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Djuret from the outside. The alley, Lilla Nygatan 5, is located
in the Old Town, only minutes from the Royal Castle.

Picture proof: One of the best reindeer steaks I’ve ever had, (and honestly I have had a few).

Gutsy strategy: At Djuret, there’s only one dessert per week on the menu.
This week: A cloudberry tart with Italian meringue and vanilla ice cream.

Reminders of the Djuret concept are found everywhere in the restaurant’s
interior, for example this meat hook that doubles as a coat hanger.

I think it’s a rather bold move: A meat-only restaurant
The concept is simple but quite bold. At Djuret they serve one animal at the time. The entire menu consists of different meat paragraphs from the same animal, prepared in different ways. It’s bold and it’s refreshingly simple. It may also be good for business as I am now intrigued to return in a few week’s time to try the deer. Very few people are indifferent to this concept. I don’t know if I had been keen to try it if Djuret hadn’t been the bistro of one of Stockholm’s more prominent, (and Michelin-starred) restaurants.

Should you ever forget where you are…
They play with and around this concept wherever they can in the interior: Meat hooks with scales used as coat hangers. Lamps created with meat grinders as their base. Tables covered with meat charts. Everywhere meat. You are in meat heaven. And no, there are simply no vegetarian alternatives. The menu has three fixed items; deep fried pork rinds, a pata negra cured for 42 months and a Spanish sausage. Apart from that you’re at the mercy of the kitchen and what’s on the menu at the moment. So, the 10,000 Swedish Krona question is: Does it work? Will this concept fly?

The best reindeer ever…
It works. And it works well. I start out with the pata negra, (or the Jamon Iberico Gran Reserva 42 months as it’s more properly referred to on the menu). It’s hard to go wrong with that. But… then comes the steak from the reindeer’s rear (the top round) baked with green pepper gravy, broccoli, black currant jelly and potatoes… It’s one of the best prepared servings of meat I’ve tasted in a l-o-n-g time. It’s amazingly good. And the potatoes, prepared according to the famous Stockholm restaurant Hasselbacken, (just google Hasselbacken potatoes and you’ll get the idea!), are just as perfect. Note to self: Can’t remember when I last got this worked up about some potatoes!

And they top it with…
When the cloudberry tart, enforcing the northernly vibe, arrives under a layer of Italian meringue I’m surrendering completely to the Djuret kitchen and concept. Also, with access to the Leijontornet wine cellar with 14 000 bottles you can not go wrong. The cool and relaxed staff know their thing: Wines from the Rhône region were served during the reindeer weeks but our waiter recommended a Priorat wine, (need to check back on this), priced substantially lower than the Maison Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage Rouge that I was bracing myself for. ”It goes better with the green pepper gravy” was his simple motivation. It worked perfectly, thanks and it puts me in a good mood just writing this. Another plus: Djuret is a bistro, which in real terms means more sensible pricing, making the clientele less business boring. A warm welcome to Djuret. Those five stars are for you!

Opening hours Monday - Saturday:
5 pm 12 am (The kitchen closes at 10 pm)

Bakfickan Djuret
Lilla Nygatan 5
111 28 Gamla Stan
Stockholm
Sweden

+46-8-506 400 84

Reservations by phone from 12 pm.

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Themes spring 2010:
Reindeer calf and Rhône wines: January 25 - February 13
Red deer calf and mixed Bordeaux wines: February 15 - March 6
Linderöd pig and Priorat wines: March 8 - March 27
Spring lamb and mixed mature European wines: March 29 - April 17
Veal and mixed Nebbiolo wines: April 19 - May 8
Duck/spring chicken and Pinot Noir wines: May 10 - May 29

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Tags: , animal, bistro, boar, carnivore, Djuret, game, Gamla Stan, Leijontornet, Lilla Nygatan 5, meat, Old Town, pig, reindeer, Restaurant, steak, Stockholm, top notch, veal

The man on the right is Sayan Isaksson, a celebrity in the sushi world. In 2009 he
won silver in the world’s most prestigious sushi competition; Seven Sushi Samurai.

A favourite: A hint of fall through butternut squash.

