Italian Restaurant: Nostrano

Yesterday evening I had dinner with a colleague at Nostrano, a cosy Italian restaurant just a couple of blocks from the Rival Hotel (click here for location). I've been meaning to try this restaurant for awhile now and was happy to finally have the opportunity! And it didn't disappoint... it is definitely one of the better Italian restaurants in Stockholm, without breaking your wallet. We started the dinner with a classic Carpaccio with arugula pesto and deep fried Pecorino cheese with orange sallad, honey and pine nuts. For our main course we chose Tortelloni (filled with ground veal, ricotta & gorganzola cheeses and black truffle) and Pasta Gratinati (with prosciutto, provolone, ricotta, leafy spinach and tomato sauce). All delicious!

Pasta Gratinati

One warning... it is a small restaurant and very popular, so you really need to book in advance. If you are staying at the hotel, you can contact me and I will help you with a reservation. Otherwise give them a call at +46(0)8 644 1035. Buon appetito! Not the best pictures, but it was quite crowded and I didn't want to take pictures of the other diners without their permission.

Middle-Eastern Cuisine, Around the Corner from the Rival

Opening party at Tehran Grill

Stockholm is a melting pot of many nationalities and this is often reflected in the different cuisines available at local restaurants. In the Rival Hotel's neighbourhood (Mariatorget) we have Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Chilean, French as well as Swedish restaurants. In the past couple of weeks, my colleagues and I have had the opportunity to try two local restaurants, both specializing in Middle-Eastern cuisine. Last week I was invited to the grand opening of a new restaurant... Tehran Grill. It's always nice with a new restaurant in the area and it is especially fun with a little ethnic/culinary diversity! The owner, Nino Armoni, says that for years he has been homesick for cuisine from his homeland, especially a restaurant specializing in grilled dishes. He has brought an experienced chef from Iran to the restaurant to keep it authentic. The opening was popular and we got to try small variations of their different dishes. Very tasty! Located on Timmermansgatan 5.

Mezze dishes at Tabbouli

The other neighbourhood restaurant serving Middle-Eastern food (this time Lebanese cuisine) is Tabbouli. This restaurant has been quite successful, opening sister restaurants on Kungsholmen and in the downtown area. I have been to the Kungsholmen restaurant a couple of times and I do love Lebanese cuisine. So when my colleague Anders told me that he was going to dine there, I asked him to make a report and take some pictures. If you haven't tried Lebanese cuisine before, then you should definitely try the mezze which is the Lebanese version of tapas or antipasti.... a variety of small hot & cold dishes that, combined, make a great meal. Located on Tavastgatan 22.

Lighting detail at Tabbouli

Mariatorget: Beauty

Locals Only barbershop

I have written about the stores/boutiques as well as restaurants/cafés that are to be found in The Rival Hotel's neighbourhood (Mariatorget). Now for the third and final installment. For lack of a better title, I will call this "beauty". You will see why...

• Locals Only- For the gentlemen: there aren't many places where you can get a straight razor shave these days, but this hip barbershop is bringing back this lost art. Some real pampering is included in the price of the shave. Location.
• Sweet Baby Ray- a wonderful combination of hair salon and vintage clothes store. Come and get your hair done and leave with a new outfit! Location.
• Cut the Crap- great local hair salon with one of the best names in the business! Location.
• Toni & Guy- a well known chain of hair salons, with a location just a few blocks from the hotel.
• Salvation Tattoo- For a different type of beauty... one of the coolest tatto parlours in Stockholm. If you are a girl, why not get a dragon tattoo when visiting Sweden? Location.
• Vildrosor & Tistlar- If you are staying with us and want to pick up a nice bouquet of flowers for a hostess gift, then we can recommend this florist located just next door to the hotel!

Salvation Tattoo

Well, that's it... as you see from these three posts, Mariatorget is a vibrant neighbourhood and definitely worth a visit when in Stockholm!

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

Mariatorget: The Shops

Photo provided by Nitty Gritty

Over the next week I thought I would shine the spotlight on the Mariatorget neighbourhood... home of the Rival Hotel. Located on the island of Södermalm, surrounding the square with the same name, this is a vibrant neighbourhood filled with boutiques, cafés, restaurants and galleries. It is just a ten minute walk south-west from the Old Town (Gamla Stan), otherwise the Mariatorget subway station (red line) connects the neighbourhood with the rest of Stockholm. This post will concentrate on the shops and boutiques (clothing & design) in the area that we recommend to our guests at the hotel.

• Nitty Gritty- hip, independent clothing store which carries a mix of brands... Swedish and international, both well known and up and coming. Location.
• Papercut- shop for out of the ordinary books, magazines and DVD's; specializing in art, design and fashion. Location.
• Pure & Simple- hand picked clothing from leading designers mixed with music, books, perfume and an espresso bar. Location. 
• Cazami- a lifestyle store that sells a mix of clothing, accessories and interior design drawing on inspiration from the East. Location. 
• Idyll Interiör- store with designer clothes, accessories, beauty products and interior design. Location.

Photo provided by Cazami

There are also two streets in the neighbourhood that are of special interest for shopping. The first is Puckeln, a cobblestone street running parallel to the street Hornsgatan... located between the hotel and Gamla Stan. This street is famous for its art galleries which sell and show paintings, sculptures, ceramics and crystal. Some examples are Kaolin, Konsthantverkarna and Blås & Knåda. Here you will also find Efva Attling, a popular jewellry store specializing in silver.

The other street is Götgatsbacken, which is a pedestrian street (part of the longer Götgatan) located just a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Here you will find a wide variety of stores like H&M, Cheap Monday, Face Stockholm and Filippa K.

Photo provided by Papercut

Happy shopping! Coming soon... restaurants, cafés and speciality food stores in the Mariatorget area.