New Year at PM & Vänner in Växjö

We often plan our trips far in advance, both to fit in with work but also to have fun experiences to look forward to. In addition to building up expectations, it gives us the chance to do some research so that we can maximise the experience.

With regard to PM & Friends our expectations were sky-high as we have travelled past Växjö several times in recent years but still haven't managed to visit. In addition, there are not so many restaurants in Sweden that have Michelin stars, which further raises expectations.

In addition to their award-winning cuisine, they also have an impressive wine cellar and are the only restaurant in Sweden to be awarded the Grand Award by Wine Spectator. They describe it themselves as:

"The Wine Archive is a unique wine collection that is constantly evolving and changing, with over 6,000 different wines reflecting what is happening in the wine world today with a good knowledge of history."

The evening started in their cosy rooftop bar. When we got there, it was quite sparse with people but it quickly filled up and after just half an hour the small room was packed with expectant guests. We were offered the house champagne which was a Bonnet-Panson Cuvée Perpetulle Non Dosé. It is apparently only produced in 40 thousand bottles per year of which PM probably takes a lot. The bubbly was served in a stone cairn with canapés and a really good band played in the background, adding to the cosy atmosphere. They talked about how the band made its debut with them at the age of 14 but how they have now moved on to higher education.

As I said, there were unexpectedly many people, which meant that they divided the parties between the dining room, the bistro and the atrium. We were seated in the bistro where they decorated the tables with flowers from their own flower shop, flora. The bistro normally has a simpler menu, but today everyone got the same New Year's soup.

We may look a little miserable in the pictures, but once everyone found their table and we started to smell the food, the mood was on top again. After all, it had been at least an hour since we last ate so the need was difficult...

Our first starter was a baked svedjerova with kohlrabi, lightly pickled celery, broth cooked beluga lentils, sago breadcrumbs, butter sauce with oysters and some onion roe and dill. For the meal, we had Noblaie, Chinon Blanc, Chante le Vente 2021. All the flavours married excellently and the wine further enhanced the taste experience.

As a second starter, we had lukewarm cream of potatoes and leeks with plucked duck leg and natural foie gras served with rye bread chips, boiled turnips and grated winter truffles. This dish was unfortunately not as successful as the cream took over completely so you did not feel the taste of the other accessories. I had also wished for a different wine as it was the same as the first dish and here it did not fit at all as well.

For the main course we had thyme roasted Swedish beef fillet with crispy ox cheek, buttered celeriac, fired shiitake, long baked beetroot, grated frozen noble cheese and veal gravy flavoured with port wine. With this we had a Rioja Gran Reserva, Viña Real 2014. Excellent wine and delicate sauce but the meat was a bit dull.

The first dessert was apple sorbet with mint and champagne. For this we got Umathum, Bouvier / Grüner Veltliner Beerenauslese. Simple and delicious with a fantastic wine.

Finally, we had another dessert. Baked milk chocolate with dulce de leche, cooked pears, sablé breton and candied hazelnuts. Our favourite on the menu and a worthy finale. The same fantastic wine as the first dessert.

Overall, you can say nice environment, excellent service, good wines, and a couple of really good dishes. I may have sounded negative in my description but I think it is mainly due to two things. It was probably partly a question of presentation, most of it was white or beige which made it look a bit boring. It was probably also a question of there being a little too many guests, which meant that the kitchen probably had to simplify a little to keep up with them. Given all the praise that the restaurant has received over the years, I still find it very difficult to believe that this is their highest level. Another contributing factor may of course be that we had unrealistically high expectations.

At the same time, it can be said that a lot has happened in food in Sweden in recent years. If this had been a menu 5-10 years ago, we would probably have praised it to the skies, but today it is just one among others and not something that stands out.

After dinner, we went back to the rooftop bar again. We had a few of their exciting drinks and some more house champagne before it was time to go out on the roof terrace to toast the midnight. Växjö also offered fireworks and from the roof you had an excellent view of this.

On the roof they also have a larger pool which they sold as a winter pool with a view. However, we felt that we were cold enough anyway so we declined the offer...

After a good night's sleep, it was time for breakfast. Already during dinner we noticed the very good bread that was baked at their own sourdough bakery, Bread & Sauce. They had also contributed bread to the breakfast which really put the finishing touch on it. It was perhaps not the largest breakfast buffet but everything was of the highest quality, locally produced and also served in front of a cosy fire. The highest rating on it and perhaps the best thing about the whole experience.

We had booked what they call the Executive Room which is a step up from the standard rooms. Everything was bright and fresh but still with elements of warm tones which made it not feel clinical. This can be something that designers struggle with as it is a fine line between the Nordic bareness and something more akin to a healthcare facility. If you plan to book a room here, one tip is to ask them for one of the newer rooms. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the older rooms but they are a little more impersonal, perhaps mainly because they are more stripped down, have a cooler colour tone and are accessible.

The entire hotel was tastefully decorated and in addition to the cosy rooftop bar, there is a small relaxation area with a temperate outdoor pool. There is a beauty parlour adjacent to the hotel, The Lake, which offers a variety of treatments but it was closed over the New Year so we never got the chance to try it. Below you also see a picture from Flora and where you can savour PM's bistro menu in a "flowery" environment. Next to the store is their atrium but unfortunately we didn't get a good picture from there.

On New Year's Day we went the short walk to Bröd & Sovel as they had a "pizza special" in honour of the day. Very good and good food when you are a little tired in the eye. Since PM & Vänner has taken over almost the entire block, the hotel, flower shop, restaurants and bakery are on different sides of the same building.

So how do you summarise this? We had a fantastic cosy weekend and this is probably the start of a new tradition. The dinner did not quite live up to our expectations but as a whole this was very good. We will definitely give the restaurant another chance and come back with another review.