot more from such a place... especially when you have the amazingness of Grillska Huset just a few narrow streets away.

Rating: **

Grillska Husets Brödbod [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Grillska Husets Brödbod
Address: Stortorget 3, Stockholm
Website: http://www.stadsmissionen.se/Matochkonferens/Bageri--Konditori
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$

My first bakery in Stockholm. I didn't see the tidal wave of bakeries and pastry shops I was expecting or imagining in my fanciful head, but I came across a few great places nonetheless. And a few not so great places, but fortunately, Grillska Huset belongs to the former group. Actually, I think this place had to be my favourite stop in the Swedish capital; it was beyond good. *-*

As a formal intro: Grillska Huset is the Stockholm city mission's chain of bakeries and cafes -- the mission also has a lovely store in Gamla Stan of secondhand collectibles/Swedish design. The products (we're back to talking about the food) are classic and simple, with only the best ingredients. I have to admit that the minimalist interior and unadorned goodies didn't excite me so much at first glance, but only one bite was needed to change my mind on that. ;)

This was also the only bakery I encountered with a wider selection of (buns) baked goods, as opposed to the standard cinnamon and cardamom buns which are available *everywhere*. I can't quite remember the name of the one I took (with the exception of the -bulle suffix -____-), but all I know is that it didn't look too unique or exciting on the outside, so I was really risking it. Actually, I think I picked this one in particular (20kr), because the most were gone. And with good reason. All I can is: I may not know what it's called, but I *do* know this is an ingenious idea. Delicious, soft bread-like dough with a little sprinkle of rock sugar on top; this is then stuffed with the most scrumptious concoction, a mass of butter (yes, these guys were one of two places that actually used real butter -_-) and sugar, some vanilla perhaps... not sure what else -- I was too busy wolfing this delicacy down to analyze it in detail -- but wow, my mouth is watering thinking about it! So simple and so incredibly good!

This is the only bakery on my Cake Tour in Stockholm that I would return to (sad, but true), and that would be in a heartbeat at that! :D

Rating: ****

Conditori Signe Bergqvist [Mimi's World Tour] [RIP]

Bakery: Conditori Signe Bergqvist -- Kafferepet
Address: Drottninggatan 17, Helsingborg
Website: http://www.signebergqvist.se/ 
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$

I went to Copenhagen's oldest bakery; I went to Stockholm's oldest conditori and, during my short trip to Helsingborg, I likewise visited the city's oldest pastry headquarters! I covered everything, yes I did. ;)

Kafferepet (easier than writing out Conditori Signe Bergqvist every time ^^;;) was the first place I came across while in Helsingborg. There was another place located in the pedestrian area, but it seemed so expensive for me that I didn't go. Which was extremely stupid of me since I'd come to realize that this is standard, if not well-priced for Stockholm. I hate kronar! -.-

But I love Swedish baking and boy, was I happy to see trays of delectable, rock sugared sweet buns and classics like prinsesstårta and mazariner. Perhaps I wasn't happy about seeing how much they cost, but well, Sweden *was* supposed to be more expensive than Denmark. And it was. x_x However, these guys had well-priced buns at 18kr each and so, I grabbed one (despite the not-so sympathetic service). More specifically, I went for the kardemummaknyt, a cardamom bun folded ("knotted") with bits of cardamom. I've had Swedish cinnamon buns, but this would be my first time trying cardamom buns. I love the distinct taste of cardamom in Finnish baking, so I had to have this!

Sadly, it wasn't as flavourful as I had hoped (I would come to have a really good version and it would have been nice if they used butter), but man! this was still so good! I mean, it's just yeast dough with egg glaze, rock sugar and slivered almonds on top and then crushed cardamom folded into it, but... I love sweet buns. *-* So, I was for the most part perfectly content. I heated it a little in the microwave and mmmm... the flavour of the cardamom came out a little more, the dough got nice and soft again. Delicious!

