KABIN’s interior evokes a Nordic cabin retreat without straining for effect. Designed by Jeanette Didon – who also designed Brooklyn’s Michelin-starred Aska and Ekstedt in Sweden – the bar features exposed beams, dark woods, and sauna-inspired banquettes. Large windows open in summer to connect the inside with the street; candles and layered lighting shift the atmosphere in winter. Lighting fixtures and textures were sourced directly from the Nordics and Europe, and vases by Colin King for Audo sit alongside a Norwegian flag on the back bar. The bathroom walls are lined with framed photographs taken by owner Alexandra Tangen. Nordic coffee table books and cookbooks are placed throughout the space, and a hytte book sits at the entrance for guests to sign – a detail drawn directly from Norwegian cabin tradition. During the Christmas season, an advent calendar with chocolates is left for guests to find.

The cocktail menu is designed to resemble a vintage Scandinavian Airlines in-flight pamphlet, created in-house and divided into three sections: SEE, EXPERIENCE, and TASTE, guiding guests through the Nordics by visual, cultural, and culinary reference. The leather-bound spirits menu is embossed with the KABIN logo. Custom matchboxes featuring a photograph of Tangen’s Norwegian grandmother sit at the entrance, and check presenters are vintage-style postcards of her childhood cabin boathouse in Norway – Norwegian guests often request to take them home. Norwegian phrases are woven into service throughout the evening, with “ja takk” and “skål” heard regularly across the room.

Several cocktails are presented with interactive or narrative elements that extend the storytelling beyond the glass. The Janteloven arrives with a small sidecar of the same drink, intended for the guest to give to someone else at the table. The 13th Warrior, a Viking-inspired build of Mr Black, Ten to One Dark Rum, pineapple, and honey mead alongside a pony of Miller High Life, is served with the option to drink the two separately or combine them in the true Viking way. 

In-house production includes a coffee cordial developed in close collaboration with the barista team, using La Cabra beans extracted via pour-over with precise temperature, timing, and weight specifications. Fermentation features throughout – preserved lemon and pickled thai bird chilli appear across the menu, with the spent chilli paste repurposed as a hot sauce. Seasonal ingredients are prepped and stored at peak – fig leaves, for example, are bought and processed while still available rather than sourced out of season. Ice arrives as large rocks and spears, stamped with the KABIN logo. Sous-vide and dehydrator equipment is shared between the bar and kitchen teams. The playlist moves from softer atmospheric tracks in the early evening into higher energy selections as the space fills, with Nordic artists including Astrid S, Sigrid, Röyksopp, and Karpe woven throughout.

A daytime coffee programme was introduced after research revealed that most nearby options were large chains, giving the neighbourhood a more accessible point of entry into Nordic culture. The bar partners with Innovation Norway and hosts events including Midsommar, Julemarked, and the Norwegian Founders Club, establishing KABIN as a cultural hub as much as a bar. Grassroots outreach has included visiting local companies, apartment buildings, and neighbourhood hotels with coffee samples to introduce the space to the community around it.