Gro

Many times I've been asked: Where should I go for dinner in Stockholm? 

Now, I had the opportunity and the privilege to eat at Gro. Easily the best dinner I've had in Stockholm. Ever. Hands down. 

Gro is the kind of restaurant that surpasses it's good reputation. First, the place. Located in a small shop with a big open kitchen and a modernist interior, right by a noisy avenue. Friendly and accommodating staff. Then the food. This vegetables centric restaurant sources its seasonal ingredients locally. But it's not just the quality of the ingredients that stood out for me. But the technique and the way they were prepared. Textures, flavours, temperatures all delicately balancing each other. The menu is set, with only two options, one for omnivores and the other one for vegetarians. Great wine is also on offer. Ah! And the menu includes not one, but two desserts. 

So, where should you go for dinner in Stockholm? 

Vina

 

Polarisation, extremism, cuts, you name it. With so many issues plaguing Sweden and Europe these days, it's easy to forget to enjoy the small things. And even easier to forget that we can only affect the way we think and therefore act. I guess the best way to improve the world is to improve our own world first. Some of the small rituals I love is to go for lunch by myself. Not too often (otherwise they are going to realise I'm a proper loner, at my office) but as much as I can. Two or three days a week I venture out, on my own on a quest for a peaceful lunch. Sometimes I take long walks in the hopes of discovering a good new spot. And during one of these walks I came across Vina.
Vina, a small tucked away wine bar and food heaven. The kind of place you wish you could find in Paris. For lunch they have a simple menu of just three dishes, written on a piece of paper on the wall. A soup (always vegetarian) served with a piece of cheese and bread, a salad or a pasta dish, always with coffee included, at a ridiculous good price. I usually go for the soup as it's the perfect meal for a lighter lunch.
With so many problems all over the world, a peaceful and quite lunch, in a tucked away corner of Södermalm, Stockholm might just be one of those small things I sure won't stop enjoying.

Cinnamon bun day

Cinnamon bun day. I just read this article about this glorious day. The history, the myth. The cinnamon bun, probably Sweden's greatest creation. Last year I wrote my top five places on this post, which pretty much stays the same. I guess I would add Gateau this time. Enjoy your bun!

A.B. Café

Telefonplan is the kind of neighborhood that unless you have a reason to be here, it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. It has traditionally been a calm area, with many modernist buildings, a quiet utopia. A place where workers and their families could call home. Of course this is Sweden, and the workers (as in working class) have either disappeared, or have become office workers, or they moved to Finland, I don't know. What is clear though, is that there are many younger families moving in. Creatives, architects, designers. Maybe it's because Konstfack school of art is here, or the famous digital technology and communication school Hyper Island, or the modernist houses, or the prices.

Just a few days ago, A.B. Café opened its door in the middle of Telefonplan. I've been waiting the whole week to go check it out.

And so I managed to stop by this morning, for early brunch, or late breakfast. What a pleasure. The granola with fresh strawberries (unseen in Stockholm, really), the croissant, the sandwich, the coffee. Just perfect. On top of that, friendly staff, good looking modernist interiors and you have a winning combo. I truly wish them the best. They deserve it. The neighborhood deserves it.

The calm modernist utopia just got a little better.

Matapoteket

A while ago a good friend of mine jokingly wondered out loud why raw food was so expensive. 'It's not even cooked', he added. Despite his cynicism, there was something to his complaint. 

Now, even though I'm a vegetarian, I've never been so much into the raw food movement. Maybe it was the prices, or the fact that I enjoy hot food, or maybe I just don't like raw stuff that much. 

But I do love food. So... I found myself at Matapoteket. 

With an open heart, and an open wallet (just kidding, the prices are actually very friendly), I ordered a couple of dishes: a falafel dish and a spring roll. 

The service was very good, as clueless as I was trying to read the menu and understand the ingredients, they were very friendly and guided me to some raw goodness. 

The food was great, and surprisingly filling. 

Everything they serve is carefully prepared using organic ingredients and following 'raw food' principles. Matapoteket was a pleasant surprise. Good food, nice calm atmosphere and good coffee. 

Now I need to convince my friend to give it a try. The food is not even cooked. 

Färgfabriken

A friend of mine once jokingly said: ‘you know you made it when you don’t have to work on the weekends’. that might be a low bar to rate success, but still, there’s some truth to it. this coming from someone that has worked many a weekends throughout the years. 

Not now though, now i get to wake up late over the weekend and from time to time treat myself to some good brunch. now i can enjoy places like Färgfabriken. 

Färgfabriken is a modern art gallery that features up and coming artists and some established ones, they also hold events and parties and everything in between. Located in a semi industrial area, right by the water, they also have a brunch / café on the bottom floor that’s just perfect for brunch. 

Eggs Benedict, Florentine, cakes, cookies and good coffee. Everything needed for a perfect weekend Brunch.

That’s what I do on the weekends. I made it, after all. 

