Totally Stockholm 1
One man’s trash, another man’s treasure When you
work in the media industry, you get pitched ideas from all angles. Some of it is of interest, most of it not. And some things just make you think “… what?”. Recently, I got an email stating Stockholm is the home of Europe’s worst night out. Catchy headline, but luckily not true. Whoever is behind the study is quite clearly not looking at the same criteria we are. They point to expensive beer, hotel and taxi prices, a poor ’safety score’, the number of bars and nightclubs and, apparently, the lack of casinos of all things. In our view, Stockholm night life ranks pretty high up in safety compared to the rest of Europe. The cost of a taxi is not that relevant, when you have the Stockholm underground, and frankly, walking distance between so many of your regular night spots. The number of bars and night clubs matters less than the quality of the ones available. In this issue of Totally Stockholm, we highlight Gamla Stan’s gastronomic headquarters Leijontornet, which has recently returned to its old guise as one restaurant instead of four. We speak to people in the kitchen and behind the bar, and they are all in total agreement about the marvellousness of both the gastro offerings and the atmosphere, for guests and staff alike. We also visit Afterglow, a new bar on Södermalm that, despite having stars in the bartending game serving up the drinks, focuses instead on friendly service, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere above all else. The study where Stockholm scored so poorly presumably didn’t take food into account, and great service was probably not on their list either. What was given heavy importance though was casinos. When one reads who was behind the ‘study’, however, it’s easy to understand why - something called the Online Betting Guide. Probably not your first port of call, when really looking to assess the state of Europe’s nightlife. And in any case, second on their stinklist after Stockholm was London. Another well-known horror destination when it comes to nightlife, right. Peter Steen-Christensen 4 issue 120 6 Roadmap Opera and Stone Island. That classic combination. 8 Leijontornet A house of culinary pleasures. 12 Afterglow Nothing wrong with being nice. All. Of. The. Time. 14 Artsdesk Highlights from Stockholm’s art world 15 Through the lens 50 years of hip-hop exhibited at Fotografiska. 18 Gastronaut A visit at Stella Pizza. With kids. 20 Bitesize Small nuggets from the Stockholm restaurant scene. 26 Highlights Who, what, where, when? Totally Stockholm Nöjesguiden Media AB Södra Dryckesgränd 1 111 30 Stockholm Editor in chief Peter Steen-Christensen 0708-867101 ps@hkm.se Editor and Social Media Austin Maloney 073-689 28 34 am@hkm.se Art Director Abdul Hamid Ali 076-999 14 48 aa@hkm.se Advertising Jordache Naran 073-316 14 42 jordache.naran@ ng.se Leopold Ericlid 073-8705066 leopold.ericlid@ng.se Dennis Karlsson 070-910 84 60 dk@hkm.se THE CHRONICLE 50 years of hip-hop at Fotografiska #120 / DECEMBER 2023 / FREE / WWW.TOTALLYSTOCKHOLM.SE PLUS LEIJONTORNET AFTERGLOW DENISE GRÜNSTEIN AND STELLA PIZZA Cover image: Christian Witkin - Missy Elliott, Photographed for Spin Magazine, New York City (1998) Från utställningen Hip-Hop: Conscious Unconscious på Fotografiska Contributors Jonas André Joakim Brage Gumpert Martin Brusewitz Albin Dahlström Austin Maloney Pelle Tamleht Emma Thimgren Responsible under Swedish press law Pelle Tamleht 070-633 27 63 pelle.tamleht@ng.se #totallystockholm #totallysthlm Totally Stockholm is a monthly HKM publication and is distributed from 350 selected distribution points.