Flo's Weekender: Stockholm

Stockholm is perfect for a weekend away. There are lots of wonderful things to see (such as the incredible Vasa Museum), but not so many that you feel under pressure. 

Just be careful you don't fly into Skavsta 'Stockolm' airport since it is NOT IN STOCKHOLM and could take many valuable hours away from your trip... 

Stockholm is lovely to stroll around and get into the Fika fix culture (who doesn't love coffee and cake?!). The old part is full of charming cobbled streets and historical buildings, and the newer bit around Sodermalm comes alive in the evening and is full of little speakeasies and bars.

We stayed in a Sodermalm Air BnB which was very reasonably priced and right next to fantastic cafes such as Il Caffe and Urban Deli. Il Caffe makes wonderful coffee and the most incredible Cardamon pastries that were so good I had to take a load home for everyone to try. 

Urban Deli

I never took a picture of the cardamon buns as they were so good I ate them within seconds but here is a picture of the cinnamon bun - also delicious!

In terms of where is best to eat, we found the Michelin starred place we tried - Matbaren - disappointing. Stockholm is already very expensive and so any where with a Michelin star is extortionate by my standards and although it was interesting, the food just wasn't up to the standard of other (cheaper) Michelin starred restaurants I have been to. 

We really enjoyed the more casual eateries we found, especially Meatballs for the People, where you can get all sorts of meatballs in different sauces with loganberries and other Swedish condiments. 

While we were there I also found a couple of shops I really loved. The first - Whyred - I stumbled upon by chance and found this beautiful cut-out dress that I fell in love with. They do men's and women's and have beautifully tailored and textured garments for what I would consider reasonable prices given the quality.

My dress!

The second shop is Grandpa in Sodermalm. Another men's and women's shop, this boutique showcases a lot of Swedish designers alongside quirky design pieces and stationery. 

If you are looking for more things to buy out there, there are of course lots of beautiful design shops, but a lot of the Swedish mainstream brands - & Other Stories, H&M and Monki - are the same price in London. Acne is however considerably cheaper so I stocked up on my favourite cut, and for guys, Eton shirts are quite a bit cheaper and such fantastic quality it is worth getting some, along with Sandqvist back packs. 

For a map with all my recommendations on it, click here, and for guide (consisting of my collection of articles, blog posts, recommendations etc) here.

Three Foodie Recommendations for New York

A couple of weeks ago I got to travel to New York with work, accompanied by my lovely colleague Rosie. Since I was actually working I don't have a long list of recommendations, but here are my three best picks from the week, plus a wonderful hotel. 

So we could afford said hotel, we were lucky enough to stay in my friend's beautiful apartment in Dumbo for the first half of the week while he was away with business. Every morning we would wake up to the most beautiful view and drink fresh vegetable juices from Foragers before setting up our laptops against the unbelievable backdrop...

For the Best Brunch: Vinegar Hill House in Dumbo

The best foodie recommendation I have for the area is Vinegar Hill House. I was feeling experimental so ordered the Shrimp and Grits which came with poached eggs, pickled fennel and shallots, whilst Rosie had the most delicious eggs Benedict I have ever tasted (and I have tasted a lot of eggs Benedicts!) It came with succulent, salty brisket and sharp, sweet pickled baby onions - I will definitely be trying to recreate this one at home.

For the Best Hangover Lunch / All Day Grazing: Smorgasburg Market

On sunday we headed over to Smorgasburg market in Brooklyn. The walk along the river is pretty spectacular and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Once you get there, you are met by a vast array of venders setting up shop and tempting you with all sorts of evils! I went for the infamous ramen burger - a meat patty sandwiched between two solid bap-like clumps of fried noodles. It was under-seasoned and overhyped but a fun idea all the same. The chips on  the other hand were well worth the wait and truly delicious. I was rather sad that I didn't have a bigger appetite at the time since the pulled pork and doughnut stalls were very tempting.

We walked from there into Manhattan and then strolled along the high line so I could pick up my favourite blood orange olive oil from Chelsea Market's Filling Station. 

For the Best Steak: Quality Meats

We wanted to experience the best steak in New York and after a some digging around, ended up in Quality Meats. The service was impeccable, delivered by attractive thespian waiters, and the food was divine. I had a melt in your mouth tuna tartare followed by a flavoursome fillet mignon. The pudding of sticky toffee pudding was a real taste of home and came with extra pouring sauce so I was extremely happy. 

So there you have it, my three foodie recommendations. If you have the budget I would also highly recommend The Ludlow hotel in SoHo. It is in one if those iconic brown brick buildings and has the most lovely decor and wood fires on cold evenings. El Ray around the corner also does fantastic coffee and rather delicious light lunches. The area is also great for clothes and wine shopping with Pixie Market and the lovely guys at September Wine Shop  a couple of minutes' walk away.

Supper at The Merchants Tavern

It's not often that Flo and I get to get together for a little dinner and a chat just us two. Reading a cracking Grace Dent review of The Merchant's Tavern inspired me to book us in for a very belated celebration of our birthdays (which fall four days apart in August). The lighting was low, the cocktails were perfectly made to taste and the table service was excellent.

I've seen complaints about the service here elsewhere, but we had no issues at all. The Merchant's Tavern is the kind of place you should go when you're going to enjoy taking your time over a few dishes. It isn't the kind of place you would want to drop into in a hurry. Who are these people who go to great restaurants and announce at the door they only have 45 minutes anyway? If this is you, In and Out Burger is your friend. Anything with 'Merchant' or 'Tavern' in the name is not. Pipe down!

To the food. We ordered the things that we had heard were good and we were not disappointed. Having been unsure initially, we discovered that there are worse ways to start your Friday evening than with the deep fried oysters. These were melt-in-the-mouth pockets of fishy batter. We are both oyster fiends and agreed that we prefer them fresh but that there's a time and place for both. This may have been an excuse to order some fresh ones as a chaser...

We then went for the quail and foie gras starter with radicchio. This is a perfectly balanced dish and the signature favourite of The Merchant's Tavern.

The Tuna Carpaccio was an admittedly odd pairing with the quail but was meltily delicious and very fresh. The grated radish and citrus sauce were a perfect accompaniment.

We followed up with Pork Belly and creamed potato at which point our camera battery died - both of us the unprepared bad bloggers that we are. Whoops! The crackling was done to perfection, carried by creamy clouds of mash.

Mmmm... So head to Hoxton when you've got time and a dining partner to catch up with. Oh and the cocktails are so good, do what we did and hold back on dessert for another one. 

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