Cool hotel in Stockholm

Life has been hectic this past week.  I started lecturing an online strategy course using Google+ as the platform.  I decided to make my distance learning class a bit more engaging from what I remembered when I was in undergrad.  So instead of creating the class, handing over the course pack and assignments and say “see you 15 weeks,” I am hosting weekly one hour Google+ Hangout sessions with my students (actually 3x/week) so we mutually get some face time together, and I get some lecture time/discussion time/Q+A time to interact and explain why on earth strategy is an interesting subject to study.  So far so good. We are on to week two and I think this platform will work.  It’s kind of fun having 10 people on a Google+ Hangout.  You still have to prepare a lecture but the delivery is different.  The other fun thing are the effects you can use in a Hangout.  Has anyone tried Hangouts before?

Back to more interesting blog topics: TRAVEL + DESIGN!!

When I visited Stockholm to attend the Meet The Blogger conference earlier this month, I stayed in a really cool hotel in the centre of the city called the Scandic Hotel Grand Central.  There was a very interesting Cordon Bleu shop directly across the street from this hotel.  I stopped in on Sunday and nearly died looking at all the beautiful kitchenware- none of which I bought- I restrained!!  I don’t need another whisk or spatula or baking pan, or gadget. I also saw a stove for 15,000 euro- a stunning piece of work, but slightly (extremely) out of my price range.

The hotel building itself is older but Scandic went through a reno in 2011 and did a wonderful job.  I think my favourite part of the property was the kitchen/dining room/restaurant which is all open concept with interesting industrial design pieces and a bold floral floor tile that pops out at you.  The room I stayed in was a comfortable size. I did not feel like I was in a shoe-box what so ever and I liked the balcony looking into the interior courtyard and all the funky wall “sayings” on each floor.

Photo Source: Scandic Grand Central Hotel

I’ve been meaning to share these hotel photos with you in case you were planning on a trip….

It was on this trip that I discovered Swedish, semla– I am not sure if you happened to catch my post on the Countlan magazine blog about my new semla obsession. Can’t wait for next year!!

Date Night #6 Rakultur (Stockholm)

The good thing about date night is that it is portable. So when date night falls on a travel weekend, date night shifts from Copenhagen to a new city.

My husband and I dined at Rakultur, one of Stockholm’s best sushi restaurant (so said a friend of a friend (who is a chef in the city)).

This was my first and only sushi meal in Stockholm so I can’t comment on “bests” but it was serious sushi and up there in my all time sushi meals.

Rakultur does not take reservations (I called ahead), and when we showed up we were faced with a 40 minute wait.  Our luck, two large parties just arrived before us. Fortunately 40 minutes turned into 15 when the waitress cleared two seats at the bar.  Perfect for us.

The kitchen closes at 9:30 so we were informed if we wanted a chef’s table tasting menu, to hurry up and place the order.  I wasn’t starving so I ordered two rolls (a saute autumn mushroom roll and a Korean steak tartar and pear salad roll).  My husband decided on the small chef’s table tasting menu which included a roll that pays tribute to Momofuku in New York – the pork knuckle roll- in addition to several other artful rolls.

On the menu, I noticed Rakultur even had a selection of sushi made from Scandinavian fish, which I thought was neat.  This is not a “California roll or spicy tuna” type sushi restaurant.  Here you get creative ingredient combinations and simple, clean, delicately presented sushi.  I appreciated the little added touches sprinkled on top of some of the rolls or the bottle of soy sauce with a paint brush to lightly dab and brush soy to your fish.

For some reason, while I was sitting at the chef’s table, I thought of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, if you’ve seen it.  The dining experience was not as formal as Jiro but there was some serious sushi design work and assemblage going on behind the glass separating us from the three chefs.

We left very full and very satisfied.  Highly recommended.

Restaurant Råkultur- Kungstensgatan 2 114 25 Stockholm

Telephone: 08-696 23 25

Stockholm 01 + Meet the Blogger

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, I spent last weekend in Stockholm attending Meet The Blogger– a conference where bloggers get together to meet and learn from other bloggers and talk about blogger things.  You might think I’m joking here, but it was really nice to be in a room with so many like minded people from in and around Europe.

Let’s get personal for a second:  I”ve been blogging since 2008.  Blogging is a creative outlet and a window into a person’s head.  I absolutely love sharing what I find, what I like, and where I travel.

While there is a virtual community around blogging, for the most part it is a rather solitary endeavour.  In reality, most of the people in my life do not blog.  I could probably count on one hand how many bloggers I know in person.

Attending Meet the Blogger in Stockholm turned my virtual community of bloggers into reality. I put faces to  “words,” “images,” and “recipes” of the blogs I read and I also got to meet a slew of new people.   It was a really cool experience (a first for me).

I took a lot of pictures over the weekend (too many to process all at once) so I will break them up into smaller, more digestible themes in future posts.

Here is a birds eye view of my 48 hour adventure.

{The architecture in Stockholm was quite diverse and different to Copenhagen}  Next time I return, I want to go on an architecture tour to learn more about the time periods and design in which the buildings were constructed.

