Best New Restaurant in 2008 aiming at the Guide Michelin stars (Mathias Dahlgren, Grand Hôtel)

Stockholm,




In 2006, Grand Hôtel in Stockholm chose to close down Franska Matsalen - French Dining Hall - home to a myriad of Swedish cooking innovation, on behalf of new ideas and concepts. The new restaurant became a joint venture between the hotel and Bocause d'Or - chef world championships - winner Mathias Dahlgren, naming the restaurant after himself.

It is an exclusive á la carte restaurant in two parts; Matbaren, The Food Bar, and Matsalen, The Dining Hall, created by the British designer Ilse Crawford from London. The menus are changed daily in an effort to offer guests the best of the day, based on which primary products that are of the highest quality for the day.
" - Alongside a Swedish identity, on a regional platform, I create my new kitchen, a kitchen that is open to both local as well as global ingridients and influenses, a kitchen based on natural primary products and natural flavour - the natural kitchen."

Upon entering the restaurant, guests are checked off in the big reservations ledger on the entrance desk, in front of a golden glancing screen from Dutch designer Job Smeets. A clear view displays Matbaren with its brisk atmosphere, giving it a solid feel of a station, made in robust and resonant materials such as wood panelling, encaustic tile and zinc. The furniture here reflects the menu, and the food bar and the open kitchen are equal parts of the room. There are tables in natural wood, and raw Swedish primitive pieces from the 1700s.

Meanwhile in the Matsalen, the atmosphere is more tantalising, intimate and rare and has been designed as a place to spend time in. The door is a discreet entrance off the bar and Matsalen is a private space which is reflected by the materials and furniture. The floor is parquet in Hungarian Point, there are Chesterfield sofas in velvet, and golden metals glint softly in Matsalen, where 36 guests are attended at the most per evening.

Whereas Franska Matsalen never got any recognition in the Guide Michelin, Mathias Dahlgren got the top grade for newly opened restaurants from the renowned luxury dining guide; a star and the distinction "Rising Star" in 2008. Besides the star, the restaurant also received 4 out of 5 cutleries, showing the level of total comfort.
Other awards include Wallpaper Magazine Design Award '08 "Best New Restaurant", Monocle Travel Top Fifty 2007/08 "Best New Restaurant" and Sleep European Hotel Design Award 2007 "Best Hotel Restaurant Interior Design".

Reserving a table is a have to. A long, long time in advance. Perhaps that is for the best in order to save up some money as entrées are $50 - $85, starters and desserts range from $20 - $35 in the cheaper Matbaren and the creative wine suggestions start at $25 a glass.

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