Major Sweet Tooth Disappointment

Once again it was time for the annual dentist check up - last year I was lucky enough to not have any cavities, *yeah*, and since I most certainly couldn't look forward to being that lucky a second year in a row I sighed and thought that perhaps it might at least just be one tiny one to fill. As it turned out though, no cavities for undersigned this year either. Huzzah.

Completely charmless dentist's waiting room, with magazines that leave a whole lot to be desired - but he does give good grazing...

That was the good news, no cavities for me. Time for the bad news, the really, really bad news then. Sigh and grump. Let me start with a bit of background; we always make a little outing of the annual dentist appointment - or more outings if it includes cavities that need drilling and that nasty stuff - since it's on the other side of town, to archipelago suburb Gustavsberg. A rather longish trip public transportationwise but I like my dentist - even if I do wish he could stop bugging me about me still being a proud owner of four (4) wisdom teeth - and so far he has done a decent job.

And finding a pleasant dentist/doctor/veterinarian (not all in one person though) that you feel you can trust is far from an easy task, as far as I'm concerned. So I stick to this guy like glue. Once, or a few times, per year.

Gustavsberg is also the home of wellknown pottery factory, since the beginning of the 19th century, Gustavsberg Porslinsfabrik. Even if the factory itself is nothing remotely like it was in its glories, the harbour area has since the late 1990ies been an ever growing place with residential buildings as well as commerce and art. And now there are both factory outlets, museums, glass works, restaurants, art galleries, craft studios, antique shops as well as other different shops down there in the harbour.

So it is a rather nice place to be forced to visit now and then due to important dentist matters. And for feeding hungry ducks, no matter what time the year.

And after leaving the dentist, more or less happy, we've always had lunch or coffee, if possible in the neighbourhood. Since 2004 we've been faithful and happy guests at a little hidden gem of a café in the pretty brick tower house in the harbour, Tornhuset (Torn = Tower, huset = the house), which first went by the name Skafferiet i Hamnen (Skafferiet = The Pantry, i = in, Hamnen = The Harbour).

An unpretentious, homely and sweet place, where you could either have something light to eat in the round tower room indoors, with a grand view over the harbour or the even more pleasant experience, weather permitted, of being able to sit outdoors and enjoying the same view. Plus a bit of sun in face and wind in hair.

Somewhere along the line it changed its name to, easy to remember, Café Tornhuset. And somewhere along the same line they began to serve afternoon tea. A really excellent and good value for money afternoon tea. Which was the perfect treat after a trying dentist appointment.

So when it was time for a late lunch this post-dentist time around, we headed straight to this place, expecting things to be as they have been for these past years and still were some months ago. Effervescent at the prospect to be able to make the most of the visit and sit outdoors, since the weather was amazing and summery once again, overlooking the harbour.

But as it turned out, it was completely rebuilt indoors, into something boring, bland, modern, supermarket style, impersonal, shiny, huge counters, not a personal, homely touch in sight. Flabbergasted and huffed it took ages before we could compose ourselves and order something that didn't look too bad, but not as good as it could have.

Despite its looks, the only things good about this food experience was the latte, the weather and the view. Everything else was bland, dry, boring and hugely disappointing. And I do not care if the new proprietor was once the head confectioner at NK and has run a family bakery and confectionery for over twenty years and has won awards. It still neither looked nor tasted great. Far from. Majorly disappointed am I (are we).

Although granted, with clean teeth, without cavities and wisdom still intact.