Googly eyes and killer food are about all you can ask for in a restaurant. Södermalm's newest eatery, Bauer, offers both.

Immediately to the right of the Slussen subway exit on Götgatan, Bauer is located where the old neighborhood pub, Krönet, used to be. The Spanish-inspired menu has a big focus on bite-sized dishes in the form of tapas and cheese plates.

When you step inside the door, you'll be greeted by several larger-than-life cartoon figures, including a bear, an owl, a giant pink mouse and a yellow square smiley. A three-letter word is the most apt description of this new watering hole: F-U-N.

Designed by interior graphics duo Dizel&Sate, the quirky characters create a youthful atmosphere with their goofy smiles and hint of animé. Slobodan Zivic explains that each icon represents a particular emotion. “We wanted to illustrate different pleasures and senses — tastes, visions, thoughts, dreams, flavours, sexual pleasures, nightlife, parties,” he says.

The pink mouse was inspired by the quintessential rodent himself, Mickey. Zivic cites a quote from Walt Disney: “I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse." While most restaurants wouldn't do well to flaunt a mouse, in this case, it adds a lot of charm.

My favourite is the insomniac owl, which Zivic says symbolizes nightlife. It's a bit more understated and elegant than the other characters, although the underlying humour is still there.

The allusion to Berlin is also apropos, as the decor in the main room combines a gritty, unfinished feel with a touch of elegance; raw MDF is juxtaposed with ornate moulding that was probably part of the original architecture. It creates an interesting lounge area that also doubles as a gallery space.

As for the food, the tapas, which range between 45-55 kronor, stole the show. The ajo blanco (asparagus soup) was definitely worth writing home about, but even so, it wasn't the best thing on the menu. When I sampled the bacon-wrapped dates, my boyfriend mumbled rather grumpily: “You look like you just had an orgasm, and I didn't have anything to do with it”. (I don't think anything more needs to be said about that).

Having had our appetites fully satisfied by the orgasmic dates, we opted to skip the main courses, which were a bit pricey at around 250 kronor per person. Here you can expect fusion fare, including butter fried jumbo pollock, roasted duck breast coq au vin, and beef angus.

Our only real complaint was the service. The staff were friendly but forgetful — it took 30 minutes for our server to bring bread, and only then after we reminded her twice, by which time the asparagus soup was cold. (It's a good thing I was preoccupied by my dates).

All in all, Bauer deserves a big thumbs up on everything from the decor to the bacon-swaddled figs. It provides an alternative for people wanting to avoid the hype of Stureplan but who are still seeking a little something different. It's casual, yet cool. Stockholm needs more restaurants like this — in other words, places that don't take themselves so seriously.


Address:
Götgatan 15, Stockholm

Phone:
08-640 08 20

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 16:00-01:00
Sat-Sun 15:00-01:00

 

Originally published on 13 March 2008 on www.thelocal.se.

The fictitious assembly of 13 Stockholmers living in a turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau house, designed by Swedish architect Erik Lallerstedt, is not the average Swedish family. Nor is Casa Cor a typical example of minimalist Swedish design.

Casa Cor, which means “house of colours” in Portuguese, is an exhibition concept imported from Brazil, where it was launched in 1987. The venue, known as “T-House,” is open in Stockholm until October 14th, after which the rooms will be dismantled and the objects auctioned off for charity on bidster.com.

The theme of the exhibition is “The Passionate Home” and each room reflects the personality of one member a multigenerational family of 13. The menagerie of characters – including both the ex-wife and her younger replacement – smells of dysfunction and the tension is evident in the contrasts between rooms, each of which represents a different family member’s private retreat. Some, such as Henrik Schulz’ “player’s crib,” with its sleek black glass walls and hidden storage, are impressive but cold, while Indori’s high-tech-yet-homey living room invites visitors to plop down on the couch and stay for awhile.

 

The man’s rock-and-graffiti-inspired garage is fairly underwhelming, filled with miscellaneous tools and tires, until closer inspection; a red tricycle sitting below a dog-eared Jimi Hendrix calendar speaks to the multiple generations who live there. The current missus’s garage is full of bling and diamonds, and Madonna’s “Material Girl” hums in the background, but the real feat there was getting the Audi A5 in by crane through a hole in the roof of the six-storey building.

 

It’s Grandpa’s architectural atelier that really captures the essence of the man who works there. Perhaps because it was created by a man who is himself a grandfather of design, Åke Axelsson. He has been a furniture designer for 58 years, with projects including Stockholm Stadsmuseet and the Riksdag under his belt, and the studio features his new range of furniture called “ÅkeA.” You leave with a feeling of centrality of the creative process to this elderly gentleman’s existence.

 

Grandpa’s studio leads into “The Guest Room for the Bedless,” designed by Emilia Öster, a student at the Swedish University College of Arts Crafts and Design, and Wåhlin architecture firm. A pile of used chairs and other household objects raises questions about the function of a room and ponders the human tendency to accumulate. It not only looks at how the user shapes the space, but also reflects on how the space shapes its user.

 

The next room, designed by WIS, belongs to the ex-wife. The seventies-inspired blue-and-white décor reflects a blend between her previous married life with her new life as a single, independent woman. Lots of baubles and bling, but it’s clear she’s from a different generation than the new lady of the house, and is trying to reinvent herself.

 

Upstairs, you’ll find the children’s playroom, the breakfast nook, the wine room and the teenagers’ room. The mainstay of the latter is Narrativ’s RIP OFF furniture, biodegradable foam blocks covered in a cut away dotted pattern of varying shapes and sizes to allow the user to create his or her own furniture ranging from couches to bookcases.

 

But perhaps the most memorable space was the tropical solarium, designed by Brazilian architect Jordão e Sobrino. “This is definitely not Swedish!” exclaimed one visitor when he entered the room. Pink and gaudy with sand-cover floors, the solarium’s focal points are various metallic interpretations of the female form, complete with diamond nipples. Chaise longues resembling a reclining woman, wearing nothing but a tiger-print g-string, invite visitors to rest their heads between her legs.

 

The assortment of fictive characters living at Casa Cor is certainly a long way off from the Johanssons, the “typical” Swedish nuclear family composed of mamma, pappa and two children. They have provided playful and colorful inspiration for some of Sweden’s leading designers and architects in their creation of an unusual exhibition space. While the lack of continuity between the rooms sometimes makes the experience disjointed for the visitor, the personalities of the family members are captured in the individual rooms. You will leave both amused, and with a few new ideas for your own home.

The Casa Cor exhibition runs from Sept 1-Oct 14 at T-House at Engelbrektsplan 1 in Stockholm. Opening hours: Tues-Wed 11-19, Thurs-Fri 11-20, Sat-Sun 11-19, Closed Mon. Admission: Adults 150 kronor, Pensioners and students 50 kronor. The objects from the exhibition will be auctioned off on Bidster and proceeds will go to the Childhood Foundation charity.

 

Originally published on The Local on 5th October 2007.