• Sweden edition

Eating out with Alannah

A foodie's guide to where to wine and dine in Sweden - from low budget and fika spots to high class dining!

Archive for the ‘Something different’ Category

Whiskey on Stockholm’s most touristic street

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

If you’ve strolled along Västerlånggatan (the main thoroughfare in Gamla Stan), you have probably walked right past an unimposing darkish looking restaurant or else wondered what a Scottish-inspired whiskey bar is doing on one of Stockholm’s most touristic streets.

But don’t expect Scottish delicacies inside Glenfiddich Warehouse No 68. Instead they serve Swedish dishes like reindeer, crayfish, Baltic herring, elk carpaccio, cloudberries, Wallenbergare and meatballs. And of course, it’s also a whiskey bar with an impressive array of whiskies from Ireland, Scotland, Japan, the US and even from Sweden.

I dined there last Saturday with some friends from London who were on a first trip to Stockholm. While one person stuck into a steak with fries and pepper sauce, the other was happy to eat his first reindeer steak ever.

I chose this place as it came recommended by two of my friends. Did I like it? Well, my food was pretty good but not mind blowing for the price (we paid SEK 820 for two starters, two main courses and two glasses of Sauvignon white wine). For me the biggest turnoff was the decor – the lighting is quite dark and the wood furnishings don’t really give off a cozy feeling. (The restaurant is tucked away at the very back of the place). Would I go back? Probably yes, but not for a while. But if you are a whiskey lover, I’d definitely recommend checking out their impressive whiskey menu!

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Green dining at Rosendals Trädgård

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

Located in the heart of the green island of Djurgården, lunch or coffee at Rosendals Trädgård is somewhat of a ritual for most Stockholmers. Famous for its freshly baked breads, garden-fresh vegetables and unpretentious atmosphere, the café/restaurant which resembles a big greenhouse, offers delicious and ecological food at a good price. Lunch or dinner at the café can be combined with a stroll in the luscious green surroundings or a visit to the nearby Skansen open-air museum or the Gröna Lund amusement park. 

Rosendalsterrassen 12, Djurgården. Tel: +46 8 545 812 70.

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Walking dinners in Gothenburg

Monday, July 13th, 2009

If you’re in Gothenburg, check out the walking dinners at three different restaurants in town, organized by Inspirationsbyran (the Bureau of Inspiration). For SEK 790 per person (min 10 people per group), you’ll get a 1.5 hour guided tour, starter, main course and cheese tasting with a beer/wine. 

This Fall the company hopes to start offering the walking dinner concept in Stockholm.

Visit www.inspirationsbyran.se or www.walkingdinner.se for more info!

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Ideas for Midsummer

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Midsummer at Yasuragi: a Swedish-Japanese experience.

Midsummer at Yasuragi: a Swedish-Japanese experience.

Still undecided about what to do for Midsummer on Friday evening? If it’s your first Midsummer in Stockholm, be warned that many restaurants, bars, cafes etc are closed and that most local Stockholmers head out of town for this precious celebration.

Skansen – a safe traditional bet
If you want to be part of the Midsummer celebrations but don’t want to leave the city, Skansen is usually a safe bet and is popular with tourists and foreigners as well as the few Swedes who stay in the city. Check out
www.skansen.se for the Midsummer program – it’s on the homepage and in English. The Solliden restaurant, next to Skansen, is open from 12.00-21.00 and is offering a Smorgasbord. In the same building you’ll find Tre Byttor with an a la carte menu and Cafe Ekorren – open until 21.00 and 22.00 respectively on Midsummer.

Yasuragi – a Japanese-inspired experience
If you don’t feel like doing the traditional Swedish Midsummer, check out Yasuragi Hasseludden. The Japanese-inspired spa is offering a special Midsummer package at SEK 1,290 per person including a four-course Midsummer dinner (a fusion of Swedish and Japanese cuisine) and overnight accommodation.

“Midsummer used to be almost empty at Yasuragi but since we started to market it, things have changed dramatically,” says Michael Larkner, Sales & Marketing Director. “I think people who are tired of the traditional Swedish celebrations are looking for something different and we are a strong alternative.”

Check out their  website for the offer.

 

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Eating out on Valborg …don’t do it!

Friday, May 1st, 2009

mussels-500

Last night I skipped the Valborg bonfire party and went for a quiet dinner with two friends at Belgobaren near Vasagatan.  Big mistake!

Normally Belgobaren is one of my favorite dining spots - it’s a 10-minute walk from my home, is always busy,  the mussels are pretty tasty and they have a great selection of Belgian beers. (Even non-beer lovers like me can appreciate a glass of Leffe Blonde which at 6.6% always leaves me feeling a bit tipsy.) Each beer is served in a different style glass, just like in Belgium.

But sadly tonight I have to say the food was disappointing. The super-friendly waitress already informed us when we were ordering that the food could take a while because, surprisingly, they had much more diners than they expected on Valborg night. So I guess the only chef working was being run off his feet. But she stocked us up with bread and tapenade and drinks so we wouldn’t go hungry.

Well, all I can say is I’m not so sure I will eat out in a restaurant in Stockholm again on Valborg night after my experience last night. Our mussels were cold, dry and not half as good as usual. My friend’s pike perch was tasteless.

It’s quite simple – we should have gone outdoors to eat in a park close to a bonfire like the Swedes! Then we wouldn’t have anything to complain about. This was our punishment for not celebrating one of the great Scandinavian pagan days in traditional style. Instead we chose to dine out, making more work for the restaurant staff and delaying their escape to the bonfire. The full lights even came on in the restaurant at around 22.30 – the final warning that we had overstayed our welcome and that we should think about leaving!

But I still recommend trying out Belgobaren … their 1 kg of mussels with fries – especially the  ”Belgobaren Classic” – are usually pretty good washed down by a Leffe Blonde. If you’re not into mussels, there’s plenty of other stuff on the menu like a seafood stew, fish, beef etc.

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Simply souperb

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

soup

If you like soups and find that most Stockholm cafes do not offer soups on their lunchtime menus, you will love Souperb. It’s an unpretentious spot right in the center of the Gallerian shopping mall on Hamngatan- most of the other cafes in the middle of the shopping arcade offer the same sandwiches, cakes and coffees but at least Souperb is a little more original and has steered well clear of the standard giant-sized Swedish sandwiches. The green curry chicken soup is wonderful!

Probably not what you’re looking for during the nice fine sunny weather when everyone wants a table outdoors but a good bet if you’re shopping in Gallerian or on a rainy day!

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Half a glass of champagne and one oyster please …

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

oyster_and_champagne

Nizar Achmad, gourmet chef, and one of the faces behind the new Cool Stockholm site, has some great tips about his discoveries in Stockholm. Champagne and oysters may not be the first thing on people’s minds in the midst of a recession, but aren’t you curious where you can get half-a-glass of champagne, or an oyster for SEK 28???

Check out Brut Bar at “Prinsen” on Mäster Samuelsgatan.

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