Message: | Yes, I agree! I just had the chance to check out Gustaf Ander's smogasbord buffet today, while visiting my mechanic in Irvine.
While I did not care for the assortment of cold herring (cold herring isn't really my thing, I think it's tastes too fishy), much of the other stuff was pretty good. I did enjoy the cold shrimp, the other fish dishes, the wonderful bread, the cheese, the Swedish meatballs, sausages, stew, and the desserts (my favourite). All cakes were exellent! My fav was probably the merengue cake, but the others were also first class.
I also loved the hot spiced red wine "aquivit", albeit I usually don't care for any alcohol in general. It went very well with the smogasbord food IMO.
My only complain was the red cabbage they had there, which I thought was too sweet. I also wish they had slightly more hot dishes, but this is a great buffet nonetheless.
My total bill, including an iced-tea (also nice), came out to be around $44. I think this a decent value, considering the quality of the food, and the novelty of the experience (I don't know of another place in Cal that has similar food). Nonetheless, being the cheapskate college student I am, I think I would only try out this buffet no more than once a year, considering I had to dish out $52, including tip.
I might be wrong, but the selection and tastes are somewhat different from the typical Hyatt buffet, so it might not work out for everone.
Service was also attentive, and friendly. There was no sort of snobbery you might expect from a more expensive place. Indeed, I recall from visiting Stockholm, Sweden 3 years ago, that everyone was very friendly (and spoke good English). So this might just be the regular warm Swedish hospitality!
Overall, I think this is great recommendation. I would definetly go back next year (or earlier, if someone else paid the bill)! |