Food: innovative, seasonal Scandinavian cuisine with an international twist
Address:  Norra Hamngatan 10, 411 14 Gothenburg, Sweden
Phone Number: +46 31 13 80 18
Website: www.bhoga.se
Guide Michelin: 1 star
What I paid: 1225 SEK (four course tasting menu, aperitif, wine pairing and cheese plate)
Visited: August 2, 2014

Bhoga is the latest restaurant in Gothenburg (on the Swedish West Coast) to get a star in Guide Michelin (the only one who got a star for the 2014 edition in Gothenburg).

The cuisine emphasize seasonal Scandinavian produce with an international twist. One of the two head chefs, Niclas Yngvesson, has worked his way around the globe in many different one- to three-star kitchens. The other head chef, Gustav Knutsson, has mainly remained loyal to Gothenburg but still has its share of international experience (mostly from China and Hong-Kong).

There are two tasting menus to choose from, four- or eight courses (525 SEK and 695 SEK respectively). Both menu options have matching wine pairings (475 SEK and 645 SEK respectively). You could also add an additional cheese plate to each menu option for another 95 SEK. I opted for the 4-course menu, aperitif, wine pairing and the extra cheese plate:

Amuse-Bouche (no picture)

Carrots
Kalix bleak roe, mussels, sunflower seeds:

Carrots – Kalix bleak roe, mussels, sunflower seeds

Chanterelles
Cured egg yolk, gooseberries, svecia cheese:

Chanterelles – Cured egg yolk, gooseberries, svecia cheese

Beetroots from Tångagård
Baked pork, goat cheese from Halltorp, black currant:

Beetroots from Tångagård

Cheese (extra optional; no picture)

Raspberry and roseleaf marmalade
Jerusalem artichokes, meadowsweet, yogurt:

Raspberry and roseleaf marmalade

Petit four:

Petit four

Summary: this was my second dinner at Bhoga and even though I really enjoy the food served, I must admit that I was a little bit surprised when it got its first star in Guide Michelin this year (i.e. 2014). Not that Bhoga does not deserve it, any country outside of Scandinavia with a similar establishment would easily have had a star, but more from the perspective that neither Linnéa Art nor Upper House Dining got any stars (both located in Gothenburg as well). Even though both those restaurants are more expensive than Bhoga, the price should not, to my knowledge, be considered in regards to Guide Michelin stars (it is not a Bib Gourmand restaurant we are talking about here…). If you exclude the price from the equation and only reflect the cuisine served, I consider both those restaurants (i.e. Linnéa Art and Upper House Dining) a notch or two above Bhoga. That said, Bhoga deserves its star and it is also relatively respectable priced and well worth a visit!