SWEDEN. French cuisine-focused fine-dining restaurant La Girafe by Pontus Frithiof has been unveiled in the Marketplace area of Stockholm Arlanda Airport Terminal 5.
The venture is a partnership between Pontus Group, the company of well-known Swedish chef and restaurateur Pontus Frithiof, and operator Nordrest, which now runs four food & beverage concessions at the airport.
Frithiof, who owns a restaurant of the same name in central Stockholm, has based his menu on classic French gastronomy. He also draws on exotic flavours from Vietnam, Morocco and New Orleans, according to airport operator Swedavia.
La Girafe’s signature dishes include Vietnamese spring rolls, steak tartare ‘Moroccan Beef Tartar Butcher Style’ and veal schnitzel.
The restaurant is split into two sections, known as Bistro and Food & Bar. The latter has the airport’s largest bar counter and offers many dishes from the Bistro menu.
From early morning, breakfast á la carte is served in the Bistro, while a breakfast buffet is available in the Food & Bar section. Through the rest of the day, a large selection of small dishes, starters, main courses and desserts are on offer.
The food is prepared à la minute, with the goal that the guest should be able to receive food within 15 minutes. Some dishes on the á la carte menu are prepared as express dishes and served faster for those travellers who are in a hurry.
Swedavia noted that Frithiof has worked closely with Nordrest Founder & Owner Thomas Dahlstedt since 2015, and the two parties have a franchise agreement for the La Girafe brand.
Swedavia Director of Marketing & Sales Charlotte Ljunggren said: “In our strategy for the commercial offering at Stockholm Arlanda, we asked for a fine-dining concept for those passengers who want something out of the ordinary, and La Girafe will offer just that. The restaurant offers several different concepts that we hope will suit all travellers.”
Nordrest CEO Michael Bühring commented: “We at Nordrest are proud and happy that we have now opened our fourth unit at Arlanda. We look forward to offering an exciting concept that adds something extraordinary for Stockholm Arlanda’s passengers.” 
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