Social Media at the Rival Hotel

If you have been following my blog... you might have noticed that, over the past three weeks, I haven't been as prolific at posting as I normally am. Besides some vacation time, this is mainly due to the fact that I have recently taken over the reins as social media coordinator at the Rival Hotel (at least for the next few months). What this means is that, besides my work as Concierge and blogger, I will be taking care of Rival's different pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. All in an effort to increase the hotel's social media footprint. I will still be blogging and as soon as I get everything organized I will be back to blogging on a more regular basis.

The Rival is much more than just a hotel. We have a popular Bistro (restaurant), several bars, meeting & event facilities, a Café and a theatre... plus lots of happenings. Because of this we have several pages on different social media channels. For those of you who are fans of the hotel, or otherwise curious, here are the Rival's different social media accounts:

• Facebook- The Rival Hotel. In English. Information about all aspects of the hotel (including bar, bistro, conference and café).
• Facebook- The Rival Bar & Bistro. In Swedish. Information regarding the Bistro and bars.
• Facebook- Café Rival. In Swedish. Information about our popular café. 
• Facebook- Scenen på Rival. In Swedish. Information about the Rival Theatre and the different artists and shows. 

• Instagram- Hotel Rival. In English. Overview of the hotel and everything inside... 
• Instagram- Rival Bar & Bistro. In Swedish. A look at the Bistro, Café, Bistro Bar, Cocktail Bar and Lobby Bar.

• Twitter- The Rival Hotel. In English. Overview of the hotel and everything going on inside...
• Twitter- Rival Bar & Bistro. In Swedish. What is going on in the Bistro, Café, various bars as well as the theatre.

• Pinterest- The Hotel Rival. In English. Everything about the Rival as well as Stockholm and other sources of inspiration.

So like and follow us on the social media sites that interest you. And make sure you "check in" when visiting us and share your pictures, videos and thoughts! And use the hashtags #hotelrival #bistrorival #caferival when possible. 

Skansen Aquarium

Path leading up to the Aquarium from the main Skansen entrance.

I have been to Skansen many times and written about it here a few times. Skansen is one of Stockholm's most popular attractions... housing both an open air museum dedicated to Swedish traditions and historic, pastoral life as well as being the city's zoo- filled with Scandinavian animals (bears, reindeer, moose, wolves and much more). It is also where Swedes traditionally celebrate many holiday festivals from Midsummer and Walpurgis to Easter and Christmas.

Up close with lemurs.

One part of Skansen which I have never visited, until recently, is the Skansen Aquarium (Akvariet). While it is found within Skansen, it is a separate entity and has its own admission price. This is probably why I have never been there on my own (paying for Skansen and then paying for the Aquarium)... but now I was with my parents who both had a Stockholm Card (which includes admission to both Skansen and the Skansen Aquarium) so I took the opportunity.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the place. It is very well put together and you really do get close to the animals. Very close in some cases! I should probably point out that the name "aquarium" might be a bit confusing for non-Swedish speakers. While there is a section with sea life (fish, corals, sharks, etc.) there is also much more... reptiles, amphibians, monkeys, lemurs and such. Stockholm does have a proper aquarium called Aquaria, which is located not too far from Skansen.

Cute meerkats...

...and even cuter meerkat pups.

As I mentioned, it is very well put together and I can see why it is so popular with Swedish school classes. Very educational. Some highlights were the lemur enclosure, where there is no fence between you and the animals, and the meerkats. Meerkats are incredibly cute and they were even more adorable now as they had pups.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Skansen Aquarium if you are visiting with children and/or are fans of exotic wildlife. Skansen itself is great for children... they even have a petting zoo with domesticated Scandinavian animals called Lill-Skansen. Skansen is located on the island of Djurgården and to get there from the Rival Hotel, take the Djurgård ferry from nearby Slussen. They depart every 15 minutes or so and the trip just takes 10 minutes.

They even have snakes and...

...frogs, plus much more.

Restaurant Volt

I just returned from a week-long vacation in Kraków; recharging my batteries after a busy summer season here at the Rival Hotel. But just before my vacation I had the opportunity to eat at Restaurant Volt. It was definitely one of the top 5 dining experiences I have had in Stockholm... and I have eaten at many restaurants in the city!

Volt received their first Michelin star this year and it is well deserved in my opinion. They serve, as many top rated restaurants in Stockholm, cuisine with a real connection to nature using the freshest, seasonal, local produce (often called "new Nordic"). I found the dishes to be very creative, with delicious flavors, and the wine pairings spot on. I also liked the ambiance... Volt is a smaller, cosy restaurant where the service doesn't feel rushed. Another plus factor was that the prices weren't painfully expensive when compared to other restaurants of the same caliber.

Freshly baked sourdough bread with chicken liver parfait.

1st course: cabbage with blue mussels.

On the menu you have a choice of a four or six course set menu and you can choose a wine/drink pairing package as well if you wish. We opted for the four courses with the drink pairing. With the four courses you are given the choice of meat or fish for the third course. My friend and I both chose the guinea fowl for this course. It was delicious... served on a bed of roasted hazelnuts and chanterelle mushrooms.

2nd course: purple carrots, red wine berry crumble and goat cheese.

3rd course: guinea fowl on a bed of roasted hazelnuts and chanterelles.

