MAKING A MEAL OF STOCKHOLM
Laid-back with plenty of good food, it's a city to savour
Stockholm “the city that floats on water,” has in recent years become one of Europe's liveliest and most varied cities for eating and drinking.
Swedish cuisine is largely based on meat, fish and potatoes, and meals are well-presented, hearty and often delicious. Salmon or lax in various forms and sill (marinated herring) feature widely, and both are mainstays of any Swedish smörgåsbord. Sill is typically eaten with boiled potatoes (preferably new potatoes generously decorated with fragrant sprigs of dill and sour cream), and knäckebröd (buttered hard bread) laden with thin slices of mature hard cheese.
While exploring the streets of Stockholm, keep an eye out for restaurants serving husmanskost (home cooking), with dishes on the menu like Swedish meatballs (with cream sauce, mashed potatoes, pickled gherkin and lingonberry jam), pytt i panna (Swedish hash) and unusual specialties such as reindeer, elk and wild berries.
For filling snacks on the go, there is Stockholm's answer to street food — the korv kiosk (sausage stall) dotted all over the city. Some are substantial stand-alone affairs with fluorescent lighting reminiscent of American diners, while others are often little more than a hole-in-the-wall — only conspicuous by the queue of waiting customers.
When it comes to drinks, coffee is something the Swedes excel at, and you won't have to look far to find a freshly brewed cup of java. Another important part of Swedish drinking culture and well worth trying at least once, is the local spirit aquavit or schnapps available in a variety of flavours, from anise and fennel to lemon and orange peel.
Aquavit is usually enjoyed with a meal of fish, either at lunch or with a starter at festive events like Midsummer or at a crayfish party in August. If you are visiting the Swedish capital at Christmas, then be sure to sample glögg, a delicious mulled red wine with cloves, cinnamon and sugar.
From classic restaurants serving traditional Swedish dishes and characterful bars where you can rub shoulders with the locals, to colourful food halls and cool cafés, here's a selection of places to eat and drink all within a comfortable walking distance from Södermalm to Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and the city centre.
Pelikan: This fantastic old beer hall and restaurant is full of character and characters. Located in Södermalm in a building from 1904, Pelikan has a unique atmosphere with three rooms including a classic German-style beer hall with animal and plant paintings on the pillars, walls and high ceiling. This is the kind of place where you can feel equally comfortable sipping a beer alone, eating some Swedish home cooking or interacting with the locals, many who have been coming here for years. Söderhallarna: Situated at Medborgplatsen, this vibrant and lively indoor food hall inspired by Mediterranean markets is an excellent place to sample both local and exotic delicacies. Stands offering gourmet fare from Germany, Estonia and Italy mingle with specialist coffee stores, a Systembolaget (a state-owned alcohol outlet where you can buy wine, beer or aquavit and seafood stalls selling Swedish favourites such as gravad lax (marinated salmon), sill and forellrom (trout roe).
Blå Dörren: Eating out in Stockholm needn't break the bank. On weekday lunchtimes, do what many Stockholmers do and head to the nearest restaurant or café for a dagens rätt or dagens lunch. Costing around 75-100 krona ($11$14.50), you get the same quality of food as in the evening for a fraction of the price. This excellent value set menu usually consists of bread, all-you-can-eat salad, drink (orange juice or beer), a main dish (usually fish, meat, pasta or vegetarian option) and coffee. One place that rises above the crowd is Blå Dörren (the `Blue Door'), a beer hall and restaurant offering mainly Swedish cuisine.
Nystekt Strömming: Freshly fried Baltic herring, known as stekt strömming, with various sides and condiments is a signature Swedish dish — and it tastes especially good on top of knäckebröd served with fluffy mashed potatoes generously sprinkled with chopped parsley and a side of lingonberries. One of the best places in Stockholm to sample it is the appropriately named Nystekt Strömming, a simple food caravan situated in medieval Gamla Stan (the Old Town). Den Gyldene Freden (The Golden Peace): This historic top-end restaurant in the heart of Gamla Stan has been open continuously since 1722 and oozes atmosphere. Consisting of three cellar dining rooms, the environment is matched by the food, where a selection of imaginative modern dishes are blended with traditional Swedish cooking including such classics as husets sill (assorted herring of the house) and viltkötbular med gräddsås och lingon (meatballs of game with cream sauce and lingon). Grand Hôtel: Opened in 1874, Stockholm's Grand Hôtel has a long and fascinating history, and for decades has been everybody's favourite place to spend the night, from Nobel Prize winners to movie stars. Even if you don't have a room booked, enjoying a leisurely smörgåsbord breakfast is something dear to the hearts of both discerning Stockholmers and visitors alike. Inside the elegant and stylish Grand Veranda, the breakfast table bulges with an assortment of mouth-watering foods; organic cheeses, fresh juices, exotic fruits, grain-topped rolls, breads and smoked salmon.
Korv Mos Restaurang: Sandwiched between shops along one of Gamla Stan's most popular shopping streets, is the Korv Mos Restaurang where owner Jovan Lazic has been serving his bratwurst, chorizo and kabanos varieties of sausages to the hungry hoards for over 30 years. “Tourists often ask me which type is typically Swedish and I always serve them a varm korv (hot dog) with mustard and tomato ketchup,” he says with a smile.
ICEBAR Stockholm: For literally the coolest place in town to drink another signature Swedish drink, vodka, head for the ICEBAR Stockholm located directly adjacent to the Hotel C Stockholm near the Central Railway Station. Dressed in the provided clothing of boots, mittens and a warm silver fur-lined poncho, you feel like an extra in a Star Wars movie entering a frozen world of -5 C. The entire interior is constructed of ice brought down from the frozen waters of the Torne River in Lapland: walls, bar counter, tables, sculptures and even the glasses that the range of Absolut vodkas are served in are made of ice.