Martin Berg is bringing a taste of Scandinavia to Dublin. When ARKET touches down in Dublin today at 60 Dawson Street, not only will it present its assortment of Scandinavian minimalism and curated lifestyle products, but it will herald the arrival of an ARKET Café too.
The Swedish retailer’s seasonal vegetarian café and coffee shops are a staple found inside most of its boutiques across the globe. With the launch of the Dublin edition, ARKET wants to offer the local community “a slower pace and a breathing space in the midst of the shopping district.” Berg is the man behind it all.
As the head chef and concept creator for its culinary arm, Berg is guided by the New Nordic culinary movement, which zeroes in on seasonal, sustainable, and ethically sourced ingredients. Born in Södertälje, Sweden, in 1976, he cut his teeth as a baker and a chef in Michelin-starred kitchens in Stockholm before assuming the reins at ARKET in 2016. With Nordic flair, the Dublin menu boasts dishes like miso aubergine grain bowls, delectable seasonal pastries like orange cardamom buns, and roasted pepper and parmesan sandwiches, while specialty coffee and iced matcha is poured. Almost a decade into his role, Berg tells IMAGE what Dublin can expect from the launch of the ARKET Café. “Dublin seems like such a wonderful place,” he says.
What can Dubliners expect from the café experience?
We are really looking forward to opening in Dublin and presenting a full assortment version of our ARKET café. This means hot and cold drinks, pastries, savoury dishes like salads, our Nordic grain bowls, sandwiches, and soup during the colder months of the year. This is our way of offering Nordic cuisine in a format that suits the modern people of today. It is a small everyday vegetarian eatery and coffee shop.
Will there be any locally sourced ingredients or regional twists?
We always source our vegetables and dairy products locally. When it comes to local twists, we also need to get to know our local customers a little more. We will open with our regular assortment, but we are always open to adding a local touch to our menus through both food and drinks. It is important for us to open first and then, once we meet our customers, we can gather feedback and develop the offering to better suit the local audience.
Have you noticed any similarities between Irish and Nordic food culture?
There are quite a lot of traditional similarities between our cuisines, especially in preserving methods like pickling, smoking, and salt curing. Both cultures have long winters that required food preservation, and you can still see traces of that in the way we cook today. We also both rely heavily on grains, root vegetables, and dairy products.
Dublin's ARKET Café at 60 Dawson Street
How do you ensure the café feels like part of the local community?
This is an important responsibility for our local staff who work to connect with guests and make everyone feel welcome. Our area teams invest a lot of effort into this through training and recruitment. It is a core part of our identity to connect with people in the local market. ‘Humble’ is a word I use often, and I believe it is important to reflect that in everything we do while staying true to the concept.
How do you hope visitors respond to the café?
I hope they will come and discover this modern version of ‘fika’ [the Swedish term means ‘coffee break’]. I also believe our café will become part of the local food scene. Many people are looking for a tasty vegetarian place for everyday meals, especially for lunch. In addition, I’m sure our pastries, coffee, and cold drinks will make the café a popular local spot to spend time in.
Have you spent any time in Dublin ahead of the launch?
I’ve been to Dublin before, although not specifically for this opening. However, our local colleagues have spent quite a bit of time there. I’m looking forward to experiencing the local food and café scene. I’m a curious person, and I’m sure I will discover interesting things that will inspire me in my cooking and future development. Dublin seems like such a wonderful place.
ARKET is now open at 60 Dawson Street.
Photography by ARKET.
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