Until I began to research this trip, I hadn’t known of the “Backfika” phenomenon in Stockholm, where Michelin-rated restaurants often operate lower priced bistros. Last week, I visited “Oaxen” and today, I had lunch at a place called “Eriks Backfika”, which in this case, is a close relative of Gondolen, the iconic Stockholm restaurant with excellent views.
It was lunch with a man I first met in 2010, Anders Held from Swedish Radio, one of the organisers and co-founders of the annual “Radio Days Europe” conference. He has also visited Australia on several occasions. With a real passion for radio, it was great to catch up with him. We swapped quite a few ideas.
Sandra and I also caught up for a bite to eat tonight at a place called “Klang Market”, at Hornstull. We both chose a spicy chicken tacos, which were excellent. During the trip here there’s definitely been a deepening in our friendship which began seven years ago, through our blogs, and a chance meeting on my final day in Stockholm back in 2010. I’ve really enjoyed being in the same city as her and I think she’s really enjoyed having me around also.
I also called into one of my favourite bars, “Torget”. Like many gay bars these days, it seems to suffering. Everytime I’ve visited this trip, there has been just a handful of people sitting around looking at the mobile phone. Yes, there are other bars which have come to replace them, including the nearby “Secret Garden” which seemed quite popular Monday night. But given the history of “Torget”, I think it’s sad, nonetheless.