Address: Sankt Eriksgatan 43, Stockholm
Website: http://asp.thelinskonditori.se/
Style: Swedish
Price: $$
Thelins was my last Cake Tour in the city of Stockholm... okay, not really, since I couldn't help but buy (or two) on the way out, but as it was my last full day in Stockholm, this was "splurge" day. So, I went to Thelins, one of the places recommended to me by Lonely Planet (though I'm not sure I can trust their opinion anymore; Cafe Saturnus' (which isn't even the name of the place?) cinnamon buns were 45kr! I thought this was the budget tourbook. :/) on their so-called "konditori tour".
To be quite honest with you, I didn't see anything really more different at Thelins than at your everyday, corner bakery -- in my head, I imagined the more prestigious names resembling French patisseries. Just like a vast number of konditori, the majority of the goods were actually lunch items like sandwiches and the sweets were relegated into a single case. I don't recall there being so many baked goods -- as I wasn't interested in them this time, I didn't make a note of it -- and there wasn't that much selection with anything else either, except four or five varieties of mazarins (almond tarts) and toscas (these almond things :P). Perhaps their specialty is almond tarts and other sweets? Oddly enough, everything was labelled, but not priced (at other establishments, it's either all or nothing), though at 26kr for an actual "pastry", they were decently priced, I suppose. Well, decently priced for Stockholm bakeries, that is. Don't start converting that... x_xAnyways, I picked out two of those aforementioned mazariner, because well, I like Swedish almond tarts. ^^ So I picked out one apple mazarin and the other was... something with a Spanish name? Seriously, I can't remember, only that one was actually called a mazarin and the other wasn't... although it was pretty much an almond tart with a different topping. *shrugs* I paid 52kr for both.
I always search the place I'm reviewing for the address; sometimes you get reviews along with the other results and I couldn't help but notice that Thelins actually has one of the worst overall ratings I've seen for a bakery. O_O They really weren't bad, in my opinion! Although one word kept coming up in both the English and Swedish reviews: service/personnel. The same could be said for my experience. While the worker wasn't rude or anything like that, the big minus was that she just threw in both tarts into a paper bag. I can't say I've ever gone anywhere and been given tarts as though they were croissants -- even Canadian pecan tarts, which aren't necessarily anything "fancy" or need preserving, have always been given a box. Both being topped with icing, both being sticky, they -- quite naturally -- stuck to one another and the result was a visual disaster: the apple tart had been smushed flat and the second tart had completely lost its top (and, I gather, what made it actually unique). This was glued to the bag and, after some reconstructive surgery, only half was salvaged. :/ I was really disappointed, to tell the truth. I didn't spend that little, even for Swedish standards, and was hoping for better treatment!
Taste-wise, both were quite yummy, although nothing exceptional. Both tarts were made with home-baked shells (they better!) that were quite tasty, although a little soggier than I expected. The apple mazarin was pretty much an almond tart with an additional top of chopped apples, cinnamon and a doughy top (kind of like a mini apple pie); I don't know if it necessarily matched, but I liked it. :) The second item was a little dry; the parts that actually had the nuts and raspberry were quite tasty, but just the almond filling and tart wasn't too... exciting. :(
Overall, Thelins pretty much finished off a not-so stellar tour of Stockholm -- with just two amazing bakeries out of a handful of mediocre ones. I really shouldn't have expected too much, but Thelins, I believe, was a place that should have delivered a lot more than it did.
Rating: **1/2
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