Restaurant Essence Stockholm — Restaurant in Stockholm

Did not let me use their toilet neither told me that you can pay for using it just redirected me to the sushi spot

Update: (My answer to the restaurants response)

It was an emergency, and in situations like that there is usually a way to quietly allow someone to use the toilet without disturbing guests, even if the restaurant is booked. I don't doubt that the food and the whole experience was excellent, but I find it disappointing that your response comes to my review comes across as passive aggressive. Interestingly, the nearby sushi spot, which is less luxurious and fancy showed more hospitality to me in the same situation.

You also mentioned that I was attacking your restaurant, but my review is simply my honest opinion based on my experience. Reviews are meant to reflect both the positives and negatives of a visit, and to describe this as an attack is an exaggeration.

The sushi place you redirected me to was close but not 15m away, which made the situation more difficult considering the urgency. If it had not been an emergency, I would never have chosen to approach such a luxurious place just to use the toilet.

My intention is not to harm your business but to talk about my experience and the difference in hospitality I experienced. It is understandable that not every review will be five stars, because real experiences vary. Personally, I would not spend money at a place where paying guests are prioritized to the extent that someone in an emergency is made to feel dismissed.

Update 2: Now of course you would rather have a bad review from a guest that didn’t pay for your service than from one that did that is common sense. However I must state that the way you angle your pov of the interaction isn’t real. I also doubt that your guest remembers that moment as we came in quietly searching for an employee to ask wether I could use the toilet or not. To reiterate my intention was to use a toilet during an emergency and absolutely not bring my friend to the toilet with me. We did not rush anywhere as I still til this day don’t now where the the toilet is located in this facility so the whole claim about rushing somewhere is not true. I am sure the guests wouldn’t mind allowing someone use a toilet during their evening especially as we came in calmly and politely:)

What I was planning was to use the toilet just as I asked you, nothing else. The question I asked should have given you the answer to what I planed. My dear friend followed me into the restaurant which isn’t anything abnormal.

Although I have a very hard time believing one of your private guests stated what you quoted or even remembering the interaction as it was incredibly discreet and rapid getting a bad review for letting someone use the toilet during their dinner is very unlikely. There is no reason for two men to go into a luxury restaurant in order to share a toilet that is ridiculous.

Also being young isn’t equivalent to not having manners so falsifying a story and then trying to add that is not necessary. Also as we have seen throughout this interaction age does not...

A small counter style restaurant. The menu is presented in an envelope and it's the guests choice to open it if they want to spoil the surprise.

Stefan personally plates and presents the dishes and pairings. We're very impressed by Stefan's cooking as usual. It's great value for the money compared to similar restaurants and the wine pairing is strongly recommended.

I have visited Stefan's previous restaurant - Västerås dinner club twice before and this was my first visit on the premier night of his new resturant - Essence. I highly recommend this place to everyone I know. The new restaurant is spacious and stylish. Service is split into two seatings but your seating is reserved for the entire evening.

The tartare is a staple on the menu and is definitely one of the strongest dishes they serve. The wild duck also impressed all of us, especially the ragu. The scallop dish was the best plated dish but unfortunately fell short in flavour compared to the other dishes we were served.

This restaurant has a real chance to pull ahead of its local competitors and is currently a real diamond in the rough.

Our only complaint the entire evening was that the carpaccio was stuck to the plate which made it tear when you tried to lift it with a fork, this made it difficult to eat. A different plate should probably be considered.

We'll definitely be returning and we're already making plans for another...

THE experience that is absolutely worth having! Essence’s food is one of the best ones I have EVER had. The dishes are delicious, surprising, complex and beautifully plated. The visit at Essence is literally a feast for the taste buds and eyes in the same time ❤️ The wine pairing we had that evening was really good, with 2 of them that I will definitely remember for long!

The interactions with the restaurant crew compliments the whole experience, giving it smooth and fun vibe. The little conversations feel casual, natural and simply comfortable. Hands down to the crew for making it work so nicely with 12 people by the counter 😊

Having talked with Stefan a bit over the sitting time, all I can say is that he is simply great. Extremely passionate about cooking and his Essence creation. I believe he himself is the “essence” of the hospitality industry!

Beautiful experience, and we are already planning on getting back there some...