Meet Fanny & Matilda

2021-09-22

We had the chance to talk to Fanny & Matilda, our new superduo in the kitchen. They tell us about their new responsibilities, what we should not miss at Bonnie’s and what their perfect weekend off looks like. 

Hello Fanny and Matilda, the new superduo in the kitchen at Bonnie’s, Bank Hotel’s main restaurant. Tell us, what do you do and how did you end up here?

My name is Fanny Rönnblom, Head Chef of the kitchen at Bank Hotel. I came here a year ago after Arnold’s had to close due to the pandemic. Before that I have been around a bit everywhere, a while in Macao outside Hong Kong, around various restaurants in Stockholm, to return to Stureplansgruppen again. As a Head Chef, I have an overall responsibility for staff, menus, numbers and more. It’s relatively new and challenging for me but at the same time fun and developing!

My name is Matilda, 25 years old, and I am the new Executive chef at Bank Hotel! I make sure that everything runs as it should in the kitchen. Everything from planning around courses to the menu, orders and to everyone feeling good and having FUN at work! That is important to me. I have worked around at various restaurants in Stockholm before this, all to gather as much experience as possible. Experiences I want to use now that I have landed here at Bank Hotel!

Fanny, what’s the best thing about Matilda and Matilda, what’s the best thing about Fanny?

The absolute best thing about Matilda is that she is just like me, and is at the same time my best complement, haha! She works hard, is always happy but has a different kind of basic calm than me. I look forward to discovering and trying new dishes as a team and building something really good together!

The best thing about Fanny is her happy energy and that she always pushes me forward! It’s very easy for me to talk to Fanny, everything from brainstorming ideas to personal things.

For those who have not visited Bonnie’s yet, how would you best describe the restaurant? What can we not miss?

Bonnie’s is located in a luxurious venue that opens up in the middle of Bank Hotel with a mammoth glass roof, large chandeliers, luxurious colors and furniture. You come here if you want an experience with top service, well-cooked food, have a festive evening with friends and drink good wines. Our bestseller is a course we brought from Arnold’s that we felt we were not quite done with. It is grilled sea bass served with a browned chili butter. It’s wow! The dessert Smash the Piggy Bank is really something you must not miss. It changes shape and taste according to the season and we just changed to apple compote and cinnamon ice cream.

What is the funniest, coolest or most memorable restaurant visit you have experienced?

Fanny: I was at a real luxurious lunch at Frantzén last year, it is hands-down the best restaurant we have in Sweden. Otherwise, I have Hong Kong as my favorite food destination because of all the good restaurants there, everything from neighborhood taverns, star restaurants to street food and holes in the wall. My two favorite places are probably Chômchôm and Yardbird.

Matilda: I don’t know why, but I think of the first time I ate at Sturehof. I had just turned 19-year-old and me and a bunch of colleagues went to have dinner at midnight after a long late shift. I remember thinking it was incredibly late and I was impressed that we could actually go out and eat at a restaurant, after we had just cleaned the kitchen. But it was like the first glance at “the restaurant life”. Which I’m now stuck in, haha.

What is your specialty, what do you serve for dinner at home when friends come over?

Fanny: At our home, pasta is very often served. I love pasta, in all different varieties and shapes! Like wishing I had an ounce of Italian blood somewhere far away or that I was Italian in a previous life.

Matilda: I offer pizza topped with roe! Just some friends around the dining table, pizza bases going in and out of the oven and nobody’s bubble glass is ever empty.

Finally, can you give us tips for the weekend? What does the perfect weekend look like?

Fanny: A perfect weekend starts with me being in phase with work early on Friday, so I can fix, clean and organize after the preparations are done. Then the evening chefs come in, the atmosphere is bubbly and there are a lot of booked tables but with a good spread in time so when I leave for a weekend off, I do it with a good feeling and peace in mind. The sun is shining (!!), I am a real summer kid and must see the sun to be happy, haha. I meet some friends, preferably some I have not seen in a while, my boyfriend Viktor is also there. Completely stress free, we have a nice After Work in the sun. Then we go home and have the days before prepared for a super dinner with good wines. LOTS of food, that’s our signature when we invite for dinner. Then we sit up half the night, preferably out on the patio with lit candles. Saturday starts nice and calm, later we have booked a table somewhere with friends and have a real nice dinner out. It has clearly been less of those lately (due to Covid) but look forward to starting to experience new restaurants again! Sunday is brunch day, then a wonderful long walk and a good cozy dinner at home.

Matilda: The only important thing for me when I have a weekend off is not to have any musts! Just walking to different lovely restaurants and bars on a Saturday in September is not too bad! Some bubbles at Papillon? A drink at Tetto? Biff Rydberg at Ulla Winbladh? Yes, there are very nice things to do in Stockholm!