TillAnna AB

We've had a few lunches at Tillanna, and none of them has given us any reason to hesitate before the next. But lunch is lunch. It's in the evening that a kitchen gets to stretch out, when nobody at the tables has to hurry back to work, and that side of the place was one we hadn't seen yet. So now it was time to try the evening menu.

It's a bistro with a brasserie spirit in Alingsås, in a small space that's cozy and carefully decorated. The evening menu moves freely across borders. Brazilian picanha sits next to Moroccan zucchini with lardo and XO sauce, which is Morocco, Italy and Hong Kong on the same plate. On paper, that can sound scattered. On the plate, it worked far better than that.

We started with sourdough bread and butter for 65 kronor. It arrived at the table quickly, and the butter held up. Next came the Tabergmouzt de Maroc for 175 kronor, the zucchini with lardo and XO sauce. XO is a sauce that takes time to build, and this one is among the best we've had. We could have ordered a bowl of just the sauce and been happy. The picanha for 275 kronor was well cooked and came with pão de queijo, small Brazilian cheese breads that nearly stole the attention from the meat.

The owner welcomed us himself and showed us to our table, with a warmth that set the tone for the evening. Once the main courses were done, he appeared again, this time with a black rice cracker with taramasalata on the house. A small bite with lots of flavor, and a gesture that says a good deal about how the place is run. We're easy to win over with things like that, we admit.

If you want to have dinner in Alingsås with a bit more ambition than an ordinary weekday, Tillanna is a safe bet. Order the Tabergmouzt de Maroc, the zucchini with XO sauce, whatever else ends up on the table, and go for the picanha if you want the cheese breads thrown in. If you're curious but not ready for a whole evening, lunch is a good way to get to know the place first. You'll find the evening menu on their website.