Last year saw the gourmet burger hit Stockholm’s restaurant scene, and this year seems to be the year of the food market – K25, Taverna Brillo and Hornhuset are just some examples of culinary temples that combine several different restaurants, delis and other small boutiques. But what’s next? Totally Stockholm found out what new restaurant concepts are making waves outside of Sweden right now – and may hit these shores any day now.
1. Standing orders
It’s been called Michelin for the masses: in Japan, standing restaurants have become popular for their delicious food and low prices. Several top chefs, like Hiroshi Shimada, who used to work at three-star restaurant Azabu Yakimura, have set up their own standing restaurants, serving gourmet meals for a fraction of the price at a conventional Michelin-star establishment. Packed in small spaces, the restaurateurs save on rent and can take in more customers, while foodies get to sample interesting dishes without spending a week’s wages – everyone wins.
2. The new new burgers.
The burger in itself is far from new but in the US, it’s been taken to the next level. Chains like the Epic Burger in Chicago offer non-processed, all-natural food at a reasonable price – totally free from pharmaceuticals, artificial colours and flavours, nitrates, phosphates and preservatives. Then there’s places like Umami Burger in Los Angeles, where a hamburger isn’t just a bun, patty, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce; it’s a delicacy filled with things like shiitake mushrooms, truffle cheese, tuna or gingered carrots. And how about raising the status of the hotdog, one of Stockholm’s favourite street foods? At Umami, you can order hot dogs with roasted garlic aioli and truffle-infused port onions or roasted tomato, crispy parmesan and caramelized onions, all flushed down with a local beer.
3. Surf ‘n’ turf.
In a variation of the burger boom, the London chain Burger and Lobster has added lobsters to the mix. A stroke of genius, it seems – the chain already has four popular branches in London, all serving just three items: burgers, lobsters and lobster rolls, for around 200 kronor each. The restaurants tick another trend box too: they take no reservations.
The only question is, who would ever order the burger?
4. Italian tortilla.
Vapiano has already brought Italian fast-food to Stockholm, but there’s more where that came from. In Ohio, a chain built around the piada, a kind of Italian tortilla wrap, has become very popular. The thin bread is cooked on a stone with olive oil and then filled with ingredients such as grilled chicken or steak, salmon, calamari, vegetables and basil or red pepper pesto.
5. Gin, tonic and beyond.
For the past year or so, gin has been the most fashionable drink anyone could have in Barcelona. The best bars make their own flavoured gins, and customers know exactly what they’re after – nobody asks for a generic gin and tonic anymore. Food plays second fiddle at bars like the Xixbar, where the drinks menu features more than 100 different kinds of gins.
