Totally Stockholm 1
HIGH EXPECTATIONS The refurbishment of the old As
toria cinema at Nybrogatan 15 has been going on for over two years. But now the time has finally come for the new restaurant – Brasserie Astoria – to welcome its first guests. Words: Pelle Tamleht Brasserie Astoria is a restaurant that superstar chef Björn Frantzén has been planning for a long time, but he could never seem to find the right premises to realise it in. Until now. The classic Astoria building by Östermalmstorg is a great fit and when he gave away the keys to the restaurants he was running in Gamla Stan, he already had the roadmap clear to assemble his restaurants within the city centre. “But I don’t want to have too many restaurants in one and the same city, to me my presence is of great importance. Especially when you open a new restaurant - you are there so much in the beginning,” he says. 12 You have one three Michelin star restaurant here in the city, and more restaurants all over the world. How do you keep your motivation up? To me it has always been very important to deliver real top quality, and that’s what keeps me motivated. I feel a responsibility regardless of what I’m doing to always maintain a certain high-quality standard. So, do you manage to make and maintain your life plan, and see to it that all the pieces fall into place the way they should? I think so. In the same way that you make a career in football and go from a promising midfielder to a team captain, and then eventually become a manager. I suppose that’s the role I mostly have now. There’s an advantage in having become more well-known, there are more talented and capable people around you to share the responsibility with. Another aspect is that you don’t have to prove yourself as much. Do you still run? I still work out five days a week, but I don’t really run as much as I used to. Nowadays I have a more boring core workout, to be able to manage the hard restaurant