The climax: A Nebraska striploin on dehydrated Yukon gold, which means that the Yukon potatoe
will look just like a fine, yellow powder, (you can just barely see it underneath the meat).

Dry ice create the smoke effect. Sorbet, berries and a clever use of Texturas take care of the rest.

It’s quite a performance…
It is located in a former theatre on a quiet street in central Stockholm, (Swedish punk legends Ebba Grön took it to the stage here in 1978). It opened in late 2005. It got its Michelin star in early 2007. It is French meets Japanese meets molecular cooking. It is experimental without the guests having to be guinea pigs. It is a performance, nothing less. It is very good. Make sure that you reserve at least four hours for the meal and your evening will be a very enjoyable one.

Still, I’m concerned about Esperanto.
They are the true definition of the word understatement until the food arrive on the table. Then they are scoring points with almost everything they do during the evening. The service is as impeccable and well manicured that you should expect. It may be a sound strategy to let the food do the talking, but I can’t but wonder is it really good for business? The Michelin star and the fact that Esperanto have been raking in numerous other awards may do most of the publicity work, but in my book, out of Stockholm’s eight Michelin-starred restaurants they are, along with Leijontornet, by far the most anonymous.

What about that eight-course menu, then?
The amuse-bouches are not sending shock waves through your system. They are merely little hints of what will come. First out is the Frozen oyster yoghurt with aspic of broiled squid. Not bone-shaking. But when the Hint of fall through butternut squash arrives, it’s quite evident that this set menu has been carefully orchestrated to a create maximum drama. There’s no shortage of special effects – the turbot is served along with fennel smoke, delivering an extra dimension to the raw shrimp and scallop. There will be a parade of langoustines, foie gras and chicken skin during the build-up to the Nebraska striploin on dehydrated Yukon gold, (a potatoe). The grande finale, which may convince even hardened skeptics of molecular cooking to surrender, is the Jardin Oriental, served on top of dry ice for that funky smoke effect.

Should I go there?
Of course you should. I’ll gladly trade half a dozen other mediocre dinners for a meal ticket to Esperanto. OK, I may leave more amused after a meal at Frantzén/Lindeberg and I may be more impressed by the culinary simplicity of Mathias Dahlgren, but Esperanto manages to balance on a very fine edge, with the team in the kitchen managing to play it out in a subtle and refined way. Yes, different tastes are involved in spectacular collisions. Yes, my dinner at the Esperanto was worth every single hard-earned, heavily taxed Swedish krona. Yes, it is a five-star experience.

Opening hours: Wednesday through Saturday 7.00 PM to 1.00 AM.

Restaurang Esperanto
Kungstensgatan 2
114 25 Stockholm
Sweden

+46-8-696-2323

Tags: Daniel Höglander, eight-course menu, Esperanto Restaurant, experimental, fusion, luxury, Michelin, Michelin-starred, Sayan Isaksson, Stockholm, Texturas

I’ve heard that this is a Bussia classic: Wild duck with plums and pistachio nuts.

Dolci: An almond cake; not too impressive but the dessert wine was awesome!

Fact: All Dutch cabbies are bad. Tell your lousy no-good driver
to go to Reestraat 28, between Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht.

Eating Italian in Amsterdam? Sure!
I requested something else from the concierge at the Dylan hotel but he presented Bussia to me with so much confidence that decided to believe it hook, line and sinker. Any regrets? None at all. It opened in October, 2008 and is a stronghold of “Modern Italian” slow food cooking. The first impression was not modern, (se image above). From the exterior Bussia looks traditional, homey and almost romantic. You’d expect to find a restaurant like this in a smal, rural town. If it hadn’t been Amsterdam it would have felt completely out of place.

The antidote of fast food.
If an establishment is serious about Slow Food it means that they are part of an eco-gastronomic organization founded in Barolo in 1987 by Carlo Petrini, along with Italian intellectuals like Dario Fo and Folco Portinari. The organization’s credo: Cibo buono, pulito e giusto means something close to Good food, clean and fair. The idea was to counteract fast food and re-establish the status of tastes. This has one very practical effect on a visit to Bussia: You need to set aside a few hours for this performance act, especially if you are ordering the 6-course set menu. Not being in a hurry will make your evening more simple. It may also make and life in general more enjoyable.

