MEAT ON A STICK - M.O.A.S Skånegatan

Two addresses for the same place always make me a little wary. Often one is the original and the other a copy where something has got lost along the way: a sauce that's a bit thinner, or meat that has been sitting out too long. I've been to Meat On A Stick in Vasastan so many times that it's become more of a habit. So when I finally tried their place on Söder, it was honestly more a quality check than a restaurant visit. The check went well.

The idea is the same as at the Vasastan spot: kebab interpreted from different parts of the world, served in bread or as a bowl, with its own flavor combinations instead of the standard package you get in most places. Here someone has thought about the whole category of meat on a stick, and not just a single classic. The fact that there's now a place on Södermalm too makes things easier for anyone who lives or spends time there and doesn't want to cross half the city for a kebab.

What I've eaten here tastes exactly as it should, meaning like the original. My long-time favorites are the Houston in bread and the Austin and Tokyo as bowls. None of them is the safest pick on the menu, and it's in precisely these dishes that the kitchen builds on the foundation of the kebab with its own influences and accompaniments. The sauces do a lot of the work and are good enough to justify a visit on their own. On the meat side, my ranking is pork, chicken, and lamb last. That pork wins will hardly shock anyone who has eaten kebab with me; I choose it almost everywhere it's available. But here it has both flavor and a texture that works with the sauces and the sides. The chicken and the lamb are good too, but pork is what I order.

This isn't a place where you sit for a whole evening, and that's not the idea either. A kebab and a beer or two, then on to the next place. The atmosphere is relaxed and nobody tries to inflate the visit into something bigger than it is, which suits the food. What keeps me coming back, whichever address, is that the place feels genuine, with a clear idea and a sincere interest in making kebab better.

If you live on Söder, there's no longer any reason to go to Vasastan for this kebab. If you're new to the menu, start with the pork. If you've been here before and always go for bread, try the Austin or Tokyo as a bowl next time. They're two of the dishes where I think the idea behind the place shows most clearly.