The Semla

It's that time of the year again, when all the bakeries and cafes in Sweden are filled with the delicious pastry we call a semla (plural: semlor). Today, Shrove Tuesday (Fettisdagen) is when you are traditionally supposed to eat a semla, but these days semlor are sold during most of the month of February. A semla is made from a wheat bun, spiced with cardamom, hallowed out and filled with almond paste mixed with the removed bread.  It is then topped with whipped cream and a "hat" made of the top of the bun. In recent years I have seen an increase in specialty semlor... chocolate, blueberry and so on. Traditionalists consider these to be borderline sacrilegious. According to statistics, the average Swede consumes 5 semlor during these weeks.

Every year most newspapers put together their own "expert" jury of semla-aficionados who rate the semlor sold at popular cafes and bakeries throughout the city. For example, here is Svenska Dagbladet's test. But if you are staying at the Rival Hotel, you don't have to go far to try a semla... our own Café Rival is a popular spot to try these delicious pastries!

Mariatorget: Restaurants, Cafés & Food Stores

First I wrote about the shops in our neighbourhood (Mariatorget), now it is on to food! The Rival Hotel has a great Bistro, Bar & Café, but if you want to leave the hotel and dine/snack in the surrounding area then there is a large variety of options to choose from. As these are all establishments that mostly cater to the locals, the websites linked below are mainly in Swedish.

Rival Bistro

Restaurants:

• Sjögräs. Bib Gourmand awarded restaurant. International cuisine and great bar specializing in rum. Location.
• Bistro Süd. Neighbourhood bistro serving Swedish & French favourites. Location.
• Nostrano. Quaint italian restaurant. Location.
• Marie Laveau. Cajun restaurant with a popular bar/nightclub. Location.
• Tabbouli. Restaurant serving Lebbanese cuisine. Location.
• Tehran Grill. Specializing in Iranian cuisine. Location.
• Blå Dörren. Classic Swedish dishes with a pub atmosphere. Location.
• Ljunggrens. Popular restaurant serving Asian fusion cuisine. Location.
• Nyagatan Patagonia. Neighbourhood South American restaurant. Location.

Restaurant Sjögräs

Cafés:

• Drop Coffee. Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location.
• Johan & Nyström.  Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location. 
• Kaffe. Trivia: scenes from "Girl with a Dragon tattoo" were filmed here. Location.
• Muggen. Popular with the "söder" locals! Location.

Oaxen Skafferi

Specialty Food Stores:

• Oaxen Skafferi. Butcher shop and great place to find Swedish specialties like herring and sausage. Location.
• 8T8. Ecological and locally produced specialty foods. Noodle bar as well! Location.
• 18 Smaker. Home made ice cream... 18 flavours. Location.

8T8

The Semla is Here!

If you are travelling to Stockholm (or anywhere else in Scandinavia for that matter) anytime between now and Easter, you will notice an odd looking pastry in every bakery and café window. This is called a semla (plural: semlor). Originally the semla was eaten on Shrove Tuesday before Lent, but these days semlor abound in the months between New Years and Easter. Semlor are slightly different in each Scandinavian country, but in Sweden they consist of a hallowed out wheat bun, spiced with cardamom, filled with a mixture of bread crumbs, almond paste and milk topped with whipped cream. Quite the calorie bomb! They are either eaten plain with coffee or tea or served in a bowl of warm milk. Swedes generally love their semlor and local newspapers usually come out every year with a list of which bakery/café has the best semlor in town with a panel discussing what makes the perfect semla. Swedes will travel far for a good semla. If you are interested in trying one of these delectable treats while in Stockholm, then you don't have to travel far... they are sold in the Café Rival- made fresh in our bakery!

A bit of semla trivia: King Adolf Fredrik of Sweden (ruled during the 1700's) died of digestive problems after consuming 14 servings of his favorite dessert: a semla in a bowl of warm milk! A case of too much of a good thing... so, be careful of how many you eat!

Photography Exhibition with a Rival Twist

Photo by Daniel Lindberg

Photo by Daniel Lindberg

Photo by Daniel Lindberg

Not only is Daniel Lindberg one of the Rival Hotel's fantastic bartenders, he is also an accomplished photographer! He has had several successful showings in Stockholm, even here at the hotel, and is now rounding off 2010 with a small exhibition of some of his favorite pieces from previous exhibitions. The exhibition is called "This and That" (Ett och Annat) and contains photographs that all have a special meaning for Daniel, including some great images of Stockholm. The showing runs until December 10th and can be seen at Café Mariaberget on Blecktornsgränd 4, just a stone's throw from the hotel. The café is on the way to Monteliusvägen, that I've reported on earlier, with its great views of the city. Great combination... have an espresso at the café and admire his photographs before heading up to see the view. Then, in the evening, you can talk to Daniel as he mixes your cocktails in the Rival's Bar. You never know... you may be able to haggle a good deal on a photograph to take home with you! Café Mariaberget is open from 11am to 6pm on Tuesday through Friday, and 11am to 5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Check out his website to learn more about Daniel and his work...
.

Tip #5 - Café culture

I often, at work, get asked to recommend a good place for lunch. While there are restaurants open for lunch... one can't escape the immensely popular café culture that you find in Sweden. Swedes, along with their fellow Scandinavians, are the top coffee consumers in the world. There are cafés on every corner throughout Stockholm and they are excellent places to eat lunch. Besides coffee, espresso drinks, tea and pastries they usually have good lunches... everything from salads, grilled sandwiches to regular lunch dishes. They are also excellent places to people-watch and get a feel of the city's pulse!

Stockholmers love to socialize in cafés and even have a word for it: fika (fee-ka). Both a verb and a noun, it means basically to take a break and meet casually with friends over coffee/tea and light food. Truly a Swedish social institution! So, my recommendation for lunch in Stockholm is to stop in at one of the many cafés, order a caffe latte and a grilled sandwich and watch Stockholmers doing what they like to do best.