Restaurant Ramblas at Mariatorget

A group of friends and I went out for dinner last night and we decided to try the relatively new restaurant Ramblas (Mariatorget), right around the corner from the Rival Hotel. While this restaurant has only been open for less than a year, it is actually the second location for the restaurant. The original Ramblas (Hornstull) proved to be such a popular concept that they opened at a second location. Speaking of the concept... as the name suggests, they serve Spanish cuisine at Ramblas. More specifically, they serve tapas. Tapas, in case you are unfamiliar with them, are small dishes (hot or cold) that either work as appetizers or, when put togther, as a meal. It is a very civilized way to dine. You order a few tapas and if you are still hungry you order a few more. Great for sharing when you are several people at the table.
Paella, patatas, calamares and esparragos...
Many of the popular tapas dishes are found on their menu... dishes that people recognize like tortilla española, patatas con aioli, gambas picantes, calamares a la romana and more. They even have larger dishes like paella valenciana (which we ordered to share with our tapas). Each tapas costs around 40 to 60 SEK and a full dinner is actually quite inexpensive by Swedish standards. Spanish wines, cava, beer and sangria are also on the menu in case you want the full Spanish experience. Click here for the menu (Spanish/Swedish).
Olé!
As I mentioned, the restaurant is located just around the corner from the Rival and the other Ramblas is located in Hornstull. Both are on the island of Södermalm. Keep in mind that both of these restaurants are very popular with the locals, so booking a table in advance is a good idea. I would say that the popularity is the only downside as the wait staff can seem a bit overwhelmed at times. Click here for more restaurant recommendations.

Fashion Night on Thursday!

Shopping in fashionable Bibliotekstan.
Stockholm's Fashion Week kick's off today and the city is filled with editors, buyers, models and other fashionistas! Many of this week's events are for people in the fashion industry, however the main exception to this rule happens on the evening of Thursday, August 28th... Fashion Night! This is an evening dedicated to fashion with music, fashion shows, book signings, contests, food & drink with around 300 stores open until 10pm.
Shopping at NK. Photo by Jeppe Wikström,
Stockholm Visitors Board
The stores that are participating in Fashion Night are all located in the high-end fashion district in downtown Stockholm. Specifically, they can be found at the NK department store (closes at 9pm), H&M, Mood and Sturegallerian shopping centers as well as the Bibliotekstan neighborhood. (Map of area). Here you will find international brands but, more importantly, you will also find exciting Swedish brands such as Whyred, Acne, J. Lindeberg, WeSC, Filippa K and much, much more. What makes it all that more exciting is that all of the participating stores are having sales or offering special deals this evening! Extra special discounts and offers when you make your purchase using your American Express credit card.
Mood Stockholm is participating in Fashion Night!

Restaurant Oxelblom

Oxelblom has been a favorite place of mine for the past year or so to have a glass of wine with friends and enjoy the atmosphere. Last night a colleague and I had the opportunity to have dinner there for the first time and we weren't disappointed!
Oxelblom is a relatively small restaurant with a cosy atmosphere. The dining room resembles a living room (or salon) of yesteryear with mismatched, vintage furniture and quirky design details. Candlelight and classic jazz music (Swedish and international favorites) add to the at-home feeling. They have two small sofa groups as well, which are perfect if you just want to stop by for a drink. Maybe over a game of chess (set provided)?
3 types of "home made" herring with classic accoutrements.
I also really like their unique menu concept. It is all about tastes from around Sweden... from Skåne in the south to Norrbotten in the north! Two of Sweden's 25 counties or provinces are always represented on the menu with the dishes created using the county's local produce. The menu does change every few months as they switch counties. Sweden is a large country with varied landscapes and climates, so local produce can be quite different depending on the county. When we visited the restaurant last night, Bohuslän and Södermanland/Uppland were the counties on the menu.
"pork, appples, beans, red wine"
The dishes on the menu aren't named or described; instead each dish is represented by a list of ingredients. For example, "pork, apples, beans, red wine" or "shrimps, mussels, garlic, parsley". Anticipating what dish the chef will create with the ingredients adds to the dining experience. Each dish (whether cold, hot or sweet) is medium in size and you choose either a 3 or 5 course menu from among the different dishes. We both opted for the 3 course menu last night and I would say that it was comparable in size to having a main course and dessert at another restaurant. Click here for the current menu in English.
Romantic nook...
Another positive note is the service, which is warm and personable. They are great at taking the time to explain their concept and pair wine and beer with the dishes. Oxelblom is located in the popular SoFo district on the island of Södermalm and is only a 15 minute walk from the Rival Hotel. Otherwise it is located in between the subway stations Medborgarplats and Skanstull (green line).
Assorted cheeses, all Swedish!

