Restaurant: Légumes Vegetariskt Matcafe Location: Hornsgatan 80 Stockholm, Sweden Price Range: Soup 40:- SEK, vegetarian buffet 60:- SEK, soup and vegetarian buffet 70:- SEK

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: August 5, 2001

Randy had: Soup and buffet.

Jeff had: Buffet only.

Rating 8 (of 12) Good

Randy says: The vegetable soup was wonderful. It was bursting with flavor and had fresh vegetables, not tired and worn out ones like at many places. And they're not afraid to use seasoning. The buffet contains too many items to name, but a potato dish was especially flavorful. Stuffed chiles were tomatoey and much less hot than I expected. The stuffed grape leaves were average. On balance, most of the items were fairly good, some especially good. I especially liked the teas which were all you can drink and good quality.

Jeff says: The buffet consisted of pasta, beans, and vegetables. This is not really my type of meal. I liked the carrots, which were nicely flavored and al dente, not mushy. The sun dried tomatoes were also good. I assumed the creamy pasta was made with mayonnaise, but it turned out to be yoghurt. The humus was packed with garlic. The bread and tea were good, and Randy's soup was yummy.

This vegetarian buffet restaurant is a hole in the wall on a busy thoroughfare in Södermalm. We were attracted to it because it is a nonsmoking establishment which we found to be extremely rare in Sweden. The atmosphere is nothing to speak of. The tiny room is dominated by a large glass case displaying the buffet items. It is not strictly a buffet as we normally think of it; you do not serve yourself. Instead you tell the person behind the counter what you want (or, in our case point through the glass case) and you get a spoonful of each, moving from item to item until the plate is full. On a table past the glass case is an assortment of breads with margarine, and teas and coffee. Yogi cinnamon tea is pre-made. Others are loose leaf in tins including Earl Green and mango green tea. Vegetarians will enjoy the wide variety of items and the inexpensive price, but come prepared to pay cash as credit cards are not accepted.