Interiors - January 2008

cuisine art
....North Atlantic soup
Lingonberries, meatballs, and smoked fish may be
the first things—or perhaps the only things—that
come to mind when diners think of Swedish fare,
but Mathias Dahlgren is looking to change the
way diners around the world see his country’s
cuisine. The chef’s namesake restaurant, which
opened in Stockholm’s newly renovated Grand
Hôtel, offers his interpretation of the “new”
Swedish cuisine. Championing the best of local
ingredients with a decidedly modern and global
outlook, the restaurant offers diners two different
culinary encounters, leading to a quite singular
experience: Matsalen (The Dining Room) and
Matbaren (The Food Bar).
Since opening the Michelin-starred Bon Lloc
in Stockholm in 1996, Dahlgren has long been
considered one of the country’s top chefs, having
been the only Swedish chef to have won the
prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition. Yet it’s with
The Grand Hôtel’s Matsalen and Matbaren that
Dahlgren has been able to create his vision of
Sweden’s gastronomic future, what he’s named

“the natural cuisine.” “Personally, I think people
and ideas should travel,” he says, proposing
that Swedish food forge its own contemporary,
nuanced identity.

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