Gourmet Street Food with Mathias Dahlgren

Diners Club's food truck in Stockholm! www.dinersclub.se
Are you visiting Stockholm in the first week of September? Are you a foodie? Then you are in luck! Diners Club is on a tour of the Nordic countries with a gourmet food truck. The tour is called "Street Food by Diners Club" and they will be spending a week in each of the four Nordic capitals. It will be Stockholm's turn from the 2nd to 6th of September! The food truck/street food concept, which I have written about earlier, has become very popular in Stockholm... but this isn't just any food truck. Diners Club's concept is that in each city they are cooperating with one of the city's top gourmet chefs to create the food truck's lunch menu, offering a unique, new taste experience at a great price. In Stockholm they are joining forces with Mathias Dahlgren. Mathias Dahlgren is the owner and head chef of the restaurant that bears his name... a Michelin 2 star restaurant and named as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world.
Mathias Dahlgren www.dinersclub.se
So what will the food truck be serving in Stockholm? What will Dahlgren's take on street food be like? According to the man himself, he is taking inspiration from the food he grew up with and his grandmother Alice. Sounds interesting! If you are in Stockholm on these dates, stop by and treat yourself to a great lunch and see for yourself. The truck will be parked on the Skeppsbron waterfront of Gamla Stan, just below the Royal Palace, between 11:30am and 2pm on Tuesday through Friday and 12noon to 3pm on Saturday. The cost for lunch is 125 SEK... but if you pay with your Diners Club card then it is only 100 SEK. Click here if you want to read about my visit to Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren or click here for my visit to his Matbordet.

"Midnattsloppet" (10k evening race) is tonight!

Photo by Yanan Li, Stockholm Visitors Board
Tonight (Saturday, August 16th) is the date for the Midnattsloppet or Midnight Race. This 10 kilometer race has been held annually since 1982 and has gotten more popular each year with thousands of runners and even more spectators. With 41,000+ runners, it is actually Europe's largest 10k run! The race is run through the streets of Södermalm with the home stretch down the street Hornsgatan, half a block from the Rival Hotel. In fact, this year the racers run past the front of the hotel before turning onto Hornsgatan for the final stretch. What makes this race unique is the carnival atmosphere along the route (there is even a costume competition) as well as the late start time... it's a staggered start with the first group starting at 9:20pm and the last group at 11:05pm. There is even a shorter race, earlier in the evening for children (start at 7:30pm). Click here for a map of the course. Be aware that many roads on Södermalm island will be closed to car traffic in the afternoon and evening, so it is best to stick to walking or subways. If you are not participating in the race, then you can always choose a spot along the course, enjoy the atmosphere, and cheer on the racers!

Outdoor Cinema This Week in Stockholm

Photo by Lars Gullnäs, Stockholm Film Festival.
Not only do we have the Stockholm Culture and Youth (We Are Sthlm) festivals this week... it is also time for the annual Summer Cinema. This event takes place between August 13th and 17th and is put on by the Stockholm International Film Festival (which takes place later in November). They will be screening five movies in Rålambshovs Park, one each evening. The movie starts approximately at 9pm, but there is staff on hand from 6pm selling popcorn, coffee and candy. The movie itself is free! They have to start that late as it is too light outside before 9pm. A great opportunity to pack a picnic basket and enjoy a movie in the great outdoors. This park is one of the few in Stockholm where private alcohol consumption is allowed (until midnight), so you can throw in a bottle of wine in your picnic basket. I would get there a little early to get a good spot! As you can see from the pictures, it is a popular event.
Photo by Jasmina Aleksic, Stockholm Film Festival
Each year there is usually a theme to the movie selection. This year, the Stockholm Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so as a theme they have chosen movies that have been screened at previous years during the festival. The line-up is as follows:

