Shibumi

Shibumi is a very good little restaurant. The food, while neither novel or unique (Tapas-​style, with an Asian spin on Western dishes), is very well made and presented, with careful attention to flavours and presentation. Most of the dishes were spectacular (Fish & Chips, Gyoza, Sliders, Chicken Skins), and others just pretty good (Grilled Avocado, Tartare). Overall, I thought the food was 4.5 stars.
The dishes came pretty fast and consistently, though we had to remind the server about one forgotten dish, and a couple of times there were some fairly lengthy gaps between servings. She seemed harried, so perhaps it was a challenging evening. She also seemed a put out with us a couple of times, like when we seemed to not be ordering fast enough. On the other hand, the young woman who brought the dishes to the table was delightful and friendly, and well informed on the dishes (I think she was the hostess too). Service rates 3 stars (2 for one, 4 for the other).
The wine list was pretty basic, a mix between very expensive wines and a few reasonably-​priced ones. We ordered the Languedoc at SEK650, which was very good. Few by-​the-​glass selections. My Martini was served ²⁄₃ full (Oh, Bond, Where Art Thou?), with a wee bit too much Vermouth. 3 Stars.
The restaurant isn’t immediately obvious to find: it is in the basement of the Rakultur building, accessible around the corner. No signs, and a bizarre nautically-​themed door as entrance both we and our friends got lost finding it. The restaurant itself is small, but cozy. For a restaurant that deliberately provides minimal advertising and branding as an anti-​promotion-​promotion mechanism, I expected the interior to be VERY distinctive. It wasn’t. 2 stars.
Lastly, getting in requires reserving WELL in advance, which given the size is understandable. Ask for a table closer to the front door. For SEK1,250/person, its definitely on the pricey side. Its worth trying, but I still think Nybrogatan 38 is better, and greater value.

Shibumi was my final dinner in Stockholm and a great note to end on.
It’s a little hard to find, only because there’s no sign on the door and it’s tucked around the corner from the road (you know, only that). Once inside, you’ll find a mood-​lit to the point of being dark, but lovely space with happy people eating fantastic food.
If you can, sit by the bar, as you get that chance to watch the chef’s prepare and serve out the food. Just watching them makes me hungry.
The plates are very small. Still good for sharing, but they are tiny. We thought we’d do four dishes between the two of us, but it turns out we needed six, and even that was juuuuuuuust enough.
There were some standout dishes without a doubt. We got both the scallop and beef tartar and both, excellent, especially with a generous helping of rice crackers to go with. The softshell crab came with these bread potato rolls that were fantastic, although I felt like the crab could have upped it’s game (a little cold and a little flavourless.) And the beef sliders were tiny but amazing, one of the best bites of burgers in my entire life.
If I were to go again, I’d stay away from the chef’s choice of pickles (you get five different types of veggies and I didn’t love a single one, and I love pickles) and the shitake mushrooms were only ok. Nothing that blew my mind.
The service here is top notch, we were constantly checked on and made sure things were going well. My only real complaint is that the food comes out sporadically. Sometimes you feel like you’re waiting forever for dishes and sometimes three will come down at once. When our final dish came and finished, I had actually forgotten it was our final dish and sat there waiting for more. Sad. If there could be a little more consistency in the dishes, I think I would have appreciated each one more.
But a small complaint since each dish was amazing. It’s not a cheap meal by any meals, but it is a delicious one. Perfect for a casual but still elegant kind of evening.

I came to Shibumi with expectations sky high and super excited so that often leads to disappointment. In some ways I was also disappointed but in other ways my expectations were exceeded but more on that to follow. First off Shibumi is Sayan Isakssons (who runs Esperanto and Råkultur) take on the Japanese izakaya (basically the Japanese equivalent of a pub). It is in the same building as the other restaurant but a bit tricky to find (look for the sign in the pavement) as it is a side entrance leading down to the basement.
Having spent some time in Japan I think my expectations of what an Izakaya should be are a bit different than what they are trying to achieve here. When we entered I saw something that felt much more like a stylish Japanese restaurant and it was clear that the design has also been inspired by the Nordics. We were quickly seated at the bar while we were waiting for the rest of the people in our group. The bar is really nice and stylish, the cocktails are crafted with a lot of care and skill. Still in my world the interior and type of drinks served have very little to do with an Izakaya so at this point I was just feeling that it was a mismatch with what I was expecting.
When were seated at the table we were promptly brought our menus. No English menus (not sure if just now as they newly opened or if it will always be like that) available but they offered to translate everything. A bit surprising was however that we got no question if we wanted the menu explained so we had to specifically ask and then got the explanation (cold dishes on the left, hot dishes on the right, divided in vegetable, fish and meat). They recommend 3 – 5 dishes per person and sharing s we started off by just picking a few each for the table to share. Price wise the dishes range from as low as 25 SEK (for the Tsukemono=basically pickled things) for the tiny sides up to over 150 SEK (some fish dishes and the gyoza).
We went through large parts of the menu ordering the following:
— Razor clams (nothing special),
— Sweetbread Japanese curry (very interesting and flavorful dish)
— Shibumi beef sliders (delicious little things, one of the favorites but tiny and fairly expensive)
— Gyoza (decent but also super over-​priced at 155 SEK for 4 small Gyozas)
— Lamb chops (good but nothing to write home about)
— Shiitake with egg and air dried chicken (great dish, also one of the favorites on the menu).
— Fried corn (cute little dish that was good but also overpriced)
— Scallops (great dish that really worked with the onions)
— Several tsukemone (cucumber was not good but the daikon and the kimchii were good).
— Egg plant (nothing special).
I think I managed to cover all the dishes. There were some great dishes that were brought out. My main objection would be that they have very little do with what an Izakaya is usually all about (an Izakaya without yakitori is almost unheard of and I was also looking forward to some grilled chicken hearts and such things) and they are usually establishments with focus on cheap and simple food that goes well with some drinks. This is more of a proper restaurant and in that category they are really good so that is why I also give it a four.
I will probably be back but will then probably just go for a few drinks at the bar as that felt much nicer than the actual tables.
It was also clear that they were not really at their best with service. Some food took a long time and we had to wait to be able to get the bill. Service was however friendly and knowledgeable.
They also have a decent selection of beer and the wine and sake list looked impressive.

Shibumi is the new Japanese concept from the owner of Esperanto. I was told by a server in Denmark to go here as his girlfriend is from Stockholm. After a nice dinner upstairs i got a secret backdoor tour to Shibumi below for drinks. It’s a gorgeous space with some very clean simple design. Next time i go i wont eat at their sister restaurant first!