By Darren Ballegeer
Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg, is known for its Dutch-style canals and green, uncrowded boulevards. Gothenburg certainly is not known for excellent Mexican food. More than excellent Mexican cuisine, Puta Madre restaurant is a complete transport to another place and time. The name seems to be crude slang, but brothers Kiki and Miki Ingber describe their family’s restaurant as, ‘a tribute to the Mexican brothel madam mother from 1918’.
The restaurant’s interior is an inviting lounge of red velvet and dark wood. Servers wearing flapper dresses and period hair styles are true experts at pairing tequila and wine with any of the restaurant’s authentic dishes. And there is serious dedication here to food that is authentically Mexican. Every menu item is made from scratch and eighty percent of the ingredients are shipped from Mexico. Roasted pork, chicken mole, handmade tortillas and other traditional favorites were simply superb. The menu departs from the traditional only for a few regional fusion creations – the guacamole with Norwegian lobster was an indulgent and unforgettable joy.
Puta Madre’s bar boasts more than 120 tequilas – the largest selection in Scandinavia. The final surprise of the evening was the rich cakes, which were also paired with top-shelf tequilas. Dining at Puta Madre is a truly unique and impressive gastronomical journey that is well worth a food pilgrimage to Gothenburg.