All the movies are shown in their original language with Swedish subtitles, which means English... with the exception of Rust and Bone on Friday (in French). Rålambshovs Park is on the island of Kungsholmen. To get there from the Rival Hotel, take either (blue) bus 4 towards Radiohuset (bus stop is called Västerbroplan) or the subway (green line) to Fridhemsplan.
Pulp Fiction on Wednesday!
www.stockholmfilmfestival.se

The Ultimate Shopping Map & Guide for Stockholm

In my line of work, I often get asked "where do I go to buy...?" and "where is this store located?". Especially as many visitors have heard about popular Swedish interior design and fashion brands. Luckily, my job has just gotten a little easier thanks to Maria Öijer who has put together the "Ultimate Shopping Map" for Stockholm.
This map comes with a comprehensive guide/book with an explanation of each store, shop, café or other point of interest on the map. Available in English or in Swedish. Instead of only a large fold-out map of the whole city, this map also has blown-up insets of different shopping districts... like funky SoFo, high-end Bibliotekstan, popular Gamla Stan and more. Of special interest for guests of the Rival Hotel is that one of the map insets shows all of the great shops in our neighborhood of Mariatorget! You can click here for an earlier blog article about the shops near the hotel. This map with guide is a perfect way to find the best shopping area for you! I like that they have ice cream shops and cafés marked out as well... just in case you need to take a little break from shopping.
While we do not sell the Ultimate Shopping Map here at the hotel, it can be purchased at several stores in our area... like Designtorget, Papercut and WOS (links to store address). The cost is 125 SEK. However, if you wish to pre-purchase the map to help plan your trip ahead of time, you can order the Ultimate Shopping Map through their website. Not only do they offer free shipping, but you also save a little money as they only charge 115 SEK for the map & guide when you preorder. Click here for earlier blog articles about shopping in Stockholm.

Kulturfestivalen - Stockholm Culture Festival 2014

Concert venue GAT, photo by Emma Svensson
The next big festival is just around the corner... The Stockholm Culture Festival (Kulturfestivalen), August 12th to 17th. This is one of my favorite festivals. Not only are there lots of things to see/do/experience, but it is all free! The only exceptions are the walking tours which, due to limited availability, cost 20 SEK to reserve a spot. For 6 days and evenings, the parks and squares of downtown Stockholm transform into concert venues, outdoor cinemas, circus tents and playgrounds for children. Food & drink tents as well!
Swedish artist Edda Magnason, one of the many performers at Kulturfestivalen.
Photo courtesy of kulturfestivalen.se 
The theme for this year's festival is "Barcelona" with many of the artists, shows and events coming from the Catalonian city (as well as Swedish artists and shows, of course!). In fact the festival is presented in part with The City of Barcelona, Institute Ramon Llull and the Catalonian government. This is a celebration of the close & friendly relationship between the two cultural cities. As I mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of things to choose from... something for everyone, whatever your age or interests. Dance, theatre, art, film, circus, food, cultural walks and literature are all well represented at the festival. For an English program of the highlights, visit their website and scroll down a bit to find a downloadable program in PDF format. Otherwise, if you are staying at the Rival Hotel, stop by and talk to me or my colleagues for more information.
Performance venue Sergels Torg, photo by Dennis Wernersson.
The festival is concentrated in the downtown area... in the squares Gustav Adolfs Torg (GAT), Sergels Torg, Brunkebergs Torg and Norrbro and the street Drottninggatan. All these squares and streets are within a 10-15 minute walk from each other so it is very easy to get around. They are also easy to get to from the Rival Hotel... 3 subway stops, a 10 minute bus ride or else a 30 minute walk through the old town. There is another festival going on at the same time in the park Kungsträdgården. This one is called We Are Sthlm and is aimed at youths between 13 and 19 years of age and features lots of music, culture, sports and entertainment. So if you are travelling with teen-agers, you can just drop them off at this festival before heading to the Culture Festival to enjoy yourselves.
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