The heart of every home with true conviviality is in the kitchen, and there is no exception with a every good restaurant.
When Swedish and world renewed top chef Bjorn Frantzén announced that he will open up a brasserie in Stockholm and it would be that kind of place he like to go to after work, I got very excited.
I personally conceder most Michelin star restaurants places where checklist gourmands, foodie trainspotters and glossy plutocrats with their speechless rental dates are dining, so a small traditional french brasserie with Scandinavian conviviality run by an international top chef, felt like the next big thing for me visiting my home country.
When first entering the restaurant one gets both stunned and disappointed, what happened to that cosy joint where chefs and waitresses share their afterwork beer and a cigarette? Well, maybe I am just getting old, because we all know that smoking since long is forbidden in all restaurants and that if any star glazed chef opens up a new business, it will be with a rigorous business plan at hand. So, here is grand size old cinema from the early nineties and half of the neighbouring block turned into an culinary amusement park with hundreds of seats placed on several different floors with multiple bar areas.
With no reservation I was taken to the bar surrounding the open kitchen and I was met by nodding chefs and a sense of calmness, nobody running around, no body being loud with their pans or voices sharing a great professional kitchen feeling, just like that place I was looking forward to see when I first read the announcement from Mr Frantzén.
The menu tells a story written by an international chef and his apprentices, the classic pounded veal has now been topped with grilled asparagus, haricots verts, shiitake, cilantro, deep fried onion, fresh sprouts and a dressing made with kosho and lime. Well, that’s not very traditional brasserie style but an interesting global culinary journey served on one plate.
When I told the chef next to me that I lived in France for 25 years he recommended the snails to start with, here the snails doesn’t come slowly creeping with week long garlic odour, instead they come with a fresh scent of lavender and thyme taking you on a quick trip to Provence.
The wine list is exceptional and even standard wines are served just below perfect temperature so that you have time to adjust and look around before putting your nose into the red, wine prices vary between 65-5500€, so watch out if you are here to impress your new found girlfriend by letting her choose wine, it could end up with you loosing your mortgage.
On the far end of the open kitchen the final and sweater part of your dinner is made and a dedicated pastry chef is making everything from french macarons to spicy pepper meringues all served by probably some of the best and most engaged restaurant crews in Scandinavia.
When the coffee is finish you can either plan for bed or take the stairs up to the bar area where music and nightclubbers start to fill up the most popular and where-to-be-seen, after-dinner place in Stockholm and probably Sweden.
My take..
This was not at all what I had predicted with my prejudice mind, but like listening to Sting playing blues, pop and then suddenly tuning into middle east waves, a great chef can turn classics into something new and surprising and something that makes you feel good about being wrong. And also with help from interior designers with the right taste, make a huge open space feel like home.
If you are not sure about having a profound dinner company next to you, try the bar where you are the closets to the heart of our most famous chef and his perfectly disciplined colleagues.
Located in the classic former theatre Astoria on Nybrogatan, Östermalm in Stockholm, this restaurant is a project by The Frantzén Group with famous restaurateur Björn Frantzén.
The theatre’s history and former glory as a large luxury cinema since 1928 seeps through the walls of this elegant brasserie.
Big on class and comfort, with a large dining room and extensive bar area that serves creative cocktails and well-chosen wines, this brasserie is a delightful meeting and relaxation place for discerning customers.
Selection from the international menu:
- Rockefeller oysters
- Scallops with Osciètra caviar
- Vendace roe with fried potato, chives, crème fraîche, red onion & lemon – a Swedish speciality
- Grilled French guinea fowl
Nybrogatan 15
114 39 Stockholm, Sweden
00 46 (0)8 20 85 81
reservation@brasserieastoria.com