Pierre Orsander is a food writer, content creator, and all-around foodie based in Malmö, Sweden. Known for his passion for exploring new dining experiences, he has visited nearly 500 restaurants in his hometown. Pierre also runs the website FOODGUIDE.se, where he shares his favorite spots and recommendations. Always on the lookout for his next project, he is currently working on a book about Malmö’s vibrant falafel scene. Pierre believes that great food experiences come from curiosity and a love for discovering new flavors and places.
Please introduce yourself to our members.
My name is Pierre Orsander, but on Instagram I go by the name of @skitgott (Swedish slang for really good). I’m a freelance food writer, content creator and all-around foodie, as the license plate on my car named Carbonara also reveals. Over the last few years, I have been eating at a lot of restaurants! In Malmö alone I'm close to having visited 500 of them, and in 2017 I ate at 40 restaurants in less than 6,5 hours to set a world record. What drew me into the industry back in the days were burgers however, but now I'm all in on all kinds of food experiences and what they have to offer.
Tell us about your current project.
Currently I'm focusing on a book project about the Malmö falafel scene that has been ongoing for a couple of years now, as well as making an exhibition on food photography happen. However, I primarily spend my time on freelance food writing for magazines, consulting in the industry and exploring new restaurants, cafés and bars to write up recommendations and guides on my site FOODGUIDE.se which now has almost 300 of them. From time to time I also arrange events for the food community The Hungries, as well as produce new episodes of my podcast Gastronomipodden where I talk with people in the industry. And who knows, perhaps another TV-project is cooking soon...
Tell us about the restaurant scene in Malmö.
I’m based in Malmö, often referred to as the capital city of falafel. Back in 2018 I even arranged a falafel festival and world cup in falafel (once again in 2019)! When it comes to the food scene though, Malmö is quite the up and comer of a city. It wasn't all too long ago that the city’s food offering was quite undeveloped but the tides have changed and now it flourishes with great restaurants in every category, from street food to high level gastronomy. What I think defines the food scene in Malmö is that there is usually only one or two restaurants in each category or kitchen of cuisine that really shines, and when they do it becomes a long standing restaurant on the scene. In the end it’s a small city and there is no room for mediocrity. Fun fact is also that the Cantonese restaurant LU, one of my favorites in the city, just opened up their second location in Stockholm with a bang. Good luck Luong and mother Kim!
The only thing I really miss currently on the food scene in Malmö is Japanese BBQ. Until then, I'll simply have to keep my Konro grill warm and do it with friends at home.
What are your three favorite restaurants in Malmö and why?
Always hard to play favorites, as there are a lot of places I enjoy! It really depends on the mood and what I'm craving for the day. When asked this question, I usually ask back what kind of food the person usually likes to give a recommendation in those categories. However, three restaurants that I more than often tend to recommend others visiting in the city are the following:
- SOI 29. It’s authentic, it’s spicy and it’s love at first bite even if you might cry more than tears of joy from the papaya salad. With that said, SOI 29 has been my all-time favorite for as long as I can remember now, and I can't think of Malmö without it! Couple and owners Alexander Norén and Johanna Jarlevik still consistently keep all my favorites around on the menu, and it has become a place that I trust to spend my own birthday at, year after year.
- Mutantur. This contemporary Swedish restaurant run by chef Alexander Sjögren with his team serves up beautiful, well executed bites designed to be enjoyed for sharing in a relaxed ambiance. I like in particular to book a seat at the bar and watch the magic happen in the kitchen while waiting for the dishes to arrive.
- Bouchon. Even if it wasn’t one of my top three places to go back in the day, I've grown to really enjoy and appreciate this place and what it offers to the Malmö food scene. It's a French bistro with inspiration from Lyon at its finest, and is the primary place I would go when I crave Onglet, or when on the menu, Duck à l'Orange. In fact, Bouchon is the restaurant that started these cravings for me.
So far nobody has questioned me on these recommendations, only assuring me what a great evening they had if they actually did give it a visit. I take that as a good sign! If you are curious about my favorites in each category though, I recommend looking up my TV show Gatumat & Gourmet from 2020 where I visit a lot of my favorite restaurants.
If one is willing to travel a bit further from Malmö, I would also recommend booking a visit to Daniel Berlin's new restaurant Vyn in Simrishamn that was just awarded two stars in Guide Michelin for a beautiful dining experience.
