Western Taste gives you Restaurant Award 2009


Western Taste has been trying out over 150 restaurants in each city to select the title: "Most Recommended Restaurant in Beijing 2009” and "Most Recommended Restaurant in Stockholm 2009".

This year is a little bit different from last year’s competition. Many of the restaurants in Beijing have closed down because of the economic crisis and also the downturn from the Olympic time. This has lead to that only the strongest and most innovative restaurants survive. It gives us a clearer picture of who really is in it for good quality food, high standards, great service and creative ideas to stay strong on the highly competitive market. Fortunately all the contestants from last year are still in the game. Beijing is still one of the best locations in the world to find great value restaurants.

Stockholm still speaks for itself. The culinary scenery of the city is fabulous. The standards are very high and some of the best restaurants in the world can be found here. Many new innovative places have started in Stockholm however the classical restaurants are still very competitive and provide the best of the best.

All the finalists fighting for the title "The Most Recommended Restaurant in Beijing 2009" and "The Most Recommended Restaurant in Stockholm 2009" consist of high quality food and innovative cuisines. However there can only be one winner in each capital.

The points that the restaurants are criticised on are: food, staff, interior, beverage recommendation, beverage list, wine & food pairing, presentation and also innovative complementariness.

Some of the tested restaurants from Beijing are for example:
SuperGanBei, Alameda, Alba, W Wine & Dine, Meat and Wine Co, Agua, Hatsune and Green T. House.

Some of the previous nominees from Stockholm are for example:
The Grill, Pontus by the Sea, PM & Vanner, Seikoen, Matsalen, Matbaren and Grodan Stureplan.

The final nominees for the best restaurant recommended by Western Taste are:


Stockholm, Sweden

Oaxen (Contemporary Swedish focus on seafood)
A restaurant that is located in the most beautiful scenery of Stockholm, Sweden, in the archipelago just a stone throw outside of the city. The restaurant has won numerous of awards around the world and is categorized as one of the best restaurants in the Northern Europe. It has also won 2 Micheline Stars in the famous Micheline Guide. 60 seats are available inside and 50 additional seats are used for the summer on the outside just by the Baltic Sea. Great food, high standards, lovely service and absolutely wonderful scenery. This is well worth the price, even though it is a bit high.

Rated by: Kristian Kull

Operakällaren (International Haute Cusine)
Stefano Catenaccis amazing team has brought Operakallaren yet again back on track for this beautiful restaurant. This is probably one of the most historical food & beverage outlets in Sweden when it comes to fine dining and well known culinary experiences. The restaurant has also been given one star in the Micheline Guide this year for its excellence in service and high performance to deliver gastronomic experiences to its guests.

Rated by: Kristian Kull

Esperanto (Contemporary European)
This restaurant brings something innovative and different to the table. A must try is the spring lamb poached in its own fat, silver onion and lambs liver in chickpea rilette. The restaurant has also one star in the Micheline Guide. The restaurant also offers a very nice variety of wines, which is very important for WesternTaste.com. They try to use more specialized wines that are not easy to find, which we like very much.

Rated by: Alexander Yu

Lux Stockholm (Contemporary Swedish)
Henrik Norström has brought the Swedish culinary scene to another level. To bring contemporary Swedish cuisine to an international level and uplift it in the competitive market of food & beverage in Stockholm is very hard; however Henrik has proven his point by raising the bar and providing prestigious gastronomic experiences, high standards and amazing passion for food.

Rated by: Alexander Yu