What I love about cooking is the experimental part. Trying out new methods, mixing common ingredients in unusual ways and most importantly finding out about new ingredients. It is with no surprise that this is a spot I love going to! Mostly because they dare, thus making this an inspirational place for my home cooking.

Matkultur is a multicultural restaurant where food and ingredients from opposite parts of the world are combined in order to create a new experience. Things that I never thought would make sense together result in simply extraordinary dishes. The menu is very short, but it is modified regularly and even with these (positive) changes I find the food to be consistently excellent.

This is a small place that aims to have a slow tempo but it is always full and one must book a table for the weekend, although I’d also recommend doing the same during the week. Just go there, Matkultur has some of the coolest food in town.

I love Indian food. For me, this is the perfect comfort food, and even though I love cooking, I stopped making Indian food at home as it usually takes a big effort and one can enjoy great indian meals out for very affordable prices.

There are many good indian restaurants in Stockholm but Shanti is one of my favorites, along with Indian Garden. It is typically full even during the week and I’d recommend everyone who is going there on weekends either not to show up during dinner rush hour or to just book a table in advance.

Shanti has the typical indian dishes such as tandoori, tikka masala and palak paneer which are consistently excellent. Food is usually served on traditional indian metal dishes and during these global warming times it is important to notice that this spot mostly uses ecological products in its very warm atmosphere. Ah, and the naan bread is worth trying too, but don’t even waste your time trying to get it before your meal, as the chef has some Gordon Ramsays tendencies…

Some time ago, Shanti (see the Shanti article) was by far my favorite Indian restaurant in town. I had been in many of them, including Indian Garden. In fact I had been there several times and they always had good food. But Shanti too, plus a great location and atmosphere. So I had forgotten about Indian Garden…

That was until a friend of mine decided to gather a small group of friends for his 30 year old party on a Monday, just before people got their salaries. If you know Stockholm well enough, then you know that this is the perfect combination an empty restaurant. When I arrived, the place was packed. The tables where not only fully occupied, but there where people waiting for a table! I was mesmerized! Had Stockholmers changed or had the place changed?

Well, after passing through the crowd at the door and looking for my table I noticed that the place had a much better decoration. The music also helped making a rather cozy atmosphere. Then food came to remind me how much I love Indian food: perfect! We all stayed until the spot closed down, and that’s when I noticed that the people working there are extremely friendly and kind. Well, Shanti is much closer to where I live, but Indian Garden is well worth the extra 15 minutes ride. Just need to remember to book in advance.

Total package. Thats how I would describe Samba Sushi. Located on the busy shopping street of Götgatan in Slussen, it serves some of the tastiest made-before-your-eyes sushi in Stockholm.

Not only is the food great but its location is ideal. The street on which it’s located, is the shopping hub for the hipsters and indie fashionistas. Samba Sushi is located smack in the middle of that scene so you’ve basically got front row seats to the Stockholm’s never ending fashion show while stuffing your face with amazing sushi.

The restaurant itself is small and the decor, simple with bar-like seating all around (so make sure to beat the lunch crowd!). The prices are slightly higher than average but for what you get (location and great taste) it’s worth it. Try it out the next time you’re town. You can thank me later

Ramblas is by far the best tapas restaurant here in Stockholm. I come here at least twice every month and they are pleasantly consistent with the taste of food and their prices. The prices for tapas are relatively cheap compared to other tapas restaurants in Stockholm and trust me on the food. It’s delicious. Some dishes worth trying are the gamba’s in garlic, the fried potatoes with mojo rojo and the paella. From my many visits there, I haven’t seen a lot of customers order it, I’m guessing it’s to do with the fact that Swedes in general are not so keen on deviating from the conventional and it’s a shame because its so good!

The restaurant is very small, with a little bar at the front of the kitchen where the waitresses run around to keep up with the constant flow of customers, food and drinks to be served. That being said, when dining at Ramblas during the evenings and especially on the weekend, you gotta have patience. Ramblas is actually very well known with the locals and it’s constantly full of diners, its not uncommon to see two to three parties waiting at the front door for their table because they weren’t smart enough to book ahead!