"Soi 29 is authentic, spicy and it’s love at first bite even if you might cry more than tears of joy from the papaya salad. SOI 29 has been my all-time favorite for as long as I can remember."
What’s a new restaurant or hidden gem in Malmö that you think is doing great things?
Just recently, Malmö’s first Vermuteria Artesan opened up. Calling it a Vermuteria however, is quite the understatement if you ask me. With a trio consisting of Malmös best in class bartender Stefan Forsberg, chef Daniel Jönsson and coffee expert Filip Åkerblom, this is nerdiness on a whole new level and I think Artisan will impress in all categories. I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops over time.
There’s also a new food truck a bit outside of the city center called Addicted Burgers run by a prior construction engineer that decided to follow his passion in making burgers. I definitely recommend checking it out!
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant and why?
Creative high level gastronomy that goes beyond the food, and bedazzles you with fantastic service, long-lasting impressions and of course immaculate cuisine. There is a magic feeling to part of an experience where the staff is equally excited about your visit as you are, and so far it’s only a handful of restaurants that I think lives up to this.
Hand on the heart though, it’s really all about the people and the passion for making good food and serving it no matter if it’s fine dining, a bistro or simply street food served from a truck. A great service can lift up a less than extraordinary meal, but a terrible and rude service can rarely lift up the entire experience even if the food is immaculate. Would you ever go back to a place with questionable service? For me that’s a definitive no.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
- I mean, how can one not have Copenhagen on the list? I love the city, except for the current currency exchange these days perhaps. I often go over to Copenhagen to explore high and low, small and big, new and old. There is so much to eat, drink and experience when it comes to Copenhagen and that it takes less than an hour to get over door to door for me is the perfect foodie getaway. In the city I have a lot of favorites, but so far one of the best dining experiences i have ever had is Alchemist, it was a highly emotional experience for me and I still get goosebumps just thinking of it. A more casual and recent favorite is Sanchez in Kødbyen where I had a fantastic meal with each dish served individually by a different chef from the kitchen. I also just love casually getting a bottle of wine and enjoying it in the seaside in the sun with a swim at La Banchina or at Rosforth & Rosforth under the Knippelsbro bridge.
- After heading down to Vienna a few years back to spend a few days together with chef Paul Ivic and sommelier André Drechsel at restaurant TIAN, I quickly and unexpectedly fell in love with the city. After this I regularly try to go back to explore places that are still on my to-do list. I have a big crush on the city for all the fantastic casual wine bistros it has to offer such as MAST, o’Boufes and Heunisch & Erben but also high level gastronomy efforts such as TIAN and Steirereck. And yes, of course I also get a käsekrainer and wiener schnitzel while visiting.
- Last but not least, Stockholm. Even if it’s the capital of the same country it’s ironically quicker to go further down in Europe than up to Stockholm due to the long and narrow geography of Sweden. I think the city has evolved a great gastronomy scene over the years, and I enjoy coming back to explore new places while catching up with friends and foodies in the city. So far my top restaurant visit in Stockholm is Frantzén, and I can't wait to come back again soon for a revisit. On the more casual side I can vouch for a visit to Hantverket, Café Nizza and Babette. While in the city I also love to explore the cocktail scene, where Tjoget, A bar called Gemma and Lucy's Flower Shop are a few of my favorites.
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
It used to be steak tartare for a few years. I even got the nickname “Steak tartare guy” at a local restaurant here in Malmö. These days however, even if I still enjoy a good steak tartare, I've grown to be quite fascinated by noodles dishes, let alone addicted to it! One dish in particular is spicy Tantanmen ramen, which I can't even remember how many times I've had over the years, but it’s a lot. And it’s a dish that you are able to get right now at my favorite noodle shop Pink Head Noodle Bar in Malmö run by Australian chef Wade Brown with team.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
After winning 2021 in Årets Kock (Swedish Chef of the Year) at the age of 24, chef Gustav Leonhardt seems to have quite a successful career ahead. In Copenhagen, I'm still baffled by the young age of Rasmus Munk, and what he has managed to achieve at his current age of 33 with Alchemist, and I can't wait to see what other wild stuff he will be cooking over the upcoming years.
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
Speaking of Rasmus Munk, I would love to hear where he would go on a day off for a meal.