The Artisan Pizza

'Is the mozzarella pasteurised?' - asked the customer in front of me. He was confused to find pizza by the slice. Just laying there over the counter. Already prepared. All ready to eat. The humanity.
It's fair to say that the concept of pizza by the slice is at best uncommon in Stockholm, let alone in Sweden.
On the other hand, I was thrilled, excited, almost baffled to see such amazing display of perfectly prepared slices. Real cheeses, fresh veggies. All ready to eat.
I've now eaten many times at The Artisanal, which has become my favourite pizza place in this cold city. Not only they freshly prepared their pizza using the best ingredients, but they ferment their dough for 48hrs. to achieve perfection. What can I say, I could eat pizza everyday. Especially here.
And yes, the mozzarella is pasteurised.

Greasy Spoon

One of the things that you realise quickly after living in Stockholm for a while is that the food kinda tends to be same, everywhere you go. Especially for breakfast. It's either a limp cheese sandwich or an average yoghurt with granola. Which is ok, but sometimes one craves a proper breakfast. Eggs, toast, grilled veggies. In fact anything cooked would save the day or the morning, rather. 

Hence, Greasy Spoon. Owned and ran by Brits (and an American here and there), they excel at what almost no one in Stockholm does: great, filling and proper breakfast/brunch. 

Good prices, great food, nice music and English speaking workers. That's my kind of place. 

Because one can have enough limp cheese sandwiches. 

Kaffeverket (or moms & dads)

Maybe it's me getting older, but I seem to notice a lot of babies all over Stockholm. There's this expression 'latte momma' or 'latte papa', meaning parents on (eternal) maternity/paternity leave, enjoying coffee out with fellow parents. And such is life in Stockholm. Coffee, moms and dads. All over town. And lots of prams, and the odd bicycle. By the way, I took this picture outside Kaffeverket, but couldn't find any tables. 

El Taco Truck

El Taco Truck was the first taco truck in Stockholm. Yes, tacos in the North Pole. Doesn't make that much sense. I love tacos though, but the idea of having tacos outdoors when it's -10° out doesn't feel very authentic. Or wholesome. Lucky me though, they have now opened a 'proper' brick and mortar taco place. Right down the street from my office, in what it looks like a small garage, they managed to squeeze in this really nicely put together taqueria. I stopped by the other day, and ordered 4 veggie tacos. Good price, quickly made, and delicious, despite the microwaved tortillas (a big no no if you ask me). Still it was delicious, spicy and filling. Just as tacos should be. And indoors, proper for this dark and cold winter in the North Pole.

ilcaffé

I've written about ilcaffé in SOFO before. Their coffee, sandwiches, this and that. Yes they have fast open wifi, yes, the place sometimes look like a start up office. One thing I failed to mentioned tho, is that they also have quite an exuberant flower shop. So now you know. Coffee, sandwiches, cinnamon buns, internet, creative looking folk and now.... flowers. 

Stockholm city guide by The Guardian

Came across this quite ok Stockholm city guide by The Guardian with nice tips for visitors and locals alike.

Read here

5 best cinnamon buns in Stockholm

So it's cinnamon bun day today in Sweden. Yes. Only in Sweden! Here's a list of my top five places to go for a cinnamon bun in Stockholm, today: 

1. Le Violon Dingue
2. ilCaffé
3. Cykelcafé Le Monde
4. Albert & Jack's 
5. Mellqvist Kaffebar

Lemuria

There are so many reasons why I haven't been updating my blog much. Finishing school, summer, a new job, laziness haha. Speaking of a new job, I now work around Östermalm, which is the fancy part of town, which in turn means expensive lunches. These past weeks I've been trying to find good places to go for lunch that don't cost a kidney, or two. 

As I may have mentioned before, I'm a vegetarian, and always on the lookout for a good veggie place. 

Enter Lemuria.  Literally a couple of blocks from my job, Lemuria has become one of my favorite places to go for lunch these days. A fully vegetarian restaurant + organic shop + hippie products with ingredients with funny names. All under one roof. 

For lunch they usually serve a warm dish (vegan and non-vegan) plus a fresh salad and a bowl of soup. All for 85kr, which is pretty amazing. The food is just great. Filling, healthy, well seasoned, delicious. 

They also sell organic products and produce. Overall it's relaxing to go to a place that feels very different from the posh, shiny and overpriced restaurants in the area. Yes it's a bit shabby, yes it's a bit hippie, and yes, it's very vegan. And that's why I'm there almost every day now for lunch. 

(A grey) Midsummer

Last week, before leaving home, I had to make sure I had with me a sweater and a jacket. It was cold, it was rainy. Was I going skiing? Was I on my way to a Christmas festival? No. I was on my way to a Midsummer lunch. 

Midsummer is the Swedish holiday, where for some reason unbeknownst to me people gather round a giant green cross and dance around while singing silly songs. 

We went to Vintervikens Tredgård, where they had a rather filling buffet deal with all the classic dishes, made with organic ingredients and a price to match. It's a great cafe, a bit pricey and on days like these, rather overcrowded. 

Still we managed to dance around the cross while singing silly songs. Jackets and sweaters and all.