Hemma

Hearty and heartfelt, Hemma’s Swedish-inspired dishes warm the bones on even the coldest of Nordic evenings.

The 2018/19 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £7.95 (+p&p).

Don’t let the glassy exterior fool you: Hemma’s corporate surface belies a bright and spacious heart, populated with low couches and wooden furniture where every available surface is generously garnished with bunting and fairy lights. Friday nights are a veritable menagerie of politicos, journalists and video game developers; weekends are similarly packed with brunching families. But during the week Hemma boasts a laid-back vibe with food to match. Tweaked every few months, the menu features simple yet delicious Swedish-Scottish accents, like a classic smörgåsbord platter, hearty chowder with generous chunks of potato and salmon swimming in cream and fresh salads heaped with pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Their take on the kladdkaka - a traditional chocolate cake - swaps out whipped cream for rivers of salted caramel, but is still gooey and very, very good. The fridge is stocked with a mix of Scottish and Swedish brews, but a particular stunner is the light and fruity Idun’s cider sourced straight from Gothenburg.