Besides the four courses, you also receive a "snack" when you first arrive and you have the option of adding a cheese course (which we did). The creativity of the cheese dish especially impressed me. The plate was covered with crumbled goat cheese and thyme. On the side of the dish was something that appeared to be a scoop of vanilla ice cream but was, in fact, honey whipped with egg whites... like a sticky meringue. The attentive staff explained that we should dip our forks in the honey mixture and use it to pick up the goat cheese crumble. Delicious and creative!

Delicious wines paired with each course.

The additional cheese course.

A colleague, who had already dined there, told us to make sure we ordered coffee after dinner. I followed his advice even though I don't usually drink coffee late in the evening. It was the right choice. The coffee was brewed at the table and came with the most delicious sponge cake (sockerkaka). I was pretty stuffed already... but I still managed to eat half the cake!

4th course: plum sorbet 

Coffee with...

Volt is located in the Östermalm neighbourhood. To get there from the Rival Hotel you can take the subway (red line) four stations to Östermalmstorg. Otherwise it is a 5-7 minute taxi ride. As I mentioned, this isn't a large restaurant... so make sure you book your table in advance!

...delicious sponge cake.

Autumn Art Exhibitions In Stockholm

Olafur Eliasson at Moderna.
Seu corpo da obra (Your body of work), 2011. Test at Studio Olafur Eliasson, 2015
© 2015 Olafur Eliasson. Fotograf: Maria del Pilar Garcia Ayens

As the summer season is coming to an end, it is time to look forward and see what autumn has to offer! Stockholm is a great city to visit for a long weekend or a "city break". Enjoy the pulse of the city, dine out, do some shopping and visit some great museums. We had some wonderful summer exhibitions and here is what the major art museums and galleries are showing during the coming season:

• Moderna (modern art): Adrian Villar Rojas continues through October 25th. Francesca Woodman (Sep 5th through Dec 6th), Olafur Eliasson (Oct 3rd through Jan 15th) and much more.
• Fotografiska (photography): Nygårds Karin Bengtsson (until Nov 15th) and Fall Salon (amatuer and proffesional photographs chosen by jury).
• National (classic art): closed for renovations, temporary exhibitions like sculptur Auguste Rodin (Oct 1 through Jan 10th) held at Konstakademien. 
• Architecture & Design Center: in cooperation with Moderna... Olafur Eliasson (Oct 3rd through Jan 15th. 

The Walking Man by Auguste Rodin at Nationalmuseum.
Photograph by Finlands Nationalgalleri/Hannu Aaltonen
© All rights reserved

• Liljevalchs (modern): Utopian Bodies, Fashion Looks Forward (Sep 25th through Feb 7th).
• Thielska (classic): Flowers Forever! (Oct 3rd through Feb 15th) as well as their permanent collection.
• Waldemarsudde (classic): Prince Eugene (until Dec 27th), Symbolism and Decadence (Sep 19th through Jan 24th) and much more.
• Millesgården (statuary garden & art): The Rise and Fall of Ingrid Bergman opens on Oct 8th.
• Artipelag (modern): The Monochrome Symphonies (Oct 16th through March 28th). 
• Bonniers Konsthall (modern): closed for renovations until Jan 2016. 
• Sven-Harry's Museum (mixed): Exquisite Jewellery (Sep 5th through Nov 22nd) and Inger Johanne Rasmussen (Sep 5th through Nov 22nd).

If you are more interested in history, then Stockholm has a wealth of history based museums. Click here for a list with links. There are also many smaller art galleries and museums in the city that I haven't listed. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, stop by and talk to me and I can help you with information about these galleries. 

Hilda Lancing (b. 1985), "Själständig", Ring, gold and silver.
At Sven-Harry's Konstmuseum
Photographer: Börje Svensson

Restaurant Svartengrens

I was off of work last week as I had family & friends visiting. Some of them were visiting Stockholm for the first time, so we did many things that I have already blogged about... like visiting the Vasa Museum, eating lunch at Rosendals Wärdshus, eating dinner at Kryp In and doing a day trip out to Vaxholm and other things one shouldn't miss when visiting Stockholm in the summertime.

We did manage to do a couple of things which were new to me, like dinner at Svartengrens restaurant. I had heard a lot of great things about this restaurant over the past couple of years so I was happy to get a chance to try it. They "love meat" and so do I, so it did not disappoint! Another fact about the restaurant that I really like is that they deal with locally raised beef from the Stockholm Archipelago, which is reared and butchered in a sustainable way. They do all of their own smoking, dry-aging, sausage making and other preparations on site in the kitchen. The menu does change often as it depends on what produce is available.

When it comes to the main courses, you have choice of sausages and cuts of meat. You then have a list of creative side orders to order with your meat. Our waitress was happy to recommend which side orders work best with which main course. I opted for the flank steak and paired it with the jalapeño & cheddar croquettes, bbq sauce and cumin pickles. It was all very delicious! Not surprising perhaps that Svartengrens was rated as the third best steakhouse in Sweden last year.

Svartengrens is located in the Vasastan neighbourhood. To get there from the Rival Hotel, you can either take a subway (green line) to the Odenplan or Rådmansgatan stations. Otherwise it is about a 8-10 minute taxi ride. Click here for other restaurant recommendations.