Let’s go shopping!

I have a confession. A lot of people have asked me what the restaurants are like here in Stockholm and outside of a few opportunities, I really haven’t tried them. That’s because I live within walking distance of five really, really good grocers. I’ve been itching to try out some of the places near me, but I’m always drawn into the local grocery stores by their beautiful produce sections, tantalizing smells, and robust rows of cheese and special seasonings. Here’s the funny thing though, Tabasco costs around $7 a bottle here, but you can get some really great gouda that will last you for a week for less than $4. I have yet to see any jalapenos, but tomatoes and onions are plentiful!

This past weekend I needed to get a few kitchen items and ended up in Stockholm’s prominent shopping district. While Cervera drew me in and took its pound of flesh from my wallet, I couldn’t help but walk around the district in awe of all the people, the shops, and the various wares. There was even a swap meet/farmer’s market going on directly in the center of it all, but since I don’t have Swish set up yet, I didn’t want to look. For those that don’t know, Swish is basically the bank-sanctioned form of Intuit/Square/Paypal here. Everyone takes it, and it’s the most widely accepted way to transfer funds without using cash. It’s basically Venmo on crack.

People have also asked about how prominent Ikea is here (which I still haven’t mustered up the energy for just yet), but the bigger entity that I see on almost every single corner is H&M. There’s even one within walking distance of my apartment! At one point in the Vasaplan district I was standing next to four H&M stores within view, including an H&M Home! FOUR! Each one of them had various different clothing items and different feels to them; one catered specifically to men, another to children, but the primary targeted group was women. It was awesome! By the end of my adventure I was so tired and overwhelmed by the different options that I ended up getting on the wrong train. I wound up in the middle of a Stockholm suburb, but was able to hop on to a train that took me back to the neighborhood where my apartment is. The transit system here is completely unreal and so different from what I’m used to in Austin, and everything is always running on time, too!

Anyway, by the time I came back I was completely wiped and ready for some takeout. I used Wolt to order some ramen from a place called Ai Ramen. I know takeout is kind of cheating on the opportunity to embrace a new place and people watch, but after spending an afternoon in the busy shops and city center, I really just wanted to eat something in my jammies and watch a movie. Reluctantly, I placed my order and within a matter of 15 minutes saw that the delivery was on its way to my door. A very nice gentleman on a bike left my order directly outside of my entry and I was able to collect my items well within 25 minutes of my order.

I ordered the Bebikón and a side of edamame, and it was so delicious! I felt like living in Austin and so close to Ramen Tatsuya had me spoiled, but this was something completely unexpected! The broth had such a robust and well-seasoned flavor that I found myself spooning some of it directly into my mouth. The amount of ingredients in the actual ramen was well balanced, too. The marinated egg was perfect; not too hard or too soft boiled, and wasn’t overly seasoned. The charred corn was actually well cooked, and the other ingredients were perfectly balanced. I’m definitely keeping this place in my favorite order rotation, especially as the colder months come along.

Anyway, time for some pictures! Below are some images from my weekend including my shopping trip and a pic of my ramen adventure that was packed and delivered with care.