Yeah, yeah… but what about the food?
They kick it off in style. The bread, baked daily in the Bussia kitchens, is fantastic. After a soft start with an amuse of bisque and octopus crostini, chef JP van Schip’s ideas of innovative Italian cooking is delivered at a slow, steady pace. The flagship of the six-course meny is the wild duck with figs. When serving it, the waiter warned for pellets, (at Bussia, they don’t name it wild duck for nothing). The dessert of apple and almond cake failed to impress me but the dessert wine was awesome!
You should expect Bussia to score points for wine, as the maitre, Nathalie Girard, also acts as sommelier. Actually, the name Bussia is taken from the famous Barolo vineyards, (there are as many as 30 Barolo wines to choose from). The overall impression: A very solid four-star rating, and a special note that if you never thought about eating Italian in Amsterdam, think again.

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Additional note: When this is written, Bussia is just below #200 out of some 950 restaurants in Amsterdam at TripAdvisor. My personal guess is that a restaurant this low-key and untrendy will not get super popular among journalists or trendsetters. The setting may also be a bit too cozy for the business crowd. In my opinion, you shouldn’t let that keep you away.

Opening hours Tuesday – Sunday:
Lunch noon – 3.00 PM; dinner 6.00 PM – 10.30 PM

Bussia
Reestraat 28-30
1016DN Amsterdam
The Netherlands

+31-20-6278794

Tags: ambitious, Amsterdam, Barolo, Bussia, de negen straatjes, Holland, Italian, JP van Schip, Nathalie Girard, Netherlands, Nine Little Streets, pasta, Piemonte, Reestraat, refined restaurant

Visible through the entrance of Berns Asiatiska: Berzelii Park.

Berns opened its doors August 1, 1863, (big ups to architect Johan Fredrik Åbom).
If created today, those mega-sized chandeliers wouldn’t survive the focus groups.

Not looking delicious enough? The next time I’ll bring a food stylist.
This mess is my first round at the Sunday brunch at Berns Asiatiska.

Instead of scrambled eggs and bacon for brunch…
The brunch must be a restaurateur’s dream; hordes of guests coming in with their culinary expectations substantially lower than usual, paying almost a premium and not even expecting the food to be delivered by a waiter… Just make sure that there are enough scrambled eggs, meatballs and bacon and you’re done. In my opinion, the idea of brunch always tasted better than the food. With this in mind, the Asian brunch at Berns Asiatiska tastes even better. It has been the place to go for anyone prepared to trade cold coffee, toast and hash browns for green tea, sushi and dumplings.

Why an Asian brunch at Berns of all places?
Maybe some people just did their homework properly. In February 1944, Berns opened Sweden’s first Chinese restaurant. Quite a bold move for the time, as Europe was still at war and the establishment had to teach the guests an exotic novelty: Eating with sticks! In 2006 Berns gave their more casual lunch/dinner concept a tweak and since then it has been Asian all the way. Therefore the brunch includes sushi, sashimi and maki rolls; oysters with trout roe and qumquat vinegar, Japanese roastbeef and ika nori, (squid sallad with nori seaweed – you can spot it at eight o’clock on my plate pictured above).

Whatever you do, leave room for the dessert!
Just ignore all those New Year’s resolutions and add a few extra kilometers to your next route. Go panna cotta crazy; loose yourself in a land of chocolate cake and shots of passion fruit. Treat yourself to several kinds of pie, (add some fresh fruit if you can’t stand yourself while looking at the plate). While oozing with calories, you may then ask for the cheque. You’ll soon to find that it’s slightly more expensive to have brunch at Berns, than at your regular hole-in-the-wall restaurant, even if you get quite a lot of bang for your buck. Service can be wobbly, which is ripping another star out of my book. If the staff have a good day, a brunch at Berns is way better than scrambled eggs. And before you complain about the price tag, remember that cleaning those huge chandeliers takes three days. Per piece.

Berns Asiatiska
Näckströmsgatan 8
S111 47 Stockholm
Sweden
+46-8-566 322 00

There are essentialy two seatings each Saturday and Sunday;
11.30 AM–1.30 PM and 2.00 PM-4.00 PM.
Click here to book a table at Berns Asiatiska online,
(note the different options; dinner, lunch and brunch)!

