103 replies to this topic

[SamanthaF]

I am in Stockholm Wednesday night. Any recommendations for a decent scoff? Not Indian/Chinese. I'd quite like to try authentic Swedish food.

Thanks

[Beachfan]

Stockholm is very, very expensive. I'm not sure what your price range is.

In the very, very expensive category is Paul and Norbert. I loved it.

If it's open, the Cafe of Operakalleran was delicous and much cheaper than the main room. It may be open only in summer.

[Beachfan]

Marten Trotzig in the Old Town was delicious and not too pricey.

[SamanthaF]

Marten Trotzig in the Old Town was delicious and not too pricey.

Yeah, I came across that place last time I was there. I agree it was good.

I don't really have a price range in mind - just good authentic Swedish food.

[Paul Bell]

Don't know what you class as authentic food, but my favourite place in Stockholm is Wedholms Fisk, fantastic fish dishes, generally huge pieces of fish with simple sauces, I guess it is Swedish but not the place for reindeer etc.

Paul

[SamanthaF]

Cheers Paul.

Is Rudolph anything like Bambi??

[Simon Majumdar]

Hi Sam

One of the best restaurants in Stockholm is the wonderful Prinzen Restaurant.

They are an equivalent of the Ivy and the food is teriffic. The pickled Herring is superb served with a wonderful burnt butter and pickles

The other is a short ride out of town and is called restaurant J. It is very modern and I think they have two locations in town

S

[SamanthaF]

Thank you everybody for the rec's. I ended up eating in a place on Gamla Stan in the Old Town called Kristina. It was a relly nice place - been there since 1908 and I tried a fantasctic smoked venison and smoked reindeer starter. The reindeer was much 'softer' than the venison and had a more intense flavour.

Charming service and a great selection of vodkas.

I'll return on my next visit

[John Whiting]

See R.W. Apple's write-up in the NYTimes on Stockholm food: http://www.nytimes.c...ing/16SWED.html

[cabrales]

On Sweden, I recently found the below link to recommendations by Charlie Trotter:

"SWEDEN (Stockholm)

CHARLIE TROTTER OF CHARLIE TROTTER'S: "The restaurant scene in Sweden is very exciting. The chefs are based in classical cuisine but are combining that foundation with intriguing innovation. Stockholm restaurants are among the most interesting and vital in Europe today because the chefs feel free to experiment. On a recent trip, I enjoyed Bon Lloc: inventive cooking, specializing in Mediterranean dishes. The young chef, Mathias Dahlgren, is the only chef in Sweden to ever win the prestigious Bocuse d'Or culinary competition. Great touch and great service. One of the best restaurants that I visited. East Restaurant and Bar has an Asian-inspired menu and a very hip bar scene. The chef at Fredsgatan 12 spent a lot of time in the U.S. and there's a strong U.S. influence. Some dishes are oddly combined, perhaps pushing the limits a bit, but the chef shows great signs of talent. Gondolen is a great place to go for a drink, with a wonderful view of the city."

Note: When calling from the U.S., begin with international calling code 011.

Bon Lloc:
33 Bergsgatan (on Kungsholm) 46-8-650-5082
East Restaurant and Bar:
13 Stureplan 46-8-611-4959

Fredsgatan 12:
12 Fredsgatan 46-8-248-052

Gondolen:
6 Stadgåårdan 46-8-641-7090"

http://www.visiteuro...estaurants.html

Note I have never eaten at the above restaurants.

[pirate]

On a stop in Stockholm last Spring I found the food as unexciting as in the past. While I haven't been to Trotter's recommendations, I think they're just hype. Sweden is DULL but neat and clean. Give me Rome.

[blackduff]

It's too late now but on the next trip try Kalleran Aurora in Gamla Stan.

Nice food and great atmosphere. Pricey but average for a Swedish restaurant in Stockholm.

BlackDuff

[SamanthaF]

It's too late now but on the next trip try Kalleran Aurora in Gamla Stan.

Nice food and great atmosphere. Pricey but average for a Swedish restaurant in Stockholm.

