Oscars Bar & Brasserie is that good

This is a review. The author is responsible for the opinions in the text.

Between the star-shaped Karlaplan, inspired by Parisian urban planning, and the stately residence of the French ambassador lies a new French neighborhood restaurant. Scribbled letters invite you into Oscars Bar & Brasserie – now part of a French cuisine group alongside the classic Cassi and the Bar à Vins wine bar next door. We enter a cozy neighborhood pub that, despite its location in the heart of Östermalm’s most exclusive district, feels liberatingly non-nobbish and relaxed.

Costumes, tiaras and pearl necklaces can be seen around the venue as families with adult children and older couples in various configurations fill the two parts of the restaurant. It’s so crowded between the tables that we almost feel complicit when a French-speaking lady points to the table next to her and asks that her brioche bread be slightly less toasted than hers. It somehow adds to the charm – and white tablecloths and warm light from floating spherical lamps lift the mood.

While we look at the menu, let’s start with Oscar’s version of a dry martini – with olive oil (175 SEK). The note of fatty oil makes the otherwise alcoholic beverage smooth and easy to drink. A fresh non-alcoholic alternative is sourdough Grapefruit fizz (119 SEK).

Otherwise, the menu feels familiar, featuring dishes common to many Stockholm restaurants currently joining the runaway brasserie trend – albeit with a few surprisingly good exceptions. But it is important to choose the right one.

On the positive side of Oscar Bar & Brasserie has an appetizer called canned food. A selection of delicious and well-made jams (125 SEK per tin) with everything from stunning squid to fatty and tasty pike(!). The glasses are quickly served with lemon wedges and good grilled Levain bread. A surprising and appealing little dish that will make the taste buds rejoice. Simple but perfect – and best accompanied by an enchanting glass of Nebbiolo (Michel Chiarlo, Il Principe Langhe for 179 SEK).

Another real standout is the French onion soup (SEK 245) gratinated with aged Gruyère and Levain bread, which holds its shape beautifully without disintegrating. The umami-rich veal stock is contrasted with the sweetness of the long-fried yellow onion and the saltiness of the cheese. A flavor bomb that we will dream about and will happily eat again.

Kalix roe (SEK 295) is served with the usual accessories, a slice of fried fluffy brioche and chives and red onions in addition to the cream. Standard but good.

The three butter-fried scallops (SEK 265) are springy and bathed in creamy beurre blanc with herb oil. Pickled kohlrabi provides the sour sweetness and the dish is also served with roe. But there’s something about this combination that leaves us with a strong feeling for the langos we ate at town festivals in our youth.

To the main courses Is the poached cod loin (SEK 425) a real triumph? The finely treated white fish rests on creamy braised savoy cabbage and herb oil that we know from mussels. Really crispy cubes of pork add saltiness and crunch—and the portion is so generous that we can barely eat the buttery potatoes served with it.

Confit duck leg (SEK 335) is a skillful portion in which the skin of the knuckle leg is really crispy. Here the fatty duck is served with lollo rosso and frisé salad with small bitter olives and artichokes – in an anchovy dressing. Unfortunately, the dressing is a bit too stiff and the freshness of the salad is somewhat affected by the fact that it tastes distinctly like pizza salad.

The obligatory raw steak (195 SEK/335 SEK) isn’t one of the best options on the menu and doesn’t hold up well against the general competition. It’s made from veal shanks and consists of a light puck seasoned with fatty tartar sauce, a generous portion of French mustard and fried onions – three ingredients that effectively kill any meaty taste.

Steak fries with entrecôte (495 SEK) are not only expensive, but also extremely bad. Tough and overcooked meat, rock-hard fries that taste like street food, and too much salt and too much acid in the Béarnaise.

The Pub Commission would like to take the opportunity to make a statement here, although Oscars Bar & Brasserie is far from alone in abusing the classic French neighborhood pub. Enough that good meat has to come at a price, but this is a dish whose raison d’être is based entirely on perfect ingredients – but is so abused and overpriced in many places around the city.

Oscar’s dessert menu is also classic French. How you handle a classic crème brûlée (125 SEK) can say a lot about a restaurant. Here it is perfectly tempered with crunchy caramel and a good balance between creamy vanilla and crunch. The brûlée is somewhat unorthodoxly garnished with out-of-season strawberries, but all in all it’s a good finish.

How often can you eat brioche at a restaurant? Several, as it turns out. IN Pain gone (SEK 155) – a more luxurious French version of a poor knight – the thick fried slice of brioche is almost sticky-sweet with orange caramel, and the dessert is brightened up by spicy cardamom ice cream and sweet and sour orange wedges.

Oscars describes itself as a “classic neighborhood restaurant” and the family atmosphere makes for a pub atmosphere worthy of this part of Östermalm. For those on a budget, it’s a nice place to stay, where the welcoming bar invites you to have a drink and perhaps a few small preserves.

Service can be slow at times when the restaurant fills up quickly, but this is offset by the fact that the staff are polite and understanding without seeming overly familiar. And if you choose just the right thing on the menu, you can find real happiness.

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Read more about the Krog Commission tests

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