Partway through our meal at Surfers, a Chinese restaurant in Sweden\u2019s capital of Stockholm, Ludvig Saaf bursts into song. It is a Mongolian drinking song about fermented mare\u2019s milk, but few in the dining room can understand the Mandarin lyrics.<\/p>\n
We join in, though, answering each rousing \u201cHey!\u201d with a rowdy one of our own. At the end, we shout \u201cganbei\u201d \u2013 a Chinese term meaning \u201ccheers\u201d \u2013 and down our thimble-sized glasses of baijiu<\/em>, a Chinese spirit.<\/p>\n Saaf, tall and blond with a pierced lower lip, chose a strong multigrain baijiu<\/em> with an alcohol volume of 52 per cent to pair with the full-flavoured spread before us: blue and white porcelain dishes of peanuts with roasted chillies, lotus root in red oil, grilled oysters topped with confit garlic and chilli, and steaming dandan noodles.<\/p>\n Earlier, we sampled a jasmine tea lager from Master Gao, China\u2019s first microbrewery, and a Tibetan pale ale, which is brewed 3,000 metres (9,800ft) above sea level.<\/p>\n We also enjoyed Cantonese shrimp balls and glossy stir-fried greens, and fish wrapped in banana leaf \u2013 a delicacy of the Dai ethnic group from the southern part of China\u2019s Yunnan province. Saaf chose a far mellower baijiu<\/em> with a rice aroma to match these more delicate dishes.<\/p>\n
![\"Ludvig](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/19\/f1cb221e-ca0b-4c57-822c-3a93b3780250_039f0bbd.jpg\" "\\"Ludvig")
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