BlackDuff

If that is the place with a bar area by the window to the left, (and I think it is) I went there 2 years ago and it was very good.

Thanks BlackDuff

[cabrales]

The version of Conde Nast Traveler I just received contains a lengthy article by Moira Hodgson on Stockholm, entitled "So Long, Smorgasbord". The article speaks of a "new Swedish cuisine" (i.e., a reinvention).

"One of the biggest changes that has taken place is that whereas Swedes used to look to France and Switzerland for ideas and inspiration, they are now getting them from America and Great Brittan. Chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Bobby Flay (!!), and Alfred Portale (!) have has enormous influence (as, of course, has [Marcus] Samuelsson), and from England, so have Marco Pierre White (!!), Gordon Ramsay, and Albert Roux."

The discussed restaurants are:
Bon Lloc
Edsbacka Krog
Fjaderholmarnas Krog
Fredgatan 12
Operakallaren
Pontus in the Greenhouse
Ulriksdals Wardshus
Villa Kallhagen
Wedholms Fisk

Edited by cabrales, 05 December 2002 - 08:47 PM.

[spanky]

Hello all--

I note that the last entry on this thread was a year and a half ago and I'm off for six nights in July. (Better half wants to catch some of the Stockholm Jazz Festival, although Stevie Wonder plays three nights before we arrive (goldarnit) and I've seen Van Morrison's back too often on stage to get excited by the prospect anymore.) We're staying at the Hotel J--anyone eaten at the Restaurant J? Also, any new recommendations for Stockholm restaurants in the cheap(-ish) and cheerful category and the more expensive(-ish) category?

Cheers,

Spanky

[mdibiaso]

This list just above is very comprehensive and up to date. I would personally be careful of some of the older post (Martin Trotzig has gone from good for local to turist trap that has to put ads in the paper every week to get people in the door). Other hots new spots are Lux in the old Electrolux headquarters and Mistral, but Mistral will be impossible to get into. I called in early May and they wear fully booked thru the end of July and a few weeks into August when the reopen! Pontus in the Green House has a summer restaurant, Brasserie by the Sea that gets great reviews and has great views. Vassa Eggen is also a great place that has been around for about 4 years and has more experimental cooking.

Just saw you will be here in July. July most places will be closed unless they are a summer restaurant like Brasserie by the Sea. Ulla Winblad will be open since it is in a turist areas. Get the Swedish meatballs, best in the country. Villa Källhagen may also be open since it is part of a hotel. They are best known for brunch on the weekends. Otherwise most good places are closed in July and many that stay open do not have the normal staff cooking or serving so your meal could be quite different from the normal one making recommendations iffy. You are coming at the wrong time for food, but the right time for weather...

Edited by mdibiaso, 29 May 2004 - 01:55 PM.

[spanky]

mdibiaso--many thanks for the heads-up. Oh well, never mind. In this case, the weather will probably (hopefully) take precedence over food and for my partner the jazz will take precedence over both! (Skiddly-biddly-bap etc etc...)

Spanky

[mdibiaso]

My wife and I had a wonderful meal this week to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary at Lux in Stockholm. Lux has been open for about 2 years and has been a hit. It was completely full on a Tuesday night in July which surprised me. So it is still a hit. And for good reason.

First, Lux does not stand for luxury. It is called Lux because it is in the old employee cafeteria at the original Electrolux headquarters (yeah, those vacuum cleaner people). Well the headquarters have been moved and the employee cafeteria has been upgraded quite a bit for food and interior. Very Scandinavian interior. Light woods and colors, with a view of the water. The restaurant is outside the city in what is otherwise sort of a barren wasteland. It is hard to find even with directions, so just take a taxi. Only 10 minutes and about 15 USD from the city center. When the weather is good, which it was not this night (nor any night this summer it seems) you can sit outside.

The food is Swedish with French influences and extremely reasonably priced for cooking at this level in Sweden (they have 1 Michelin star). First courses and entrees are each about 10 - 15 USD lower priced than similar places in the city. First courses run about 20 USD and entrees about 30-35. Dessert about 18 USD.

