Oaxen Slip has a giant boat suspended from the ceiling. This painted vessel is hoisted up to dangle from the high ceiling of the bright white dining room, where it sits above wooden tables with retro cinema seating and red leather bar stools. Arriving for the first seating of the day meant we had the pick of the balcony tables, so we plonked in the sun, ordered some plonk and settled in to what was to be a glorious afternoon by the waters of the inner archipelago.

We discovered this restaurant in the fab CITIx60 Stockholm Guide, which features everything from restaurants to galleries and hotels to markets, all recommended by creative locals. I was sold on the big, crafty boat scenario, but another alluring factor was that Oaxen Slip is a short ferry trip from Stockholm to the small island of Djurgården (which , you can tell your mother, also houses the ABBA Museum – she’ll be pissed you don’t go) and a little leafy island stroll to get there.

 

Oaxen Slip is the attached bistro to Oaxen Krog, a fine dining restaurant with two Michelin stars, and all I have to say about that is that this felt mighty fine to me, especially given the focus on local and Nordic ingredients. And in case you can’t yet tell, I completely love the interiors.

Given where we were, it felt mandatory that I order the herring, which was served on a delicious, warm potato salad and topped with dill. These and the vegetarian dishes of yummy leek and cheese and cauliflower I shared with Phil were served in rustic earthenware crockery or in one case a hot pan direct from the oven. The dessert of a stripped back crumble with a zesty lime granita and creamy summer sorbet is perhaps one of my fave desserts ever!

 

One thing to keep in mind when you are dining in Scandinavia is the cost of wine. This lunch was really an engagement present for us, so we were able to splash out, but we found often when eating out in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, that ordering a bottle of wine could often double the cost of your bill, so make sure you do the conversion in your head first. That said, the wine here was totally tasty as hell, so if money is not an issue, go nuts – it’ll add to your Scandi summer arvo in Stockholm super bliss vibes.