Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Street Food

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Recently, Stockholm got a new restaurant. Well, it happens every day, but this particular one is called Street Food and it's a concept by the rather famous Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson who's the owner of Aquavit in New York. The restaurant is conveniently located at the central train station, and it's run by SSP who also owns tons of other restaurants. The plan is that a few more of these will open, at the airports, and eventually, in other places as well. The idea is to serve high quality street food from around the world.

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Marcus Samuelsson, and the president of SSP

I was there for a special press event, and had the opportunity to try many things from the menu. I have to tell you - this is good stuff! I was especially fond of the pizza, where the bread comes from Johan Sörberg who wrote the book I told you about yesterday. His bakery, Riddarbageriet, is definitely one of the best ones in Stockholm. And he's developed not only the pizza, but also the hamburger and hot dog buns. (Which were good, but not as spectacular as the pizza.)

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In addition to more mainstream food like pizza, burgers and hot dogs, you can also get ribs, satays, soups, salads and soft tacos. There are several side orders to choose from (try the cole slaw - it was delicious!) and for drinks, there's lingonberry cordial and freshly squeezed apple juice.

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Some people have complained about the serving sizes. I asked Marcus Samuelsson about that, and he replied that they don't want to over-feed people, and also serve better food so that they won't need as much. Well, I still say that if people are still hungry when they leave, they might not want to come back. So, perhaps a small adjustment is in order. But I don't know, it's not my restaurant.

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Oh - and another thing that was great in theory but not so great in reality: wooden utensils. I love the idea. But not the mouthfeel. However, that's a minor thing. And the pizza will have me coming back, for sure. There was also a very exciting array of sauces and spices that you could add to your order to make it more personal - and that's something I just love.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for that update!
Marcus is great, I met him once in Toronto when he was promoting his cookbook Aquavit, a beautiful book with great stories, pictures and recipes.
Keep up the great work, Anne!

Jeanne said...

What a great idea! Street food is always the most you can have while traveling so I realyl like the concept of bringing together under one menu the street food from different places. I also love the look of the wooden cutlery - and how environmentally friendly!

Anonymous said...

How were the prices, Anne? Street-foodish? I don't know, street-food to me is low-key and without glamor. I get the idea, but I don't think I'd line up for a burger or pizza slice if I can get it from a hole-in-the-wall place. But who knows ...

Anonymous said...

Smaller servings are more healthier, Anne. If someone is still hungry & they like the food, then they'll go back for more of the same, or try something different. I often wonder how much food is unused at the end of the day & what happens to the leftovers. Do you know?

Anne said...

Christina - the prices were not so street-foodish I'd say, in fact, a bit on the high side. Sure, the food is good, but I'm sure that in a rushed situation, a lot of people will choose a cheaper option.

And Pene - sure it's healthier to eat smaller portions! I know that, you know that, and probably most people do. But when they're hungry, and looking for a quick fix - let's face it, perceived value for money is important. And small serving sizes can definitely be a problem. After all, the central station is not a place people go to especially to eat, it's more of a passing-by sort of place.

karlsfoodie said...

Cool.. satay in Stockholm..
I use to want to set up a shop in karlskrona sellign these foodies last time too =)