Berns Asiatiska is located adjacent to the newly renovated Berns Hotel.
Click here to reserve a room through TabletHotels.com!

Tags: Asian, Asiatiska, Berns, Berzelii, boutique, brunch, chandelier, Chinese, design, dinner, Hotel, Indonesian, Norrmalmstorg, Park, secluded, Stockholm, Stockholm syndrome, sushi, Sweden, Thai

The pool area is by no means gianormous but it’s quite nice to hang out there,
before a treatment, (or after). Access to this area is free for hotel guests.

Probably the nicest locker area I’ve seen. Ever. Ash wood rarely looked so nice.

Where the boys hang out: The men’s changing room at the Raison d’Etre spa.
Note: The Stockholm archipelago image on the wall is not a photo. It’s a mosaic.

A Swedish novelty: A bucket shower.

The steam room, before it got filled with steam.
To the right: Seats with steam boosters…

The dark stone in the pool is one of the world’s oldest materials;
two billion year old slate from a quarry near Grythyttan, Sweden.

My guess is that they decided to not save on anything.
The total bill: 100 million Swedish Kronor and then some.
Let’s admit it: Sweden is the land of lagom and will most probably remain lagom for the foreseeable future. Things in Sweden should not be too bad or too good, they should be… lagom. The word translates to just right*. Maybe the lagom-factor is why Sweden has never seen such a thing as a luxury spa. Until now. In mid-November 2009, the doors were opened to the two first floors of the Burmanska Palace wing at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm. On the inside: A 1,400m² (15,069sq ft) very un-lagom haven of luxury.

I’m definitely not a spa guy. I must admit that…
…I was a skeptic before seeing it in real life. There was the marketing fluff talking about celebrating “the history and landscape of the Swedish archipelagos” blending it with Nordic Mythology. It took me about 15 seconds to become a convert. The locker area is possibly the coolest use of ash wood I’ve ever seen. As I went down to the spa early in the morning, the men’s changing room was empty and peaceful, offering a regular Swedish sauna, a plunge pool just in front of the artful mosaic image of the Stockholm archipelago and… a bucket shower. It’s very Swedish, yet not very lagom at all.

The pool area is grand. But let’s talk treatments.
Sandra takes care of me. She’s good. No. Erase that. She’s very good. She takes care of a number of abused Swedish limbs with the all the expertise you would expect. She’s like a skilled jazz musician, adapting her treatment to what my stiff being is in need of. When she’s finished with me after about an hour I want to order The Complete Works which would give me 6.5 hours of the good stuff. Then I stumble down to the pool area, which will be the most recognized part of this spa, as most promotional images has been taken here. The pool has waterfalls and a sensor that will trigger massage jets. It may also get crowded during the day. If you stay at the hotel, get down to that pool early to avoid rush hour.

I’m a changed man.
I have a problem putting words to this without it sounding like something from the Raison d’Etre PR department. Let me just say that you will be treated with excellence in an environment that is quite attractive, (Swedish architect Per Öberg hereby receiving an Honorable mention). Add to that the fact that every possible detail is organic, fair trade and sustainable. I walked into the Raison d’Etre spa at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm with a critical eye and very high expectations. I walked out rested and more balanced, wondering whether 10-ride tickets would be avialable… Five stars. With a relaxed and revitalized smile.

Open:
Weekdays: 9 am - 9 pm
Weekends: 9 am - 8 pm

Raison d’Etre Spa – Grand Hôtel Stockholm
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8
PO Box 16424
S103 27 Stockholm
Sweden

+46 8 679 35 75

Click here to book the Grand Hôtel through TabletHotels.com

*Translations of lagom: “sufficient”, “adequate”, “just right”. Lagom is also widely translated as “in moderation”, “in balance”, “optimal”, “suitable”, and “average”.

Tags: , Fitness, Grand Hôtel Stockholm, jacuzzi, luxury, massage, Nordic Bathing, Organic Pharmacy, Our Own Experiences, Per Öberg Arkitekt, Raison d'Etre, Spa, steam room, Stockholm, suite treats, Sweden, Swedish, therapy, Top rated, treatment, Yggdrasil