Restaurant East

Entrance to dining room

Restaurant East has been a popular mainstay in culinary Stockholm for quite awhile now. I think it is safe to say that they were one of the first restaurants in Stockholm to serve Asian fusion cuisine... and they still do it well! Over the years, most Stockholmers have probably visited East at some point or another, whether for a business lunch, dinner with friends or a drink in their popular bar.

Sashimi

I was there last Sunday for dinner with my colleagues from the hotel reception. While many restaurants are closed on Sundays, East has very generous opening hours... in fact they are open every day of the year except Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and Midsummers Eve, which, as a Concierge, I appreciate!

Beef Korat, New Style

The menu is expansive with dishes and ingredients from east and southeast Asia (Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, etc;). They have a great choice of sushi as well (maki and nigiri) which you can either order individually or in different mixed platters. This evening I started with some Maguro Tataki Sashimi (seared peppar tuna) and then followed it with Beef Korat (beef with mango, mint and red onions which you eat wrapped in a salad leaf, dumpling style). It was all delicious. Finally, I ended the dinner with some coconut sorbet. I never pass up coconut when I get the opportunity!

An indoor bar...

Besides being a great restaurant, East is well known in Stockholm as being a trendy watering hole. Their bar, including outdoor seating, is very popular and open until 3am every day of the week. East's location, where the street Biblioteksgatan meets Stureplan, adds a lot to their bar's popularity. In this neighbourhood you will find many high-end restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I think that the only negative thing about East is due to their bar's popularity... and that is that the furniture and furnishings can show a little wear and tear at times.
To get to East from the Rival Hotel, you can either take the subway (4 stations on the red line to Östermalmstorg, exit Stureplan) or a 7-8 minute taxi ride. Click here if you want to read about other restaurants I have visited recently.

...and the outdoor bar seating

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Restaurant Pocket at Pontus!

Open kitchen at Pocket

This is not a new restaurant, more a new concept at an already existing restaurant. To start off with, I should explain the name. Many high end restaurants in Stockholm have a more casual, smaller second restaurant in the same locale (often sharing the same kitchen) which we call a bakficka, meaning "back pocket". Thus the name... Pocket is the Restaurant Pontus' bakficka.

Escargot Provencale

Pontus itself is a very nice restaurant, run by celebrity chef Pontus Frithiof, and is often on lists of Stockholm's best restaurants. Pocket is their version of a casual French bistro. The locale for Pocket was the home of Pontus Seafood Bar earlier. I was invited last Monday to stop by and check out the changes. They have changed the interior, making it more intimate. On the menu you will find French favorites such as escargot, beef tartar, vichyssoise and tuna nicoise. Uncomplicated, yet well-made dishes. Pocket doesn't accept table reservations... just drop-in customers. It's location, just one block from Stureplan, makes it a great place to drop in for a bite after a day of shopping or before a night on the town. Otherwise book a table at Pontus itself or have a drink in their Avec Vinbar.

Tuna Nicoise

It's easy to get to Pontus and Pocket from the Rival Hotel... just four stops on the subway (north bound on the red line to Östermalmstorg, exit Stureplan). Click here for more restaurants I have visited recently...

Looking down into the Pontus dining room from Pocket

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Restaurant Taverna Brillo

And my adventure in new restaurants in Stockholm continues! This time I visited Taverna Brillo with a few friends. Taverna Brillo is part of a restaurant conglomerate that includes old favorites Sturehof and Riche. Brillo reminds me of Mario Batali's Eataly in NYC... both in the cuisine (Italian) and the concept. It is made up of a large dining room surrounded by a "market place" which includes a florist, bakery, pizzeria, gelateria and several bars. When it was first described to me, I thought it was all in one large locale... but actually the different parts are connected by a series of corridors. The restaurant is located in the fashionable Stureplan district, where many restaurants, bars and nightclubs are found.

Almost everything, except the menu, is similar to Brillo's sister restaurants (Sturehof & Riche)... from the interior design to the clientele to the staff. They have proven to be winning concepts, so why argue with that? Brillo is a restaurant you visit with friends or colleagues... it is a boisterous atmosphere with happy people straining to see and be seen. Not sure if this is the right restaurant for a romantic dinner (especially on the weekend) but, for a visitor, this is a great restaurant to see the locals in action. Also a nice place to take a break from shopping for lunch or a gelato and coffee.

Speaking of boisterous people... the bars seemed to be very popular and the Greenhouse Bar (Växthusbaren) in the back has DJ's playing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They are open until 2am every night of the week, except on Sundays when they close at midnight. As I mentioned, their location on Stureplan makes Brillo a perfect place to start an evening on the town.

The cuisine is Italian... with gourmet pizzas, pastas as well as fish & meat dishes. Some good vegetarian options. We started with grilled bread with different toppings (baked pumpkin, crab, steak tartare), followed by pasta (I had the rigatoni with crispy sweetbreads and pancetta... delicious!) and finally some classic Italian gelato (hazlenut & pistaccio for me). It was all very good. To get there from the Rival Hotel is easy... four stations on the subway (red line) to Östermalmstorg, exiting to Stureplan. Otherwise 7-8 minutes by taxi. Click here for more restaurant recommendations.

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Restaurant Nosh & Chow

Hold on to your hats, I have been out trying new restaurants (lots of new restaurants have recently opened, or will soon)... and first out is Nosh & Chow. This restaurant opened in January and is the first of two restaurants which will be found in the same building. The second restaurant (to be located on the second floor) is slated to open this autumn. The "theme", if you want to call it that, of the restaurant is that they offer four menus to choose from. Each from a different region of the world. When we were there, the regions were Russia/Karelia, Southeast Asia, North Africa and North America. I have now noticed that they have changed it to Alps, Southeast Asia, North Africa and Peru. So I assume the regions will change from time to time. Each menu isn't large: 2 appetizers, 3-4 main courses and 2 desserts from each region. Their website, which I have linked above, is mainly in Swedish.. but if you scroll down you will find the menus in English as well.

Tacos! With requisite marguerita...

My friend and I both chose the tacos from the North American menu. I am a Mexican cuisine aficionado, and I must admit that they were pretty good tacos. Not the fast food variety, these tacos were filled with quality ingredients! For dessert we split a mint tea sorbet with a citrus and pistachio salad (from North Africa). Fresh and light. I did find, unfortunately, the wine list to be a bit expensive with few quality choices on the lower end of the price scale. The only other negative aspect I found was that the service was a bit spotty. But, having worked for many years in the restaurant business, I know that little hiccups are to be expected in the first few months after a restaurant opens.

Bar at entrance to dining room 

The interior design (by Spanish architect Lázaro Rosa-Violán) of the restaurant is quite eclectic with a mix of different styles and materials. Perhaps designed to match the menu? Very nice with a decidedly masculine vibe (chrome, mirrors, dark wood, somber textiles, etc;). There is a bar in the dining room as well as one in a separate room and they can be quite popular, especially on the weekends. I did spy another smaller dining room adjacent to the open kitchen with a large beautiful table in the center. Chefs' Table? Looked great at any rate. I must say that just the spa-like bathrooms alone are worth a visit...

Bar in separate room.

Nosh & Chow is located on the street Norrlandsgatan, right in the Stureplan district which is filled with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. This makes it a good place to dine before an evening out or a place to add on your bar-hopping itinerary. One note: the sign is a bit hard to spot as you are walking down the street, so keep your eyes open. It is easy to get to the restaurant from the Rival Hotel... just four stations on the subway (red line) to Östermalmstorg station (exit Stureplan), otherwise a 7-8 minute taxi ride.

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AN restaurants, stureplan