WEDHOLMS FISK

Nybrokajen, 17; tel.: 08 611 7874; fax: 08 678 601 The Swedes love fish and shellfish and many chefs are very good at preparing it, but best of all is Bengt Wedholm. It has a fairly simple one star interior but the cooking is of the highest standard and I have no hesitation in awarding Bengt two stars. I was among the guests and enjoyed tartar of salmon and salmon roe with creme fraiche and fricasee of sole, turbot, lobster and scallops with champagne sauce.

PONTUS IN THE GREENHOUSE

Osterlanggatan, 17; tel.: 08 23 85 00; fax: 08 796 6069 No restaurant in Stockholm has a more original menu than Pontus. Young chef Pontus Frithiof has the capacity and the imagination to create dishes that raise eyebrows. When I was last there with some friends we chose a tasting menu called Pontus Temptation which consists of eight courses and also an amuse bouche and a pre-dessert. This menu is varied quite often so you can go back and have many new selections. The Greenhouse is to be found in the middle of the old town within walking distance of the Royal Palace.

OPERAKALLAREN

Operahuset, Karl XII’s Torg; tel.: 08 676 5801; fax: 08 676 5872 There is no more magnificent restaurant in Scandinavia than Operakallaren. Literally translated the name means the «cellar of the opera» but it is not a cellar at all, it is simply the rear section of the opera house. It has a magnificent location on the water facing the royal palace. Sweden's most famous chef and restaurateur Tore Wretman modernised and re-opened this establishment some thirty years ago. The head chef is Swiss born Werner Vogeli who is also the Scandinavian representative of Bocuse d'Or. The chef, Italian born Stefano Catenacci, is in charge of the Operakellaren dining room. It has recently begun to serve more French food and has reached high standards at the very top in Sweden. Should you wish to eat a lighter and simpler meal there are two other restaurants, part of the same establishment, Cafe Opera and the Opera Bar.

LISA ELMQUIST AND GERDA JOHANSSON

Ostermalms Saluhall, Ostermalms Torg; tel.: 08 55 34 0410 (Lisa) & 08 55 34 0440 (Gerda) In Stockholm one can find one of the finest indoor food markets anywhere. Some 25 merchants have top class fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, bread, pastries and so on for sale. And then there is Lisa and Gerda: these are two small restaurants side by side and part of two fish merchants. They stay open all day for a light meal but close in the evening when the market closes. This is not the place for a business lunch as the noise level is high but the whole market has a terrific atmosphere. May I be immodest and mention that my maternal grandfather and great grandfather were two Swedish bankers who took the initiative to plan and build this famous market hall.

FRANSKA MATSALEN

At the Grand Hotel; tel.: 08 679 3584; fax: 08 611 8686 Grand is the number one luxury hotel in Sweden and I would certainly recommend any visitor to Stockholm to book in there. Many of the rooms overlook the water with magnificent views of the historic old town and the Royal palace. The hotel has two dining rooms but the main one which I will mention here is the Franska Matsalen (the French Dining Room). Open only in the evening, under the direction of Roland Persson, it has an excellent selection of classic dishes.

ERIK’S BAKFICKA

Frederikhovsgatan, 4; tel.: 08 660 1599: fax: 08 663 2567 There is always a demand for a friendly, relaxed place with good food at reasonable prices. Erik's Bakficka fits the bill perfectly. Erik is my long time friend Erik Lallerstedt, one of Sweden's best known and respected chefs. Bakficka translates into «back pocket» in English and means that it is a neighbourhood place as familiar to you as your own back pocket. Erik's is located in the most fashionable residential area of Stockholm, but not far from the centre.

EDSBACKA KROG

220, Sollentuna; tel.: 08 96 3300; fax: 08 96 4019 The history of this famous inn north of Stockholm goes back to 1626 when it obtained Royal privilege to serve beer, wine and food to travellers. The Royal charter can be found on the wall of the entrance. The old inn closed in the last century but the building was modernised and re-opened as a restaurant in 1983. Today Edsbacka is rated one of the very best restaurants in Sweden thanks to chef/patron Christer Lingstrom. Recently I was privileged to be part of a group of gastronomes who dined at Edsbacka with the King and Queen of Sweden. They are both very interested in food and the King is actually an active member of the Swedish Gastronomic Academy. On this occasion we ate ternne de truite saumonee followed by morue fraiche (cod) et coquille Saint Jacques grillees, selle d'agneau and as a dessert creme a vanille sous gelee a la rhubarbe. A good meal although a couple of courses lacked real edge. Incidentally the cover of this guide book was photographed at Edsbacka.

BON LLOC

Regeringsgatan, 111; tel.: 08 660 6060; fax: 08 10 7635 The most important cookery competition in the world is Bocuse d'Or, started and led by Paul Bocuse. To win a Bocuse medal is a great honour for a chef. Mathias Dahlgren, chef at Bon Lloc, won a gold medal in the Bocuse d'Or in 1997. He has also moved this restaurant to more spacious premises in the centre of town. As the name indicates there are Spanish/Catalan connections and the cooking is Nordic Mediterranean of a high standard. I recently lunched here with a group of friends and we enjoyed these dishes: tuna carpaccio Nicoise, chanterel chicken with duck liver cappuccino, red wine poached figs with roasted nut bread and finally hazelnut souffle with vanilla ice-cream. An excellent meal!