America doesn’t do royalty – but if it did, you can be sure that the food of kings in the land of the free would be the humble hamburger, and not foie gras.
It is as much part of pop culture as it is a culinary classic, and even though it’s reputation has been severely endangered by the fast food industry, a good burger is still a sublime experience.
They might have invented it but if we look beyond the U.S, we can find meat-loving acolytes producing heavenly burgers almost in secret, right here in Stockholm.
Nestled along the sunken banks of Kungsholmen, there is a little shopfront that is receiving a whole lot of attention. Jon Widegren’s Flippin Burgers has recently opened amidst an air of interest and anticipation. The rollercoaster ride of starting a business is starting to calm down, allowing Widegren a chance to pause and reflect on his achievements thus far.
Despite an unfortunate delivery hiccup, the restaurant’s two preview nights, were a roaring success, and this sensational debut is a strong precursor to a change in public interest that Stockholm’s hamburger enthusiasts have been working towards for years.
An American menu staple, it may come as a surprise that the hamburger is experiencing a revival. For most, it is synonymous with fast food, dry bread and limp salad sandwiching a greasy slab of meat with all the taste of a grilled hockey puck, but none of the nutrients. The idea of Stockholm’s finest chefs turning their attention to something usually eaten out of a bag might seem absurd, but it is happening. And for that, we should be eternally grateful.
Specialty restaurants have been slowly emerging over the last few years – you only have to walk to the opposite side of Fridhemsplan T-bana from Flippin Burgers to come across yet another setting for high-quality meat and passionate burger creation. Restaurang AG turns meat into an art form (the glass cabinet exhibiting the day’s raw meat cuts could have been designed by Damien Hirst) and they apply the same enthusiasm to their hamburgers. Other restaurants in town have been quick to feature a specialty burger of their own, and it’s going down well with the punters. A place like Köttbaren is usually packed during the busy Stockholm lunch hour.
Someone who has been trying to help the hamburger from being overlooked is Stefan Falk. His blog, hamburgare.org, is one of the chief voices leading the burger appreciation revival. A self-confessed, ‘burger lover of great proportions,’ Falk’s blog is a mix of restaurant reviews, recipes and musings about good burger experiences.
Falk has charted the change in Swedish taste. “I’d say the biggest change is the fact that people have finally started realising that burgers can be more than prefabricated frozen patties with tasteless buns and an extraordinary amount of toppings, whose sole purpose is to conceal the taste and feel of the meat,” he says.
The greasy fast-food image is a hard preconception to shake; but in what amounts to a labour of love, it is one enthusiasts are fighting hard to turn around. Redefining the burger has become a hallmark of Stockholm’s finest restaurants. Adapting a seemingly basic formula to suit local produce and revitalising an appreciation for quality is a top priority.
Johan Jureskog always had the dream of starting a nice butcher-style restaurant and scoured Stockholm for a long time to find the perfect location for AG. He prides himself on pioneering new meat practices in Sweden, such as establishing his own label of dry-cured meat, created by an intricate process of cutting, drying and curing. His restaurant serves a daily array of 10 to 15 cuts; 80 to 90 percent of beef is sourced from Sweden while the rest is a selection of the best found internationally, and he can name the race and the farm of origin of each cut. Such quality control practices are a far cry from the ambiguous greasy patty found in the high street fast-food chain. Stockholm is fast developing its niche for top quality burgers.
It’s all about the ingredients and an uncompromising combination of high quality meat with fresh bread buns. Sourcing meat from local Swedish farms emerged as probably the primary concern of our featured chefs and restaurant owners. It’s a proximal and meaningful relationship between farms, butchers and chefs that ensures the freshness and quality of the meat. Jureskog could be speaking for the larger community when he insists that “it’s all about the meat, it’s absolutely all about the meat.”
The burger is also emerging as a new menu inspiration – it’s an opportunity to take a well-known product and bring a contemporary, creative, Scandinavian flavour to it. Stockholm is being brought to a level where it could compete with some of the best burgers in the U.S. and Widegren attributes it to a greater awareness emerging in the Swedish culinary community. “Swedes travel so much today and it’s normal they’d want something similar to the great taste they’ve tried in New York when they return.”
But there’s no doubt there’s still a lot of work to do in changing public perception. The availability of good burgers and selling them at a reasonable price are two primary difficulties to be overcome.
