It’s not unusual, most shopping malls boast a food court choc-a-bloc with fast food concepts. You have your hot dogs, the pizza, a bowl of noodles and a kebab. The difference at Teatern, the food court that opened in December of last year at Ringen’s shopping mall by Skanstull, is that the hodge podge of culinary concepts have been created by some of the sharpest chefs in town, proprietors of Michelin stars and makers on Nobel Prize dinners. One year after its inception, we check in the chefs in question to gauge the state of this Södermalm food destination, to talk about their concepts and the future of dinings. We start off with noodle bar Raamen and pizza place Galinas.
What was it that attracted you to open up in a food court in a shopping mall? And would you have been interested if you didn’t know what other names were involved?
It was a new and exciting idea and we were already looking for a location for our Raamen concept, so it was a match made in heaven. The opportunity to work with the other chefs was of course very appealing.
Do you think the idea of having a smaller lunch spot in a prime location, besides running another venture will be more common in the future?
Absolutely. I think a lot of restaurant owners see an opportunity here. Smaller lunch venues make it possible to serve food that’s faster and more accessible. It allows you to serve food that doesn’t fit at the main restaurant.
How did your concept come about, was it all ready and waiting for a location or is it tailor-made for Teatern?
Adam and I already had a concept and an idea that we wanted to try but we adapted it for Teatern.
In a way Teatern is just a food court, but at the same time it isn’t. In your opinion, what sets Teatern apart from other lunch destinations?
The quality of the food and the ingredients. Teatern is probably the only place in all of Sweden which serves this level of food in a fast food format. It is fast food made by top-class chefs. Most of the chefs here use the same suppliers as the main restaurant which in itself guarantees a higher quality.
How well does Stockholm’s food scene stack up internationally? And what, if anything, would you say is missing?
Very, very well. Stockholm’s food scene is one of the hottest destinations in Scandinavia. In terms of both breadth and depth. Now it is better than ever before.
What interesting food trends will we see in 2017?
Asian-inspired fast food has come on strongly in the past years and will probably continue to grow, as there are still a few niches to explore. Hopefully Japanese ramen noodles will explode!
Oskar Larsson & Eloi Berthelin (Galinas Pizza)
What was it that attracted you to open up in a food court in a shopping mall? And would you have been interested if you didn’t know what other names were involved?
What attracted us was in part the great flow of people you find at Ringen and that you could offer quests a huge variety of food from really good chefs. In total it becomes a very complete food scene.
Do you think the idea of having a smaller lunch spot in a prime location, alongside another venture will be more common in the future?
I think so. Many great chefs want to make something that is a bit more basic and a bit beyond what you usually do.
How did your concept come about, was it all ready and waiting for a location or is it tailor-made for Teatern?
We knew we wanted to make pizza and we had some very concrete thoughts on how we wanted to make it. We just made those ideas fit the conditions in Teatern.
In a way Teatern is just a food court, but at the same time it isn’t. According to you, what sets Teatern apart from other lunch destinations?
It is the wide range of really good food that lifts Teatern to be something more than a regular food court or lunch spot.
How well does Stockholm’s food scene stack up internationally? And what, if anything, would you say is missing?
Though our food scene is small it is really strong and grows every year. It is really up and coming. I still feel that we lack something in terms of really good ethnic restaurants, like those you can find in other capitals. We have some but there is space for more.
What interesting food trends will we see in 2017?
The revitalisation of pizza. And above all pizza Napolitano will become even more popular.
Photo: Martin Henningsson
