Fine Dining at Restaurant "Pontus!"

Birds-eye view of the dining room at Pontus! (Photo provided by Pontus)

(EDIT: closed temporarily as they change concept, reopening in May '15 as "Burger & Lobster") 

Earlier this week a colleague and I tried out the new autumn menu at the restaurant Pontus!. The restaurant is run by the award winning Swedish chef Pontus Frithiof who has several restaurants in his culinary empire. I have already reported on his more casual eatery Pocket, which is actually located at the same address as Pontus!, but on this outing we were trying the Matsal ("dining room") which is their fine dining option.

Staircase leading from Pocket down to the main dining room.

The entrance to the Matsal is through Pocket and down a stately staircase. The interior design of the main dining room is quite well known to Stockholmers... with incredibly high ceilings and sky lights, the quirky wallpaper resembles book binders giving diners the illusion of being in an elegant library. The dining room is separated from the kitchen by a large glass window... so if you get bored with your dining companions you can always watch your meal being prepared.

4 of the 5 courses on the tasting menu (Call of the Wild".

While there is an ala carte menu, we opted to try one their 5 course tasting menus (Pontus Temptations). They have two different ones to choose from, both very seasonal. We chose the one called "The Call of the Wild". I was happy to see that the other tasting menu, "Terra Nostra", was completely vegetarian... filled with autumnal flavors. The "wild" tasting menu was very good with lots of yummy seasonal dishes like scallops, venison, char, bleak roe, reindeer, carrots, mushrooms and blueberries. Friendly and knowledgable service!

My own birds-eye view of the main dining room.

Pontus! is located in the dowtown area, just a stone's throw from Stureplan. The easiest way to get there from the Rival Hotel is by subway... 4 stops on the red line to Östermalmstorg (exit to Stureplan). Otherwise it is a 7-8 minute taxi ride. Click here for other restaurant recommendations.