Falk considers the difficulties. “The one thing (Sweden) doesn’t have is the experience. The burger is so profoundly rooted in American culture, it is seen as an icon, and its status is so much higher than here.”
Widegren agrees,.“It’s a product we can improve.”
There is still work to be done in establishing the rightful place of burgers in the Swedish diet. According to Falk, the change in the burger culture, “has just started but I hope it will go on for a long time and that it will enable us to grow a much, much better burger culture.”
For Widegren it was this gap between Swedish and U.S. burger standards that he experienced as a regular consumer that led to the inspiration for opening his custom Kungsholmen restaurant. Like Stefan Falk, he too fostered his burger interest in establishing a blog – a self-styled ‘learning log’ for understanding the burger industry and traditions.
Flippin’ Burgers resulted due to “fifty percent passion for burgers and fifty percent frustration that I couldn’t find a decent one in Stockholm.” Previously indifferent to the value of the hamburger, Stockholm is slowly moving to embrace the quintessential American meal with regional taste.
Fellow blogger Falk remains determined, “I won’t stop blogging, eating and talking about burgers until we have several burger joints here in Stockholm that make burgers equivalent to the best places in the U.S. It’s not rocket science. Grind your beef every day, don’t overwork the meat. Griddle it hard and place in a fresh, buttered and toasted bun and you’re there.”
Flippin’ Burgers
Kungsholms Strand 157, Kungsholmen
Stefan Folk’s blog describes the atmosphere as, “a textbook example of a burger restaurant – in a good way.” It’s a simple concept – “good solid burgers with good produce,” says owner Jon Widegren.
They grind their own meat on site, and Magnus Johansson’s bakery in Hammarby delivers fresh buns everyday (he also caters for no less than the Nobel Prize ceremony).
Widegren remains adamant, “if you’re going to eat meat – eat good meat.” He visits the farms that source his Swedish grass-fed beef. But the nationality of the beef is less defining here – it’s the freshness and specific factors such as gender (females are preferred), diet (grass is best) and age (longer life equals more natural growth) that is emphasised. Burgers should be simple and this restaurant makes it look easy.
Mathias Dahlgren, Matbaren
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6, Norrmalm
Located in the Grand Hotel, this is literally a high-class burger – the only Michelin star-decorated burger in Stockholm. The kitchen is open and visible to the dining area giving the impression of a very organic and skilled preparation process. The crowd is predictably discerning – a good sign that the burgers are among the best in town.
The meat is ground Swedish Wagyu, presented as an open burger with Gruyere cheese and truffle emulsion as dressing. According to Executive Chef Martin Berg, like any food, “there are different burgers for different occasions.” Mathias Dahlgren pride themselves on guaranteeing top quality. “Often less is more when it comes to burgers,” continues Berg and it is the simple combination of excellent ingredients that ensures a magnificent burger experience.
Köttbaren
Tegnérgatan 32, Vasastan/Norrmalm
This popular lunch spot has a gourmet New York deli feel to it. The cuts of the day are displayed in the glass-cased counter and produce hangs behind the cash register. The regular crowd is the work-lunch type combined with discerning regulars.
Arriving early is imperative if you intend to get a seat. The burger on offer is comprised of three different types of meat – the strip loin, brisket and chuck roll. They buy vacuum-sealed American beef and grind on-site. For head chef Gustav Hugoh, the hamburger is a very important feature of the menu. “Everyone loves a burger, the salad, the tomato, the sauce all come together to create a really a nice experience. I’ve tried burgers overseas and the best ones were actually in Europe – Sweden can definitely compete.”
GRILL
Drottninggatan 89, Vasastan/Norrmalm
Connected to Köttbaren around the corner by a back passage, it would be a mistake to assume the two restaurants were one and the same. Grill has a very unique aesthetic, a wonderful assortment of décor that is everything weird and wonderful. The chefs of Köttbaren and Grill work together as a team to produce two distinct menus. Here, they serve a less-complicated full beef burger of chopped and smoked chuck roll that is a bit smokier than the Köttbaren countertype.
Taking a simpler approach is no concession according to Gustav Hugoh, it’s bridging the gap between specialty burger and fast food, without compromising on quality… “It’s easier for staff to prepare – it’s good for customers and good for the restaurant.”
Pubologi
Stora Nygatan 20, Gamla Stan
A very intimate, adult atmosphere makes Pubologi the ideal place for an after work dinner meeting. And their burger is divine.
