Svea Cafe & Restaurant

A neat find since I definitely wasn’t expecting to find Swedish food in Cheltenham at all. The restaurant is pretty cozy feeling, with space to seat ~ 20 people and decorated like a red riding hood’s cottage. Checkered table cloth and books about Sweden lying around.
Since I was the only one there for dinner (it was late, closer to 8:30?), the service was pretty great. I got recommendations and extra bread and all the attention I could want.
The menu is pretty interesting since there’s more than just Swedish meatballs and pickled fish. The food was alright (hit or miss):
— Marinated beef appetizer (forgot the actual name.) but this was the best! The beef was tender and flavorful, having both a strong beefiness as well as yummy mushroom marination. The mustard seeds on top gave it a nice little bite.
— Pea soup, which was a bit salty. I had a slice of brown rye bread to go with it, that helped a bit with the saltiness. Would skip this next time
— Swedish meatballs, served with lingonberries, mashed potatoes and salad. Finally, the most popular Swedish foods. The meatballs were solid. Nothing mindblowing about this dish, but it was nicely done. The meatballs had a complex flavor, also being made with pepper and onions and other spices.
— Crème brulee — skip this. It seemed like a poor understanding of the dish. Instead of a light and crackly sugar top, it was almost a caramel. Instead of a soft custard, it was like a dense pudding. Even lingonberries couldn’t salvage the dish.