Eating Out - Harpaviljongen & Skafferiet i Ekoparken

It's been a while since I last wrote something proper about eating out, and even if I have a back-log (as usual) with eating out experiences on holiday - and a few pretty special ones in Scotland... - I think I'll begin with these summer hangouts in Stockholm. Alas not much summer left and if you want to pop by... Though to be quite honest, IMHO, neither of them have very exciting food to offer, but they're rather well worth a visit for the ambiance oasis-style. And they're both dog friendly places to hang at.

First out is Café Harpaviljongen (Hare Pavilion), Fiskartorpsvägen 29. Situated in the vicinity of the Stockholm sports arena Stadion in a lush, terraced garden it offers both food, sandwiches, coffee and cakes including vegetarian alternatives. The café was built at the time of the 1912 summer Olympic Games, so the athletes and spectators could have a pleasant outdoor café to go to. The wood nearby offer some lovely walks and this nice, off the beaten track summer café offers some lovely rest afterwards. Can't say I was all that impressed with the sandwiches and the look of other dishes, the caffe latte however was really, very and surprisingly good. Decent prices and quirky, funny staff.

If you take the subway to station Universitetet - University, yes this is the campus of the far from exciting architecturally but overall quite good educationally Stockholm university - and walk for about 15 minutes over the fields - there are plenty of pretty walk paths all over this area and a good long walk is highly recommended - you'll reach this pretty and secluded café Skafferiet i Ekoparken (The Pantry in the Eco Park), Stora Skuggans väg 38. Housed in an old barn this place is opened throughout the year, but I somehow doubt it's as nice to sit indoors during winter as it is sitting outdoors during summer... This is the lush countryside in the middle of the city! One of many things that makes Stockholm such an amazing place.

The food on offer does look really good, so perhaps I just choose the wrong thing, a vegetarian pie. Which was just boringly, unmemorable pieish. And the nut pie a little bird whispered in my ear was dry and dull. However the raspberry coconut pie was indeed rather lovely, sweet and tart and creamy in a slice big enough to share. With creatures great and small.