For this evening in Gothenburg I decided not to overdo it and to find a “normal” and friendly restaurant rather than going to discover one of the excellent restaurants of the city.
Having just completed a Cancun-Istanbul and an Istanbul-Gothenburg flight and leaving at dawn the next day for Paris via Zurich, my priority was just to eat and quickly go to bed
So I decided to go to Epoque, located not too far from my hotel the Gothia Towers, thinking that my legs wouldn’t carry me much further and that I might fall asleep quickly.
Review# | Type | Post |
1 | Hotel | Moxy Paris CDG (no article, look at our previous articles on Moxy Paris CDG ) |
2 | Flight | Paris-Frankfurt – Lufthansa – Business Class |
3 | Flight | Frankfurt-Gothenburg – Lufthansa – Business Class |
4 | Flight | Gothenburg-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
5 | Flight | Istanbul-Mexico – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
6 | Flight | Mexico-Cancun – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
7 | Hotel | Renaissance Cancun Resort and Marina |
8 | Hotel | Ritz Carlton Cancun |
9 | Flight | Cancun-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
10 | Flight | Istanbul-Gothenburg – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
11 | Hotel | Gothia Towers Gothenburg |
12 | Restaurant | Epoque in Gothenburg |
13 | Flight | Gothenburg-Zurich – Swiss – Business Class |
14 | Flight | Zurich-Paris – Swiss – Business Class |
The concept of Epoque in Gothenburg
Nothing exceptional here, we are in the air of time and in the line of other restaurants of the city that I already tried like Natur.
“The menu is written seasonally and consists of hearty & honest food prepared with passion and love but in an uncomplicated way with a solid foundation in Swedish food tradition and flavors. We set high standards for ingredients and suppliers to be able to offer a really good product to our guests.“
Like Natur, the property is both a wine bar and a restaurant.
“The atmosphere is relaxed and warm. You are also welcome to have a drink at the bar, eat on the go or have a full dinner.”
Everything is said.
The setting of Epoque in Gothenburg
Very classic and warm: wood, subdued lights but not too dark. The Parisian bistro revised in Swedish mode.
Indeed it is warm.
The menu at Epoque
The restaurant has an impressive wine list from all over the world.
And as for the food:
The promise is kept, at least on paper. It’s simple and appealing.
The dinner and the service
As soon as I am installed, I am brought the menu and asked if I want to take an aperitif. It will be a Negroni as usual.
Friendly and warm service as usual in Sweden.
I am also brought bread and butter. It is well presented and very good.
To begin with I will take the scallops which will come after a slight wait.
It is well presented, fresh and light. To use the traditional expression, it does the job and it does it well.
Then I opted for the reindeer.
If I waited a little for the starter I will wait much more for the main course. It was served about 1 hour after my arrival at the restaurant, which is still within the upper limit for an aperitif and a starter.
It is delicious. The meat is tender, the mushrooms delicious and the artichoke purée melting.
I will wait another eternity for someone to come and offer me dessert. I will order a caramelized applesauce with a cinnamon ice cream and I will also order a mint tea so I don’t have to wait again.
The tea will arrive 10 minutes before the compote.
The apples aren’t much of a compote but it’s good enough.
I will then take the bill which will arrive in a reasonable time (which is not always the case) and I will pay immediately.
The atmosphere
If the setting is warm, the atmosphere is rather noisy. I found the music a little too loud at times and the table of four next door was making noise for 10 which didn’t help.
The service
I would say that there are two sides to the service.
The first one is the staff’s interpersonal skills and attention. On this point nothing to complain about, the waitress was more than nice with a lot of humor and warmth.
The second is the slowness. Too much waiting between the dishes (and when you are alone you feel it even more and a fortiori when you are tired by a long flight) and at the end the tea that arrives before the dessert. But when there are only two waiters in the room, you can’t expect miracles.
Bottom line
In the end an excellent dinner, good and copious dishes, a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect if the service had been a little faster.
All this for 90 euros (with wine and aperitif), when you know the cost of living in Sweden it is very acceptable.
Ideal for a dinner with friends.