The amuse was a cold pea soup with cava that really captured the essense of the peas. Served with a toast about the size and thickness of a dime with some cream and bleak roe. Three types of bread, dark with nuts, Swedish crisp bread made from buckwheat, and a sour dour are served and refilled throughout the first two courses. The dark was the winner, the sour dow lacked the crispy crust I prefer.

We opted for the ala carte opposed to the tasting menu. We started with lightly smoked salmon topped with muscavado sugar served with a mustard sauce and potato puree. The salmon was perfect (basically raw and probably only smoked for 2-3 minutes) and the muscavado brought it some additional depth. The mustard sauce was lighter and fresher than the standard mustard sauce served with smoked salmon. The potato puree was more of a sauce and somewhat out of place, but an interest example of how far from a standard potato in texture you can get. A piece of artichoke was also out of context. But overall a great modern version of Swedish classic that I will try to recreate a home. Basically every Swedish cuisine restaurant in the country will have a smoked salmon on the menu as an entree. 99.9% are industrial made and while ok not really worth revisiting if you live here. This was proof how good this can be when made on site and with some thought behind the flavorings.

The main was citrus baked char (perfectly "under" done) with a classic white wine, butter, fish stock sauce that was absolutely sensational. The add-on, fresh beets and sorrel, fit in perfectly here. The sauce was poured at the table. Here again was a potato puree, more traditional in texture and taste, that was perfect with the fish and sauce.

We drank a marvelous 86 Delemotte Blanc de Blanc Mesnil with these courses that matched the food very well. Otherwise this is a recommended wine by the glass to each course.

We then opted for a cheese course. It was 5 cheeses, 3 small glasses of wine, two fresh fruit compotes, (fig and gooseberry) toasted caraway bread and a salad with truffle dressing. The cheeses included a perfect Roblochon (spelling?), a Swedish goat cheese, Beaufort, blue cheese and a Spanish queso. The wines were a dry Gewurtz, a tawny port and a sauterne. There was also an explanation of what to try with what. All in all a nice cheese course for 45 USD including the wine.

I finished with simple ice cream (chocolate, yoghurt, vanilla and raspberry were the flavors of the day). My wife has wonderful rhubarb dish with cardamom creme.

The service was so-so. We had a waitress that had a little of an attitude and the courses came very quickly at first (apps came before the amuse had been cleared) and at the end of the meal, when the place had filled it took 35 minutes to get our dessert. But besides our main waitress all the other staff seemed very friendly. There was some nice extras. A bowl of fresh cherries was put on the table after the main course and we each got a home made strawberry popsicle dipped in dark chocolate with the check. Other extras, like small cookies or chocolates were on the menu for a price, but a very reasonable one. And if that is what it takes to keep prices 25% below the city 10 minutes away, it is worth it.

All and all we were very happy and would STRONGLY recommend Lux to people visiting Stockholm that want to try first class, modern, and reasonably priced Swedish cuisine without too many influences or ingredients from other countries.

The website can be found at http://www.luxstockh...=168&uid=030200

[alacarte]

Thanks for the great write-up and the link.

I'm chuckling because the menu includes Maine lobster!

[The Viking]

Old thread maybe, but would love some fresh input as I'm off to Stockholm next week. Any recent visits?

[Hector]

Edsbacka Krog... a restaurant, a bit off road, outside the city. but marvelous traditional Swedish cooking! wawawee-waH!

Edsbacka Krog

For more cheapish treats.. try anything called husmanskost.. cheap rustique old time cooking.

Edited by Hector, 30 November 2005 - 05:47 PM.

[ulterior epicure]

Bon Lloc:
33 Bergsgatan (on Kungsholm) 46-8-650-5082
East Restaurant and Bar:
13 Stureplan 46-8-611-4959

Fredsgatan 12:
12 Fredsgatan 46-8-248-052

Gondolen:
6 Stadgåårdan 46-8-641-7090"

http://www.visiteuro...estaurants.html

Note I have never eaten at the above restaurants.

