A Gourmet's Guide to Stockholm

Those who still believe that Swedish gastronomy can be summed up by a nice smörgåsbord will be in for a delicious surprise the next time they visit Stockholm. During the last 10 years, this charming city has evolved into one of the most innovative food locales in Europe.

Ekstedt Celebrity chef Niklas Ekstedt’s popular new restaurant reinvents the grill with a menu of first-rate Swedish produce cooked over open fires. Dishes typical of the tasting menus here include mushrooms with smoked beef tartare, and turbot baked on hay with artichokes, garlic and roasted squid. Humlegårdsgatan 17. Tel. 611-1210.

Esperanto Talented chef Sayan Isaksson serves some of the most fascinating fusion cuisine in the world these days, reflecting his life story — born in Thailand, he was adopted by a Swedish couple. His tasting menus include dishes such as a starter of toast topped with scallop roe sacks, Swedish truffle shavings, button mushrooms and bone marrow accompanied by a shot glass of oxtail consommé. Kungstensgatan 2. Tel. 696-2323.

Frantzén/Lindeberg Tucked away on a side street in the delightful Gamla Stan quarter, this small, casual restaurant showcases the earnest excitement of Sweden’s young chefs. A reverence for local produce is the signature of the regularly changing tasting menus here, which run to dishes such as crabmeat in tomato water with fresh dill and pickled mustard seeds, and monkfish with shallots, chanterelles and chicken-skin crumbs. Lilla Nygatan 21. Tel. 208-580.

F12 This pleasant dining room near the Opera House is a study in restrained Scandinavian elegance, and the same might be said of the cooking of chef-owners Danyel Couet and Melker Andersson. Classic examples: their steamed cod in buckthorn berry sauce, and a starter of scallop and apple. Fredsgatan 12. Tel. 248-052.

Gastrologik A talented pair of ambitious young chefs has made this sleekly designed dining room the most talked-about new restaurant in Stockholm. Seasonal produce, a hallmark of the new Swedish cooking, can be seen in dishes such as plump oysters with fermented cucumber, cabbage with whipped brown butter and bacon broth, and baked celery root with apples, Parmesan cream and celery-leaf foam. Some of this may sound odd, but it’s all delicious. Artillerigatan 14. Tel. 662-3060.

Lisa Elmqvist Seafood purveyor to the Swedish crown, this hugely popular fish house runs an excellent restaurant in Östermalms Saluhall, the city’s charming red-brick covered market. Reservations are essential to taste the best Toast Skagen in town (tiny dill, lemon and mayonnaise-dressed prawns on toast) and smoked salmon with wild mushrooms in a beurre blanc sauce. Östermalms Saluhall, Östermalmstorg. Tel. 553-40400.

Matsalen Mathias Dahlgren is probably the most distinguished and forward-thinking chef in Sweden. He was the one who jolted the local scene with his acclaimed Catalan-style restaurant Bon Lloc, and then returned to his roots by preferring local produce and reviving old-fashioned recipes with a modern twist. His beautiful dining room in the Grand Hôtel is an elegant setting in which to discover his superb cooking, including dishes such as sourdough fritters filled with juniper-smoked halibut, and flan of Spanish foie gras with shaved radishes and a Xeres vinaigrette of fresh and roasted hazelnuts. Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6. Tel. 679-3584.

Restaurang Jonas After working abroad for everyone from Pierre Gagnaire to Thomas Keller, chef Jonas Lundgren recently returned to Stockholm and opened his own place, a serious and somber dining room with a dress code (jackets required), precise service and some sublime food, which comes as part of six- or nine-course tasting menus. Two recent standout dishes: pike perch with fennel — simple, beautifully cooked, and an elegant pairing of ingredients — and an ethereal eggs royale with a mountain of white truffle shavings. Fleminggatan 39. Tel. 650-2220.

Rolfs Kök This cozy Swedish bistro with a terrific wine list is jammed to the rafters daily with hardworking young execs craving some home cooking. Simple, hearty dishes such as parsnip and horseradish soup, and meatloaf with a red-fruit glaze are just the ticket when you’ve had your fill of more ambitious gastronomy. Tegnérgatan 41. Tel. 101-696. Ulriksdals Wärdshus. Located in a pretty park just north of the city, this charming Goldilocks-type cottage serves one of the city’s best and most authentic smörgåsbords. These traditional meals begin with an array of herring dishes eaten with hot potatoes, followed by sharp cheese, perhaps a shot of aquavit, then cold-smoked salmon and gravlax with meatballs accompanied by lingonberry compote. Finally, you arrive at dessert, most likely a fruit salad. Ulriksdals Slottspark, Solna. Tel. 850-815.