We are delighted to welcome you to ROX
ROX is a restaurant and meeting place where people come together to celebrate design, premium crafts, sustainable food and drink, and especially a consideration and reverence for all that is around us. It is a unique place with a vision to transform the Swedish scene for sustainable food and design of superior quality.
Our restaurant traces its origins back to the 18th century Oxenstierna manor and farm for growing vegetables, rearing livestock and for recreation. This is a building with a long history of tradition, serving a clear purpose but also somewhat of a forgotten oasis. Today, it is a place for celebrating the farmer, the small-scale producer, the little local dairy farm and propel them all into the kitchen of the future.
Sustainability – always at every step of the way
At the heart of it all is our sustainable, innovative and constantly experimental kitchen where everything that can be utilized is refined and transformed into a taste sensation. Minimal waste for us is both an opportunity as well as a challenge to come up with novel ways to use every last bit of everything and to be thrifty with our resources. Another pervading aim of ours is to inspire others to take the same creative pathways as we do. We follow the seasonal calendar for crops, meat and animal products and collaborate closely with our farmers in order to put together a menu that showcases the very best of what the farmer has harvested that particular day.
Quality – an environmental issue
Quality is currently most often considered a luxury, whereas quantity is the norm. But it is our belief that quality is a superior choice since it is created to last a long time. Well conceived design consistently maintains its flair and does not waste natural resources since it contributes to less, but more qualitative, products. Quality is imperative to an environmentalist! Quality is easily discernible; a sense of authentic, natural and pure materials can all be felt at the fingertips.
Consideration – for nature, humankind and the local aspect
A deep-rooted care for all that is around us permeates our restaurant. This is manifested as consideration for nature, each other, our guests and those who constitute the backbone of our production: small-scale Swedish farmers, producers, factories, weaving mills and foundries. We cherish and support qualitative Swedish crafts in every field!
Origin – knowing the ins and outs of everything that is produced
In today`s society, the origins of a product is often of little importance. We import from far away countries and are not particularly bothered about the social ramifications or in terms of resources and competition. Knowledge about the sender is in most cases negligible. ROX takes a stand for a different approach. We know who blew the glass, who grew the carrot and who extracted the honey. We even know which flowers the bees landed on! We know from which particular woodland our floors originated from and where our tiles were made. There is a sense of reverence and understanding when we serve food on a plate that was handmade just a couple of miles away from the restaurant.
Design – everyone`s unique way of free expression
A well conceived design which takes its departure from function, aesthetics, sustainability, innovation and a measure of audacity makes our dining room come alive. The artists have been at liberty to create freely, independently of one another, thus contributing to the originality of the unusual decor.
Sebastian Schildt - Now or never!
I said to myself two as I stood in my silver atelier and watched the neighbours move out from the beautiful 18th century building opposite me; a real gem in the heart of Stockholm.
I have for a long time had a dream of creating a sanctuary for all the senses, where art, crafts, food and meetings come together, and inspire people to be just people. This unique place is now finally a reality, and it is an equally exhilarating and challenging journey.
An outstanding array of enthusiasts in the fields of design, art and craft has made its mark on every aspect of the interior of the restaurant. The next dimension of this experience is the addition of scent and taste under the guidance of one of Sweden's foremost food creators - Elvira Lindqvist. Together with a select team in the kitchen and the restaurant, she will bring our taste buds into the future, showing that gastronomy and sustainability are two sides of the very same coin.
I’m hopeful that The Oxenstiernan Restaurant will become a genuine meeting place where creativity and conversations lead to laughter and wisdom.
Elvira Lindqvist - Creative Director
I have always had a passionate relationship with crafts and seek out different ways to express myself with my hands. I found my way to the kitchen at an early age and as a chef I was able to develop my creative energy, cultivate an interest in group dynamics and immerse myself in the joy of creating something that others can experience and enjoy.
As a chef, I came into close contact with the hard-working farmers and producers who facilitated my work. When I started to understand the symbiotic relationship between nature and the human hand, my cooking assumed an added dimension beyond simply preparing a good meal. This entails knowledge about what to grow and how to grow it in order to keep the soil thriving, as well as which animals are fine to eat and which are best left in the forest or in the water. It is a constant learning curve, one that I find extremely interesting and enriching. The issue of what, how and why coupled with my quest to learn more and to tie together knowledge with my cooking, is of paramount importance to me.
When Sebastian asked me if I would like to be part of Restaurant Oxenstierna, I reached another milestone. How wonderful to get the opportunity to run a restaurant where all of these individual parts fit like a jigsaw puzzle, fusing into one another to form a beautiful picture of a sustainable Sweden.
It is always a great challenge to build something from scratch and to do so in the midst of a pandemic certainly complicates matters! However, this restaurant is the beginning of something new and extremely exciting.
Whilst sustainability is an over-used term that many easily throw around without any deeper significance whatsoever, to us it truly defines what we do – in every aspect of the word. Sustainability for nature, social sustainability by creating a culture where everyone is welcome and where there is place for everyone, as well as a living neighbourhood and a proud partner for farmers, producers and designers.
We feel right at home together with our group of aficionados who really and truly love what they do, and we believe that we have succeeded in creating quite a unique place.