Rating: ***

Cafe Kringlen [Mimi's Cake Tour]

Bakery: Cafe Kringlen
Address: Hovedvagtsstræde 2, Helsingør
Website: n/a
Style: Danish
Price: $

I had the amazing idea to take up my last full day in Denmark by going north to Sweden. ;D It doesn't sound so nice written that way, but I was tired of the big city feeling I got in Copenhagen (it was more the swarms of tourists than anything else) and longed to see some other part of Denmark. So I did the Helsingør-Helsingborg combo: one town in Denmark and one city in Sweden. And heck, I couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of beefing up my Google cake map by adding these two random bakeries! And yes, I did get two bakeries (and there were more in Helsingborg, but they seemed so expensive at the time.. oh ho ho! how naive I was!) on either side as well. Otherwise, this wouldn't be here, of course. ;)

First stop: Cafe Kringlen. This simple cafe across the street from the train station and about half a block away from the main shopping street seems to be the town's only place for baked goods (with the exception of the slightly overpriced "French" bakery selling croissants and brownies (no comment)), at least in the city centre. Or, it was when I was wandering around and exploring. It's in Lonely Planet as *the* destination for pastries in Helsingør, though this in itself doesn't mean it's a quintessential conditori as the sign indicates. When I was there, at any rate, business with pastries was slow. The focus seemed to be on their lunch specials and the selection of pastries in the single glass case is a tad pathetic. No prices or descriptions given, though, at 12kr, the spandauer were well-priced, even if they only had the cream variety.

Nonetheless, I got my cream pastry and found it alright. It wasn't the greatest and it wasn't a disaster, but I found it to be not as crunchy as I had hoped. I don't think keeping them in the fridge (they might have also been in saran wrap) is the greatest idea. Actually, considering that I ate it within two hours of purchase (most purchases are eaten the morning after), it wasn't exactly fresh. The custard filling was quite tasty, though, having just eaten one from the DPH (yes, I'll end up forming the fan club, I swear), it just... could not compare.

No offence to the Danes (especially as I do love their baked goods ^.^), but in the battle of the Helsing's, the Swedish side came out on top in terms of baked goods. Of course, the third Helsing- (that is, Helsingfors, a.k.a. Helsinki) is still in possession of the highest rating. ;)

Rating: **1/2

Sct. Peders Bageri [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Sct. Peders Bageri 
Address: Skt Peders Stræde 29, Copenhagen 
Website: n/a
Style: Danish
Price: $$ 

This particular Cake Tour came about purely by accident. I had been planning a trip to La Glace and, seeing a line of people waiting, literally, down the street, I returned to this little place which I remembered having seen while taking a quick walk through Copenhagen's Latin Quarter. Unknown to me at that time was this small hole in the wall with its neoclassical interior and window of goodies just happened to be the city's oldest bakery! Well, well, wasn't that exciting? (for me) :) The bakery was founded in 1652 (!) and, as the paper bag housing your goodies explains, hasn't changed all that much since then. Wow. That's really fascinating!! Again, not everyone might agree, but I couldn't help but get the idea that I'd come across a gem!

As the bakery itself is so small, the selection isn't so great and a lot of the standard pastries I've come to expect weren't there. There was, however, the delicious scent of cinnamon wafting out the door and piles of fairly large cinnamon buns, looking absolutely delicious, stacked next to the cash. Mmm... how could I resist, even when, to be fair, I haven't been too impressed with the Danish take at other bakeries? One small thing really irked me, since this was the first time I had come across this during my travels: no prices. Nothing was priced nor was it labelled, so I couldn't just order by reading from (and hide the fact that I didn't know Danish) and I didn't know what anything cost. Very frustrating and a little disappointed!

