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Stockholm restaurant secures second Michelin star

Stockholm restaurant Frantzén/Lindeberg has been awarded a precious second Guide Michelin star just two years after serving its first meal.

Published: 16 March 2010 17:00 CET

Fittingly, the classy eatery is run by Björn Frantzén and Daniel Lideberg, two veterans of Edsbacka Krog, which closed its doors last spring having become the first ever Swedish restaurant to receive two stars in the prestigious Guide Michelin in 2008.

Meanwhile in the capital’s Grand Hotel, Mathias Dahlgren Matsalen also held on to the two stars earned in last year’s guide as Stockholm remained the only Nordic capital with a double dose of two-star restaurants.

Gothenburg also maintained its gourmet calibre with each of its five Michelin-starred restaurants retaining their stars in the 2010 guide.

There was bad news in Stockholm for Leijontornet and Operakällaren however, both of which lost their single star status.

No restaurant in Sweden has yet attained the holy grail of three stars, an accolade marking out a restaurant as a travel destination in its own right. Two stars denotes a restaurant worthy of a diversion, while one star signals a restaurant considered exceptional in its category.

Swedish restaurants awarded stars in the Guide Michelin Main Cities of Europe 2010:

Stockholm

– Frantzén/Lindeberg (2 stars)

– Mathias Dahlgren Matsalen (2 stars)

– Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren

– Esperanto

– Fredsgatan 12

– Lux Stockholm

Gothenburg

– Kock & Vin

– Sjömagasinet

– 28+

– Fond

– Basement

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Michelin unveils Covid-era France picks despite criticism

Auberge du Pont de Collonges. Photo: AFP

Three-star chefs can rest easy, however, after Michelin said none will be demoted as the health crisis rages.

The industry bible's boss Gwendal Poullennec defended inspections that led to 57 new stars overall, even though restaurants remain shuttered after lockdowns imposed last spring and again since October.

“It's an important decision to support the industry, despite the current situation and perhaps even because of the situation,” Poullennec told AFP.

“All the establishments that have kept their star this year or won one are restaurants that fully deserve it,” he said.

READ MORE: Michelin calls off its 2021 France ceremony, but insists there will still be a guide

Michelin has drawn fire for bestowing its verdicts as chefs rack up losses while adapting their menus for takeaway or deliveries — and food fans have little chance of booking tables anytime soon, with or without face masks.

The rival Best 50 list, based in Britain, cancelled its 2020 ranking last year, while France's La Liste said this month that instead of rankings it would honour innovative chefs who have persevered amid the pandemic.

Michelin called off the lavish gala ceremony that was to be held in Cognac, southwest France – the first time outside Paris – and instead will announce the 2021 winners in a YouTube broadcast from the Eiffel Tower.

'Consistent quality'

But Poullennec said all three-star restaurants will keep their stars – France including Monaco counts 29 – while the handful of demotions will affect only restaurants that have closed or changed their dining concept.

He insisted that inspectors worked double duty and even cancelled their sacrosanct summer holidays to eat and drink as much as possible when restaurants were allowed to open under strict virus restrictions between France's lockdowns.

Michelin also brought in inspectors from elsewhere in Europe and even Asia to back up the French team.

“This selection has been made with the same serious attention, and inspectors were able to judge as many meals as the previous year,” he said.

“Despite the difficulties, chefs have risen to the occasion and maintained consistent quality, at times even succeeding in making further progress,” he added.

Poullennec, who took over the guide in 2018, has overseen several choices that have raised eyebrows among chefs and foodies alike.

Last year Michelin shocked industry insiders by downgrading the Auberge du Pont de Collonges — the oldest three-starred restaurant in the world — after the death of its legendary chef Paul Bocuse.

And in January 2019, Marc Veyrat became the first chef to sue the famous red guidebook after it withdrew the third star for his French Alps restaurant La Maison des Bois just a year after it was awarded.

Veyrat, who lost his case, has said he never wants to see a Michelin inspector in any of his restaurants ever again.

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