Stockholm is a gastronomic paradise, full of exceptional restaurants, and Restaurang Leijontornet is a restaurant not to be missed.
Stockholm is a gastronomic paradise, full of exceptional restaurants. Edward F. Nesta and I celebrated our arrival in Stockholm, after taking the train from Kalmar, Sweden, with a memorable dinner our first night in Stockholm at Restaurang Leijontornet www.leijontornet.se, a Relais Gourmand restaurant, located at the Victory Hotel in Gamla Stan, or the Old City. The restaurant is located in the lower level of the hotel, and has a 14th century medieval fortification wall as atmosphere.
Christian Pielen, Manager of Restaurang Leijontornet welcomed us to the fine dining, white linen tablecloth restaurant, and introduced us to Daniel, our Sommelier/Waiter. We began with a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve, a delicious light yellow color that was well balanced with fine bubbles. Our wine-pairing dinner consisted of Asparagus with Parmesan, Pine nuts and Chervil paired with Domaine Weinbach, Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2002, which had a delicate fruitiness and a long finish. For our next course, Edward had the Crisp Fried Pork from Domta with Carrot Purée, Gnocchi and Browned Onion, and I had the Fried Lemon Sole with Mushrooms and Broad Beans paired with Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel, Sonoma County 2000, which was spicy, and exhibited long legs and a long finish. We ended on a perfectly harmonized deliciously sweet note of Vanilla Cream with Raspberries, Pistachio and Peach Sorbet paired with a 1975 Castaréde Armagnac. The restaurant has 2 talented chefs, Executive Chef Robert Aronsson and Chef Ulrich, who was the chef for the evening.
After our dinner, Daniel, gave us a tour of their extensive wine cellar, one of the finest in Sweden. He claimed that the wine cellar was haunted, and that frequently the bottles were empty. Talk about the “angels share”; either that, or crafty employees. When we asked Daniel what some of his personal favorite wines are, he replied that he is in love with American Napa Valley wines, especially from Harland Estates, Ravenswood, Ken Wright Pinot Noir series, and Bonny Doon wines. He was very impressed when we told him that we had just attended The Grand Annual Lauber Wine Tasting and sampled many of the wines he had mentioned. (Read about the Wine Tasting in our Wine Cellar section.)
Please read Chefs’ Recipes where Executive Chef Robert Aronsson shares his recipes from Restaurang Leijontornet. We also have other interesting articles on Sweden in our Destinations – Kalmar and the Glass District and Stockholm, as well as in Hotels & Resorts, Restaurants, and Music Scene sections of the magazine.
For more information on Stockholm and Sweden, please visit: www.stockholmtown.com and www.visit-sweden.com.
Restaurang Leijontornet
Lilla Nygatan 5,
Gamla Stan
SE-111 28 Stockholm
Sweden
Telephone +46 (0) 506 40000
www.leijontornet.se
© November 2004. Luxury Experience. www.luxuryexperience.com. All rights reserved.