... I have... here are my 2 cents:

Bon Lloc - stellar (with the astronomical pricetag). I don,t know why it only has one star. Alas, Chef Dahlgren told me on my visit in Sept. that he is closing his doors soon to re-open a totally different restaurant... I say GO NOW!

Fredsgatan 12 - disappointed and not reasonably priced for what you get. It,s all about the scene.

On the lower end of things - excellent restaurant is the Backfickan (literally "back pocket") which is the bar-like restaurant attached to the Opera.

more later...

U.E.

Edited by ulterior epicure, 02 December 2005 - 02:02 PM.

[The Viking]

Alas, just back last night from Stockholm and did:
1. Lux for lunch on wednesday; Great location on the southern outskirts of town in the old Electrolux factory building with great views across the canals.. Tried the Calyx roe with sour cream and blinis, a little bland although the roe/caviar was fresh without the metallic after taste. Potted foie gras with intertweened meat and pistachios with pickled onions was sublime.. Baked "røding" was definetely low temperature prepared, and moist, but tastewise a so-so...
Good selection of wine by the glass, albeit a bit pricey; the Ostertag Muenchberg 2002 was divine.
Had a look at the evening menu where the dishes (as with most restaurants it seems) is far more elaborate and ditto expensive.
2. Wednesday dinner; Bon Lloc, definitely a home run! ( www.bonlloc.se ). As pictured in a modified picture in the Swedish mag Gourmet www.gourmet.se of The Last Supper they're closing at the end of the year. The location brings back fond memories of Coq Blanc where I was able to acquire Grand Echezeaux 1978 for a mere SEK 1,100.- some years back and reluctantly left the empty glass at the end of the evening.
Great courses were the Caviar gel, totally black covering of the traditional trimmings; the seafood cocktail tha intertweened spice, acidity, tanginess together with succulent lobster and "lodde" (a small herring) roe.
The lamb in two servings was definetely also up to par, but visually definetely beaten by the entremese of red fuit sorbet with flower petals, all beautifully presented on the Spanis Ola porcelaine. Degustacion/Expresion + wine menu: SEK: 1,700 pp, or just below €200.
3. Lunch yesterday: GQ in Kommandørgatan. Italian influence, clean flavours, great but extremely pricey wine list. I might be back though!

Divino was recommended to me for dinner as well as numerous others, will try them on another occasion.

[ulterior epicure]

viking.

thrilled to hear you had a stupendous time at bon lloc! glad to know it's somewhat consistent!

cheers.
u.e.

[Hector]

The restaurant Bon Lloc is appearently shutting down business.. Really really bad.

[ulterior epicure]

The restaurant Bon Lloc is appearently shutting down business.. Really really bad.

Hector, could you please clarify your statement? Do you mean its "really really bad" that the restaurant is shutting down, or do you mean to say that the restaurant is closing because it is "really really bad?" If the former, I agree, if the latter, I would disagree.

U.E.

[Badabing]

Now, the last year has brought some changes to the Swedish capital, and here is a brief update:

- Bon Lloc is now closed after a very successful journey. Missed by many, even though yours truly did have two disappointing experiences at this usually fantastic restaurant during the last year. Chef Mattias Dahlgren will open a new place in the nearest future, but no news about when, where or how yet...

- Franska Matsalen (The French Dining Room) at the Grand Hotel also closed recently after more than 120 years of culinary exellence. This stiff, but beautiful restaurant was re-vamped in the late 80's and has since then become less stiff and less traditional. Not less expensive, though... The Grand Hotel will apparently be launching a new concept in the coming year, but I will certainly miss this temple of taste!

- Lux. Situated in an old factory canteen outside the centre of Stockholm, Lux is certainly one of my new favourites. This 2 year old is very confident and, in my book, also truly competent. Experimental and avant garde, but always with respect for traditional values and techniques - it is both new and familiar at the same time. So, you can easily invite both your mother in law AND your most advanced foodie friends without being nervous about the reactions. Highly recommended!

- Mistral. I have yet to try this Old Town Liliput restaurant. Only 5 tables and a two month waiting list has created quite a buzz around it, and it has recieved massive press appreciation. However, some quests do think that the menu is a bit too provocative - and they really do try to challenge your taste buds. Not the El Bulli way, but with serving very homey and traditional dishes and ingredients in a not-so-traditional style.

