Björk Swedish Brasserie & Side Store

“Good evening. And Welcome! Would you like an aperitif?” “Why, of course!” “Here you are, sparkling apple cider” – (wow!) – “And to nibble a small smørrebrød with smoked salmon”. “Let the amazement begin”, I immediately thought! I loved everything about Björk. The warmth and the smiles of the those who work here. The attention and the care. The designer furniture typically of Nordic inspiration, with lots of light wood (Björk in Swedish literally means birch), the warm atmosphere but still chic, thanks to the lights and the accessories in colored glass, and the food. Obviously.

But what exactly is Björk? It’s several things all together: it’s a restaurant, store, brasserie and food shop. So you can eat, but also buy and take away to your home/office whatever the kitchen prepares. There’s a large social table at which you can sit in the most hidden dining hall of the locale, but there are also more intimate tables for two/four people, or there are also comfortable stools at the counter facing the street (ideal for a quick lunch or a pre-dinner aperitif).

At the entrance there is a beautiful food counter standing out, that has lots of mini smørrebrød inside (literally “buttered bread”, usually offered with smoked salmon, boiled potato, aneto and Swedish mustard) that quickly tempt you to “sin”. And then, placed a little all over the shop are beers, wines, food products that are typical of Northern Europe. You could go crazy. At Björk you can taste reindeer meat, moose, smoked salmon, herring prepared with different marinades and modes of cooking, soups, various vegetarian dishes and then the always awesome Swedish meatballs. If we wouldn’t have ordered them we would have regretted it for life! We have the little girls inside us to thank for that!

Björk began in 2012 inside a hotel in Aosta, and in 2014 it opened in Milan, in the ethnic district par excellence, the area of Porta Venezia, thanks to the intuition of Giuliana Rosset (Aosta born with a past in fashion) and Nicola Quadri (responsible for the design of the concept). And considering the success this place is having, Nicola and Giuliana certainly have the formula right! The wine card is small but has some fun options.

My first time here, at Björk was a real treat: an evening of happy times, a good chat, and feeling good. It’s like another famous Björk once said, in one of her songs… “It’s, oh, so quiet… It’s, oh, so still. You are all alone. And so peaceful until… You Fall In Love”. So one more Flawless place I have fallen in love with.