{There are a lot of sweets in Stockholm- From candy, and chocolate covered things to cinnamon buns, you don’t have to walk very far to find sugar!!}

{This is a city is cold- but beautiful in February!  Particularly with all the water running throughout the islands.  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr}

{These pictures were taken at the conference on Saturday- you’ll see the welcome screen, Will from Bright Bazaar and Toni and Thea from Sister Mag}

{This was one of the washroom interiors in my hotel (Scandic Hotel Grand Central, which I thought was neat as well as a shot of some of the wall art on our floor}

{Lots of awesome design stores to discover in Stockholm- you definitely need more than 48 hours to walk around and explore}

More to come on the design and the food but for now- it was a pleasure to meet: Joelix, Stylizimo, Kickcan & Conkers, Vosges Paris, IDA Interior Lifestyle, Bloesem, Sister Mag. ElceStockholm, Arianna Interiors, Swoon Worthy, Eclectic Trends, Haus Stylish, It’s a House, and Just Kirsten (so many others……)

Have a great weekend, whatever you are doing.

Oh yeah- I forgot to mention, if you aren’t following over on Countlan magazine– Issue 03 is well underway and due out in April!  I am very excited and happy to work with so many enthusiastic new contributors.

Goods from a Danish Bakery

I am back from Meet the Blogger Stockholm.  It was a terrific weekend and I look forward to going through all my pictures and recap of what was seen, said and eaten in future blog posts on Lamb411.

Notable experience: I had a tremendous dinner at one of Stockholm’s best sushi restaurants called Rakultur (no reservations and we were assured our wait would be at least 40 minutes).  Thankfully we only had to wait about 10 before we were seated at the chef’s table.  The chef’s table reminded me of the documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi– great flick if you haven’t seen it.

Rakultur is apparently known as the sushi restaurant where chefs eat at.  (According to Phaidon’s book– and a friend of a friend’s recommendation)

But enough about Stockholm.

For Tuesday, I leave you with a trio of baked goods from a Danish bakery in Copenhagen called Gorm.

I am continuously asked about Danish danishes from my Canadian friends and family.  I thought that in response, and the fact that I am an avid bakery taste tester, I would try to snap a couple shots and show you what’s in store.

These three beauties came from a bakery called Gorm on Store Kongensgade.   No website that I can find.

LEFT: Cookie filled and dipped with dark chocolate

MIDDLE: Chocolate covered danish

RIGHT: Cookie with raspberry jam in the middle topped with white icing

The Hill Station + Meet The Blogger

Here is a project or concept that I like but I can’t quite figure out whether it launched or not.

It’s called The Hill Station and it is a restaurant/cafe/delicatessen in Sapa (Vietnam). The Hill Station has a website which says it opened 2011 but beyond that, all I found was the identity/graphic design work for the concept and a couple reviews.  Design was done by Studio Egregious.

Finish your website “Hill Station”!!  It looks like you have a really neat business that more people should know about.

Photo Source: An Vu

There is more identity work to be seen on the Dieline and Lovely Package if you are interested.

It’s a mystery.  Has anyone been to Sapa and visited The Hill Station?  I would love to hear about it!

In other news, I am headed to Stockholm tomorrow night (Friday) to attend MEET THE BLOGGER Stockholm this weekend.  I missed last year’s event in Amsterdam and thankfully I was reminded from reading a post on Emmas Design Blog about the conference.  So off I go.  I’ve never attended a blogger conference and have no idea what to expect.  I hope I walk away with some new insights and can’t wait to check out Stockholm (grab a cinnamon bun or something!).  Some days I feel like I have so much to learn about blogging and wonder, am I doing “it” right?

I am certainly looking forward to meeting the bloggers behind Bright Bazaar, Bloesem, By Fryd, Heart Home Magazine, Lotta Agaton, Vosges Paris , La Maison de Anna G, and Joelix.  I’ve been blogging for over four years now and believe it or not, have been following some of these blogs the entire time.

I will report back next week on the conference.

If you’re attending meet the blogger, don’t be shy! Introduce yourself.

Agneta Livijn

Depending on where you live, travel or shop, you may be familiar with the name Agneta Livijn.  However, it is likely you may own one (or many) of her pieces and not even know it belonged to Agneta Livijn’s as her work is unidentifiable by logo.  What is identifiable, is the product line’s fun stripes (Pisa cups below), hand painted text and bold colours across cups, mugs, saucers, bowls, and dishes all made in stoneware.

The (nearly) 20 year old brand from Stockholm was launched by artist and designer, Agneta Livijn.  Today, the company produces pieces under its own brand and for other retailers which appropriately reflect the tag line of the company, “Get Hip, Get Handmade.”

Picture Source 1, 2, 3

I just love her mugs.  They look so sturdy and solid and would look terrific on a table for brunch.

Picture Source Remodelista

In terms of work for other brands, she has collaborated with R.O.O.M (Stockholm), Marks & Spencer, Habitat (UK), Bakery & Spice (Stockholm), IKEA and the Story Hotel (Stockholm) to name a few. I look forward to tracking down a couple pieces myself next time I am in Germany or eventually get to Sweden.