- Centro. A new place, situated in the epicentre of Stockholm. After a 2 million EUR renovation of an old irish pub, Centro is now a very modern and confident newcomer. Bustling bar scene and very high ambitions in the kitchen. Obviously El Bulli/Fat Duck inspired, but less experimental and provocative and with some of the best food I have had in Europe for a long time. Certainly worth a visit, but if you want a quiet and romantic evening, be warned. This is not your traditional fine-cuisine place...

- Nox. Exclusively renovated old bank in the centre of town. Beautiful and very cosmopolitan. Not for the Michelin seeker, but highly recommended for a bisto dinner of the highest standard. Noisy and crowded, and with a very chich "Nikki Beach Style" garden.

- GQ. Stands for gastronomic intelligence. Have not been there yet, so I can´t recommend it, BUT I do know that the people behind it are very competent. Many years at the traditional luxury style "Gässlingen" is a blue stamp for cooking at the highest level. GQ however, is less traditional than Gässlingen, and more into the GI, lowcarb blah blah blah trends...

Some of the "good old ones":

- F12. Modern food. Modern interior. Modern outside balcony with modern club kids and a DJ. Very traditional business type guests. Food is not challenging, but always right in the middle of the current trend, and very well prepared. Worth a visit!

- Operakällaren. At the opera house, this is an institution in swedish culinary life. The dining room is absolutely stunning and with the mix of the new ultra chic cocktail veranda - this place has come alive again! The cooking is very traditional high end french cuisine, and the level of quality is fantastic. You will not be suprised by anything this place has to offer, but at the same time - it will never let you down!

- Pontus In The Green House. Another favourite. The still young Pontus Fritihof blends traditional french cuisine with both new and old world influences. On the outside, this is a very old fashioned place, and the service is really traditional luxury style. However, the cooking is sublime and actually quite contemporary. Also, if the sampler menu is too steep for you - the three course fixed price menu at around 36 EUR is honestly one of Stockholms best bargains (and best kept secrets until now)!

- Vassa Eggen. Is now well established as one of the best in town. Modern settings, and a very competent kitchen. I have only tried the once, but it was a very nice experience. Well planned menu, and truly balanced tastes aswell as impressive sommelier work. Placed in the Elite Plaza Hotel in down town Stockholm.

- Edsbacka Krog. The only two star Michelin restaurant in Scandinavia. Very traditional french cuisine, and obviously very good food. In my mind, it is a bit stiff unless you are celebrating something special - but thats just me. Beautifully set 20 minutes outside Stockholm. Worth a try, if you can afford it!

Phew.. That was some of them for my first post here. Might come up with some more later on...

Edited by Badabing, 03 March 2006 - 10:26 AM.

[ulterior epicure]

Badabing.

Thanks for that update!!

u.e.

[Christopher Haatuft]

Now, the last year has brought some changes to the Swedish capital, and here is a brief update:

*****

- Edsbacka Krog. The only two star Michelin restaurant in Scandinavia. Very traditional french cuisine, and obviously very good food. In my mind, it is a bit stiff unless you are celebrating something special - but thats just me. Beautifully set 20 minutes outside Stockholm. Worth a try, if you can afford it!

Phew.. That was some of them for my first post here. Might come up with some more later on...

Great post, but youve forgotten that Bagatelle also has two stars.

[The Viking]

Now, the last year has brought some changes to the Swedish capital, and here is a brief update:

*****

- Edsbacka Krog. The only two star Michelin restaurant in Scandinavia. Very traditional french cuisine, and obviously very good food. In my mind, it is a bit stiff unless you are celebrating something special - but thats just me. Beautifully set 20 minutes outside Stockholm. Worth a try, if you can afford it!

Phew.. That was some of them for my first post here. Might come up with some more later on...

Great post, but youve forgotten that Bagatelle also has two stars.

Hmmm.. The last time I looked, Bagatelle was still in Oslo?