Still, I did end up with that delicious cinnamon bun (15kr) and it did actually prove to be quite delicious. Again, I can't say I'm too fond of the Danish-style dough, which is dense and reminds me a little of scones or any sort of soda-based recipes, but this was really good, with the dough being slightly softer and filled with plenty of cinnamon filling. Mmmm.. that was really tasty; actually, this was my tastiest Tour in Copenhagen, though the icing was really brittle and the majority just ended up at the bottom of the bag in pieces. So, that wasn't that good. :/

Nonetheless: good stuff at last! As a matter of fact, I could even say 'best for last', since this was my last bakery in Copenhagen as well. ^-^

Rating: ***

Andersen Bakery [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Andersen Bakery
Address: Bernstorffsgade 5, Copenhagen
Website: http://www.andersen-danmark.dk/
Style: Danish
Price: $$-$$$

And now, back to the mainland~! ;) Yes, I returned to Copenhagen for a few days before heading north to Stockholm and cinnamon buns (^^) and made a second attempt for the city to wow me with its baked goods. Alas, it didn't seem to work out so well for the Danish capital (especially not compared to the stellar bakeries on Møn), with Andersen actually being the most disappointing of the bunch.

Andersen Bakery (as the English name may indicate) seems to pride itself more on the fact that they were the ones to bring Danish baking to Japan and that they have branches in the U.S. than the actual stuff they sell. Their selection is pretty amazing and showed no signs of depletion on a late Sunday afternoon, which I thought a little odd when their competitors were closed by that time. That was the reason I showed up, at any rate. Nevertheless, at 15kr take-away price (more for eating there) for a majority of the individual goods, the price is alright, although I'm not sure if it's necessarily good value, since these are given the appellation of "mini" and are indeed smaller than what you might find elsewhere, though many come in a variety of fillings.

Sensing that this seems to be their signature item, I settled on the little heart-shaped danish (15kr) with black currant filling. The traditional cream and raspberry were also an option, as well as strawberry rhubarb. They're cute, I'll give them credit for that. Who doesn't love a heart-shaped baked good? ^.^ As I've found out, however, it's all in the dough and it was here that I was not overly pleased with Andersen. Put simply, this reminded me of the North American take on the danish found in supermarkets and not too great bakeries everywhere: bready, soggy dough with a too sweet, syrupy gloop lacking any real fruit. It wasn't even that I waited too long with mine, since the free samples on site tasted the same -- maybe they simply baked them too long ago and they had lost all their crunch or there was no crunch to begin with? Ha ha sorry guys, but I've had better in Japanese bakeries! ;)

Still, I can't say it tasted bad, but a place that exports Danish baked goods abroad should know (and do) better. :/

Rating: **1/2

Lars Nielsen @ Dagli Brugsen [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Lars Nielsen (inside Dagli Brugsen supermarket)
Address: Klintevej 365, Borre
Website: n/a
Style: Danish
Price: $

I'm really not sure what to call this, since Google just gives you the name of the "bagermester" when you search 'bakery'. The bakery is in fact inside Borre's only supermarket or food store, for that matter, the Dagli Brugsen, but I'm assuming that it's independent of the store itself. The reviews on Google are raving about the "perfect" breads, but why on earth do that when there are amazing things in this small little stall next to the cash? Yes, the food store in Borre housed the most delicious spandauer I had in Denmark and could truly be considered worthy of the amazingness of the Danish Pastry House (which really was not beaten otherwise) and it was *good*.

Nonetheless, on a sweltering, sunny day, I decided to bike to Liselund and, hot and tired on the way back, I decided I more than deserved a treat afterwards. So I popped in to the supermarket and, at first, was only wowed at the price: 10kr for a generously sized piece of wienerbrød (as is usually the case, there is the choice of cream or raspberry filling)!?! What on earth! *-* This was by far the cheapest bakery in Denmark I've seen -- it even beats the Canadian price! Looking back at my older posts, I could hardly believe I paid 25kr (25KR!?) for spandauer in Copenhagen and it wasn't even good. Pfff...I could get 2 1/2 here for the same price!

Coming back, however, and biting into this delectable pastry made all thoughts of even the price disappear. At last, I had found a "danish" worthy of its name! This was so fresh, so good, and just everything it should be: crunchy on the outside, layers of soft dough on the inside and -- finally -- the jam filling was perfect!! What a wonderful, buttery baked good! ^.^

Whoa, who would have ever thought the highlight of my Danish Cake Tour would be a stand in the supermarket!? (well, besides the people raving about that rugbrød -- they seem to know something ;D)

Rating: ****