Get Your Fika On: Manly’s Own Fika Swedish Kitchen
It goes without saying that Fika Swedish Kitchen emits an infectious energy. This small Nordic inspired cafe located in the heart of Manly opened its doors over two and a half years ago, and has been drawing a crowd of brunch enthusiasts ever since.
The space itself is minimal in its design and yet envelopes you instantly with its use of soft blankets, cushions and warm lighting. Adding to the charm is a wall of Swedish wines, sweets and canned goods behind where the baristas spend their days pumping out infinite coffees.
Each time I visit Fika I can’t help but notice the way in which the space unashamedly perpetuates the Nordic stereotype. The staff are blonde haired, blue-eyed beauties with thick Swedish accents and contagious smiles. A large print of the Swedish flag hangs proudly on the wall, with a more generalised yellow and blue colour palate interwoven into everything from their stools to their mugs and even their egg cups.
The fact that they use Campos coffee serves as an immediate draw card for a self-professed coffee lover like myself. Swedish teas can also be ordered such as an aromatic spicy chai and a cleansing ginger and lemon concoction.
As for the food? Fika Swedish Kitchen offer a clever combination of the Aussie go-to bacon and egg roll ($10) and Swedish delights like toast ‘skagen’ ($17), a prawn, dill and lemon mayo mix with avocado, stacked on sourdough.
On my most recent visit I chose the ‘salmon lover’, a visual delight comprised of house-cured salmon on pumpernickel with smashed avocado and a free-range poached egg. Although priced at $18 it did feel a bit steep but the meal was faultless. My gooey, runny egg was poached perfectly and I was given a liberal stack of salmon. The use of pumpernickel bread was a welcomed change to the popular sourdough.
One of the smarter moves Fika Swedish Kitchen recently made was outsourcing baked delights from Nutorious. If you haven’t already heard of this Northern Beaches baking king, Nutorious, aka James Sideris, makes some of the most amazing muffins going around.
How good can a muffin be do you ask? Last weekend I purchased the ‘Smores’ muffin, a combination of blueberry, marshmallow, chocolate digestives and chocolate topped with toasted meringue and injected with a vanilla chocolate ganache. Cue mic-drop.
Fika Swedish Kitchen is the gift that keeps on giving, effortlessly moulding itself into the laid-back Manly vibe. Get down there and immerse yourself in some good old fashioned Swedish hospitality.
Fika Swedish Kitchen
5b Market Lane, Manly
Open everyday 7am-5:30pm
http://www.fikaswedishkitchen.com.au/#swedish-cafe-in-manly
*Photos courtesy of Fika Facebook