Excellent Budget Swedish Meatballs in Stockholm: Slingerbulten

Pretty much everything in Stockholm is pricey and eating Swedish meatballs out is no exception. If you’re hanging out in the Gamla Stan (old quarter), expect to pay about 148 Swedish kroners for traditional Swedish meatballs served with boiled potatoes. And if you’re counting in US dollars or euros, which most of you are, that’s about 16 euros or $25 US dollars. This is an outrageous amount of money for mystery meat served with starch and that price is pretty stock standard in Gamla Stan, with a great exception that we stumbled upon.

We decided to give a cute place called Slingerbulten a try because their posted menu had Swedish meatballs for 98 kroners and salmon for 148 kroners (both dishes a whopping 50 kroners less than everything else we saw posted).

The decor of Slingerbulten is nice too, chandeliers are pretty common in Swedish restaurants and this place sports some medium sized ones along with several pieces of classy art work. Although Stockholm restaurants are very expensive, they are generally very nice.

The portion of Swedish meatballs isn’t huge but it’s filling as the brown gravy sauce is rich, heavy and delicious. It took a few bites to get used to the taste of a savory gravy, mixed with cranberry sauce on a meatball, but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife’s salmon dish was excellent as well and wonderfully presented.

I highly recommend this restaurant for the food, service, decor, price and overall value by Stockholm standards. You’ll enjoy the food and you’ll save about $17 US dollars off two very nice meals. The address of the restaurant is Stora Nygatan 24 and is located on the corner of Kokbrinken.

photo credit: me and my meatballs

Why is Red Bull Illegal in France, Denmark and Norway?

It wasn’t until The Monkey's recent trip to Scandinavia that he learned that Red Bull has actually been banned in some European countries. First he learned that it’s illegal in Denmark, then upon further reading he found out that it’s also banned in France and Norway.

So why is this magical drink that “gives you wings” banned in several countries? Apparently it’s all because a few people have died from it and these governments are concerned with the high levels of taurine and caffeine in the beverages. In fact, a new Danish friend that initially brought this to my attention said “it’s dangerous because it has a lot of caffeine,” saying this as she smoked a cigarette and had a vodka and fizzy drink in hand.

And the Danish government is clearly weary of high caffeine doses because they’ve also banned caffeine pills. But what’s the big deal anyways? Coffee contains a lot of caffeine and is far from banned in any of these countries. In fact, last time I checked, the French were known to enjoy a latte or two.

Red Bull also contains glucuronolactone which improves concentration and memory. Additionally, it contains inositol which can lift your mood by pumping extra serotonin to your brain. So a Red Bull is kinda like a coffee mixed with Ritalin and Prozac. No wonder it gives you wings!

Luckily here in the Netherlands there is no ban on Red Bull or equivalent substitutes. In fact, I am currently enjoying a beverage that is simply called “Energy Drink” and carries all the same ingredients as a Red Bull. “Energy Drink” also tastes practically identical to Red Bull but is a fraction of the price as it is produced here in the Netherlands.

You can pick up “Energy Drink” at a Dutch grocery store for as little as 29 euro cents! I was initially blown away by this seeing as how no energy drink in the United States is that cheap. So if you enjoy Red Bull and are traveling around Europe, make sure to stock up before a visit to France, Denmark or Norway. Otherwise you are sure to lose your wings!

photo credit: flickr

The Monkey Presents Jackoff Amsterdam Pictures of the Week: Chocolate Genitals Edition

I was going to get her flowers but the chocolate cocks caught my eye

Tom had other obligations but he couldn’t resist stopping to gawk at large wheels of cheese

Every week the gang gets together for a game of whose underwear is that anyways?

Photos from my personal collection