Our dinner as it was being cooked in front of us at Hang A Ri Korean restaurant.
Last night, we had a fantastic and not so expensive dinner at a Korean restaurant in Canberra. And I was spitting mad about it.
“Why can’t we find a good meal at a price like this at home,” I fumed to Robert. “It’s just ridiculous that a major city like Stockholm can’t compete with the rest of the world on food. In this area alone, there are about 10 other good looking choices for Asian food.”
At the Hang A Ri Korean Restaurant in Dickson, we had appetizers, mains and a bottle of wine for about 50o Swedish crowns. And it was tasty and well prepared. Eating recently at East, my favorite Asian restaurant in Stockholm, I paid twice that amount for just me and I did not even have a glass of wine.
“The unfortunate truth is that Stockholm’s food is well done mediocrity,” said Robert.
I had to laugh. But it is annoying. Sure you can find good salmon and potatoes there. But you will pay a lot for them. And almost every menu almost everywhere you go tends to serve the same dishes with the same ingredients. It’s boring. There’s nothing fresh, lively and spicy. And it depresses the hell out of me every time that I travel and am reminded once again that the rest of the world has more interesting food options. And food options that are relatively inexpensive in comparison.
Come on Stockholm. You can do better.
{ 13 comments }
While I don’t disagree, I thought one of the reason restaurant prices are so high in Sweden is that the staff actually gets paid and has social benefits.
In the US we have no choice but to try to equalize the situation by leaving cash on the table. Three of us had a very nice dinner at Södershjarta Wednesday night for 1200 SEK total (or about $57 per person) and last night an excellent pasta and appitizer at the Nostrano (13 Timmermansgatan) for about $52 a person including wine. This would have cost $25-35 a person in a white table cloth place in Madison. But the food was good, which you can’t always expect. Give it a try when you get back.
Love this post, having just returned from the US! I haven’t yet braved a trip to the grocery store where I really fume…oh well. That’s life up north. I have to concur with Tom above where he sites social benefits as part of the high cost of the restaurant industry here…never had thought of that. Still…it makes one crazy when you just want a burger and a beer and you know it’ll be at least 400 sek for a very mediocre burger! Miss you…hugs to Robert. Eat up while you’re gone…I need to go on a diet anyway! xoxoxo
Since the last time I visited Stockholm, I think the food has improved. A couple of years ago I was singularly unimpressed with anything that wasn’t “typical” Swedish food. Things have improved since. But the comparison is difficult because I think we’re incredibly fortunate to have such good food in Australia. As well as cost and quality, there’s a lot to choose from due to so many people from so many different parts of the world.
Jodi
I agree about the burgers. The first time I was here for a year I hit Wisconsin and for a week ate big greasy burgers in Wisconsin bars. $3.50 for the burger and 2 bucks for a beer. In Stockholm a good burger is so rare I have just about given up trying. An American friend who lives in Gamla Stan notes when she and her boyfriend go out for a burger and a beer the bill pushes a hundred bucks!!! This is true.
Hi Tom, Thanks for the restaurant tips. I am always open to new ideas and I will definitely check them out. And it is absolutely true that restaurants are paying full wages for workers. So I understand where the high prices come into it. But where I get annoyed is the repetition of choice. Salmon and potatoes can always be found and they are good. But I would be willing to pay more in Stockholm for the interesting meal I had here in Australia. It is hard to find good and interesting Asian, let alone at an inexpensive price.
Hi Jodi, Thanks for understanding. As I said to Tom, I get where the high prices come from, but give me a great meal to make up for them!
Well said James. And I agree, good food can be found in Stockholm. It’s often just at a very high price! As for the food here in Oz, I always love it. I think that Australia does fresh Asian food better than Asia!
Tom,
The Liffey makes a decent burger. But yes, it is on Gamla Stan. And yes, it’s not cheap. Which is what my rant is mostly about in a nutshell.
Hi Sandra,
I really enjoy your reading your blog. I was a bit confounded by this entry. Sure Stockholm, as any major city has a fair share of dodgy eateries, and I do LOVE the foodscene in Oz, in Sydney particularly. But I wonder if you are not a bit quick to judge food in Stockholm so harshly. I travel all over the world and have eaten at amazing places in most/major world cities and I must say that Ithink Stockholm as an excellent food scene.
So does the Guide Michelin inspector: http://www.pastan.nu/ataute/krogkommissionen-moter-guide-michelin-i-stockholm-1.1067780
Have a look at the White Guide, which has excellent restaurant reviews and explore more and I’m sure you will find some very nice restaurants with excellent food in beautiful settings in Stockholm.
http://www.whiteguide.se/
Looking forward to your next blog entries!
A.
DN interview with Guide Michelin inspector translated into English:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastan.nu%2Fataute%2Fkrogkommissionen-moter-guide-michelin-i-stockholm-1.1067780&sl=sv&tl=en
Hey guys and gals, a secret tip for a burger is, The Door on Odengatan, they have decent prices and all I have tasted there is very good, not the cosiest place for dinner, but a quick bite in a crowdy pub, that the place. For asian sthlm has a big flavour of modest thai places, except for one I have found that serve higher quality tai food, Blue Chili on Surbrunnsgatan. But for Korean I have to get back, to u.
Thanks aa for the comments as well as the suggestions. I do consult the White Guide as well as other dining sources for Stockholm and have been to many of the top restaurants in town. And don’t get me wrong – I do think there is some good food to be found. It tends to be French in style and well prepared. I like East, Kungsholmen, Grill, Pontus and more.
My main beef is that most of the menus offer the same fare and at a very high price. It’s hard to go out and have a drink and dinner and spend less than 1000 SEK for two people. Last night in Canberra, we had drinks, appetizers and mains for two and spent 350 SEK here in Canberra. And it was a very good Asian restaurant that had fresh food that was creatively prepared.
I would simply love to see more variety and good value in Stockholm.
This is supposed to be the best korean in Sthlm, Arirang,
http://www.arirang.se/arirang/index.html
.
But its most likely not comparable to Aus, and can never be due to the closeness of asia down under, price wise as mentioned before in the comments in sweden the minimum wages at restaurants is actually paying enough to live on, without tips. Its only part of the explanation for high prices, also lack of people and the tradition of heavy lunches is, most people still eat a fully cooked lunch in Stockholm.
But I still dont like the high prices on the restaurants, some small exceptions exist.
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