Vyn means view, and Daniel Berlin's elegantly refined restaurant and boutique hotel, tucked into the very southeastern corner of Sweden, earned two Michelin stars less than a year after opening. Our co-founder Jenny sat down with the team to find out what drives the vision, how the kitchen thinks about ingredients, and why OM-SE feels like a natural part of life at Vyn.
You opened in 2023. How did Vyn come to be?
Amanda Åström, Hotel Manager at Vyn, takes us back to the beginning. Before Vyn, Daniel ran Daniel Berlin Krog in Skåne-Tranås, which held two Michelin stars before he closed it in September 2020. He had been searching for a new home in Österlen, and this space had land and room to build something he couldn't before, including somewhere for guests to stay. It felt immediately right.
"Vyn is really all about this place, the very nature of it"
– Daniel Berlin
What came first — the restaurant or the hotel?
At Daniel's previous restaurant there was no accommodation, and while he worked with local guesthouses, he had no control over the experience once guests left his table. At Vyn, we can accompany guests from the welcome drink at check-in through the full dinner experience, a comfortable night's sleep, and breakfast the next morning. That said, you do not need a restaurant booking to stay. You are very welcome to come without one.
The aesthetic feels very considered. Tell us more.
You really feel that this is Daniel's place. The interiors draw on classic Swedish vernacular architecture combined with clean modernism, minimalist but warm. Muted tones echo the colours of the surrounding landscape, with natural stone and wood providing textural contrast.
“The door has taken on a life of its own. Guests photograph it constantly.”
The door into the dining room was made by Carsten Nilsson, who also crafted the two Michelin star markers in wood beside the dining room entrance, along with several other details throughout the space.
Why are no two visits to Vyn's kitchen ever the same?
Daniel's menu doesn't change; it evolves. Slowly, and always on the season's terms. Asparagus disappears almost as soon as it arrives. Seafood lingers through the colder months. Some dishes stay for weeks, others are gone before guests have had a chance to return for them.
We have one chef fully dedicated to developing the menu, and all senior chefs contribute to that work throughout the year. It's a constant, ongoing process rather than a fixed number of changes annually. The result is a menu that is never quite finished, and never quite the same twice.
“Quality is always the priority."
Tell us more about how you select ingredients.
Our starting point is always local. And quality is always the priority. The Österlen region offers a remarkable range of high-quality produce, and Daniel and his team grow, forage, and hunt many of the ingredients themselves. His familiarity with every element on the plate runs very deep. These are personal dishes in the most literal sense.
“OM-SE aligns closely with our philosophy and approach to ingredients.”
Do you have your own garden?
Yes, it has grown enormously from a few growing boxes along the side of the hotel into a real presence on the property. Most of what we grow is edible, but we also cultivate many decorative flowers. Fresh throughout spring and summer, then dried for autumn and winter. They appear on the room shelves, and we sometimes give small bouquets to returning guests with a handwritten note. It is one of the ways we make people feel chosen, rather than simply booked in.
“Guests tell us that their shoulders drop the moment they step through the front door.”
What do guests feel when they walk through your door?
Relaxed and cared for. Our job is to make people feel comfortable enough to truly enjoy themselves. Guests tell us that their shoulders drop the moment they step through the front door. That means everything.
We have 15 rooms, and we deliberately chose not to install TVs. Only the two suites have screens, since guests tend to stay longer there. Instead, we provide board games and cards, and guests genuinely use them. We want Vyn to offer a moment to slow down, and perhaps even a way of having conversations that everyday life doesn't always make room for.
“We use OM-SE ourselves. That matters.”
OM-SE skincare is available to guests at Vyn. Why is this partnership a natural one?
OM-SE aligns closely with our philosophy and approach to ingredients. The demands we place on kitchen quality connect directly to how you at OM-SE think about what goes into your products.
Beyond that, the products are beautiful objects. They fit Vyn's aesthetic in a way that feels entirely uncontrived. The same thread that runs through OM-SE runs through this place.
And we use OM-SE ourselves. That matters. We can talk about these products from our own experience, not just as a stocked item. When guests ask, we have genuine things to say.
Is there a best time of year to visit Vyn?
Each season brings its own distinct character. In summer, Österlen is lush and warm. But on a raw, stormy day, guests tend to find themselves drawn inside, and the dramatic coastal weather becomes part of the experience rather than an obstacle.
We see more and more guests returning at different times of year, and that means a great deal to us. We are very focused on making guests feel seen and at home, so they want to come back. A returning guest is the best review you can get.
“The food & wine bar serves an à la carte menu of seasonal snacks and dishes.”
Tell us about the private dining room.
We call it Ateljén – the atelier – because we wanted the name to reflect something beyond just dining. There is art on the walls, flowers from our own garden, and a feeling that it could host almost anything. Yoga sessions, birthday celebrations, day conferences, wine tastings, and cooking experiences. It seats between two and twenty-four guests.
Can you host a wedding at a thirty-seat Michelin-star restaurant?
Absolutely. We will host a wedding for up to 150 guests, which is quite something given that the main restaurant usually seats thirty. It just takes a little creativity and a willingness to find solutions. The result is equally good.
When in Skåne, can you just turn up at Vyn?
Yes, you can! We have a separate food & wine bar offering an intimate space with a lovely outdoor area for sunny days and warm evenings. The food & wine bar serves an à la carte menu of seasonal snacks and dishes, and its menu is closely connected to that of the main restaurant, designed to work together so that all aspects of the locally sourced produce are used thoughtfully and well. No booking needed. In summer, the greenhouse also becomes a cocktail bar in its own right, and the whole site takes on a different, more expansive energy.
Photo credit: Jimmy Linus
