19 Glas is Swedish for nineteen glasses and this is without a doubt one of Stockholm’s best wine addresses. It is a tiny restaurant, in the centre of the historic Old Town (Gamla Stan), with a small bar section – but with a huge wine list.
One has to start with the wine list when talking about 19 Glas: They have a very, very broad selection of wines from all over the world. It ranges from quite affordable to quite luxurious. We haven’t made the count but there are hundreds of wines on the list. But it’s not only a very broad selection, many of the wines (really, many!) are also served by the glass.
It can be a good idea to ask the staff whet they have on glass since it varies by the day. And often you get to taste a small sip before you do the definitive choice.
On the food side, in the restaurant, the choice is simple: either you select a few small dishes to nibble from – a bit like Swedish style tapas – or you go for the five course menu. The menu is five elegantly prepared dishes. You don’t have a choice but there is no reason to worry – it’s good. The first time we were there we ware a bit surprised by the first course: it was two tiny asparagus, delicious, but tiny. But we needn’t have worried. After five courses we were certainly satisfied.
If you want you can choose the “wine package” (as they say in Sweden) which is one separate wine to each dish.
One cannot avoid saying a word about Peter Bennyson who runs 19 Glas – he is the most unlikely chef-restaurateur – with pirate style moustaches and wild hair, but one cannot image a more dedicated and enthusiastic person to explain the food. And all the wines!
Restaurant 19 Glas, Stora Nygatan 19, Gamla Stan (The Old Town), Stockholm, 08 723 19 19, www.19glas.se
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