Local Swedish beef is the essence of their delicate ‘super burger.’ The bun is brioche bread, baked in house and they use pancetta instead of bacon. There’s no doubt this is a gourmet affair, and a Spanish-inspired arrangement is used to strong effect (Manchego cheese and truffle mayonnaise are used to top). It’s served on a breadboard wrapped in paper. The most important burger ingredient for chef Dan Jay-Olsson? “The amount of salt – it’s what brings out the flavour. Salt and fat are the best spices and the meat must not be frozen – it must always be fresh.”
AG
Kronobergsgatan 37, Kungsholmen
A nondescript entry and a few flights of stairs hide this deliciously surprising spot. The loft-style restaurant is divided into a casual tapas-type bar to the right and a more formal sit down space to the left. The burger is one part brisket, one part from behind the ribs and one part chuck roll It is cured with salt before mincing and whisked with melted speciality fat at the end. Cheese is sourced from Denmark and combined with handmade bread and their own ketchup.
Johan Jureskog’s burger philosophy: “It’s the perfect hand meal – even if you’re sitting down with a 3.000 kronor bottle of wine, why not eat with your hands?” He rates his best burger at The Little Owl in New York but is quick to add “mine can absolutely compare.”
Grill Ruby
Österlånggatan 14, Gamla Stan
A cosy Gamla Stan cavern, Grill Ruby is one of the best exceptions to the island’s tourist-trap reputation. Head chef Richard Shaw serves a fine medium-rare burger with Brazilian and German meat (German meat is prized for being “more marbled, more juicy,” according to Shaw), which is hand ground and cooked on their unique grill. The grill adds the unique flavour: having an oven door ensures a high level of moisture is maintained. Grill Ruby’s menu is American in style, doing justice to the strong tradition of American burger culture, Shaw testifies, “we can definitely compare to the best burgers.” And it’s become well practised, for five years Grill Ruby has strived to provide an excellent dining experience and the burger remains an important part of the menu. It’s an accessible option in restaurant dining explains Shaw, the burger is a recognisable alternative, but that’s not to say it can’t surprise with quality.
PA&Co.
Riddargatan 8, Östermalm
A lovable Stockholm classic and rated by revered New York food blog A Life Worth Eating as one of Stockholm’s finest restaurants, the chefs at PA& Co. use a good hot grill, so the medium rare meat gets the taste from the grill without a touch of burn. A nice smoky flavour is left to linger.
It’s one hundred percent straight meat – according to chef, Fredrik Karlsson, “people will pay good money if it is a good burger,” – and they pride themselves on serving the best. For Karlsson the burger is his favourite meal, “it has everything in it, and anything with bacon is good. I’ve eaten burgers in New York and they’re great as well – you can tell straight away if they make their own patties – that’s how you make a good burger.”
And Swedish meat? “Sweden has good meat, it’s better to buy it fresh.”
Marie LaVeau
Hornsgatan 66, Södermalm
Upon entering, the atmosphere of a southern Creole burger restaurant is hard to shake. The front serves as a casual tiled bar space, a relaxed place to grab a drink and be served the best of the kitchen’s menu, with no pressure to approach a burger with cutlery. Further in, there is an art space adjacent to the main dining area. Hamburgers are a specialty with meat delivered fresh from Swedish butchers everyday. Scott Pryke is one of the chefs responsible for the hambuger, “just because it’s a burger people take it for granted – we’re very proud of what we do.”
The love of good burgers here is unquestioned and their weekend brunch is one of the most popular in Stockholm.
Pryke’s most important burger ingredient? “The meat – it’s always down to the meat.” And when it comes to eating techniques? “No knives and forks – if it’s a good burger then nothing falls out, it’s only there to enjoy.”
E4-Baren
Kristallvägen 156, Solberga
A fast-food restaurant that has freshly ground prime rib is, according to both Stefan Falk and Jon Widegren, the most underrated burger establishment in the city. It is a commonly-held opinion that the juiciness of the burger is extraordinary, not to mention the selection of toppings and salad dressings that are made on-site as well.
A lack of pretension is a leading attraction, and the dedication to quality suggests a slow transformation to the fast food industry’s approach in Sweden is a possibility.
If McDonalds can introduce 1960s Scandinavian crockery prints to it’s paper coffee cups as it did in 2005, a fresh approach to burger production that reflects Swedish progressiveness may be in sight, and the E4-Bar is leading the way.
