Elite Traveler September-October 2015

EXPLORE STOCKHOLM

FOOD & DRINK

THE PIONEER NEWNORDIC CUISINE

A decade ago, a group of Nordic chefs founded a groundbreaking new culinary tradition based on naturalism and seasonality. The sole Swedish chef in the group was Mathias Dahlgren , a pioneer of this New Nordic cuisine whose influence has shaped an entire generation of chefs. “Our food philosophy is ‘the natural cuisine',” says Dahlgren. This means sourcing the best ingredients according to the season, whether it’s raw scallops from Hitra in Norway or organic vegetables grown on Djurgården in central Stockholm. The Dahlgren restaurant concept – two side-by- side locales in an elegant wing of the Grand Hotel – upended the idea of what fine dining could be in Stockholm. The two Michelin-starred Matsalen (the Dining Room) serves multi-course tasting menus in an elegant, hushed space. Across the lobby, Matbaren (the Food Bar) is a modern bistro serving simpler dishes. His newest project, Matbordet (the Dining Table) removes the barrier between diner and chef by introducing culinary-themed discussions where guests can learn about produce and processes, whilst sitting around a communal table for 10 in Matsalen. mdghs.se

BOOK A TABLE THE CHEFS TOWATCH

Above: Mathias Dahlgren. Left: Matsalen. Below left: Matbaren

1 Sayan Isaksson earned a Michelin star for his delicate Nordic-and- Japanese fusion cuisine at Esperanto . But the Thai-born, Swedish-raised chef has also won fans at his stylish new izakaya, Shibumi – his third venue. shibumi.se

2 Award-winning chefs Daniel Rams and Tom Sjöstedt teamed up to open Lilla Ego – still the toughest reservation in town. Their personalities are on display from the DIY decor to the stand-out "unclassic pork tartare". lillaego.com

3 Multi-tasking Malin Söderström is the chef behind the restaurants in Moderna Museet (Stockholm's museum of modern art). She also revived the Swedish tradition of smoked foods at her new Restaurang Hjerta . restauranghjerta.se