22 replies to this topic

[SeAAttle]

We will be in Oslo the second week in September and would appreciate any restaurant recommendations. Interested in those considered to be among the best in the city.

Will be staying at the Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica. Any comments on the hotel's restaurants would also be appreciated.

[The Viking]

Welcome to Oslo!
It'll probably be fairly frisky weather, so do bring some warm clothes, but you might get one of our odd Indian Summers...

THE best restaurant in town is definetely Bagatelle (+47 2244 6397)under the supervision of Eyvind Hellstrøm. He is particularly good with fish and shellfish and departs at times from his French philosophies. 2 well deserved stars in Guide Rouge.

A close second mightbe Oro (+47 2301 0240), run by Bocuse D'Or winner Terje Næss, althogh he might not be there all the time. More Spanish influenced, maybe, uses a bit of foam and jellies.. High mark ups on the wines, though..

For something completely different try Palace Grill in close by Solli Plass. Small worn restaurant that does NOT accept any reservations and whose menu changes daily, quite innovative cuisine, great scallops with pea pure and their game is legendary. If you're a non smoker you will not like it, as the restaurant itself is so small tha there is definetly nowhere that the smoke doesn't penetrate. Opens at 5pm, and if you want to be sure of a table, be there by 6.

The restaurant of Bølgen&Moi on the outskirts of Oslo, incorporated into Sonia Henie's art gallery should also be a must (+47 6752 1020), but be certain that you book in the restaurant and not the simpler cafe where both food and service doen't live up to it. Winewise great value for money.

The Holmenkollen Park is beautifully situated on the hills overlooking the city, and for some time the restaurant was rather good, the food probably still is. But: Wines are very expensive, and the waiters seem rather to go throgh the motions than enjoying their work and trying to make your evening enjoyable.


I'll be happy to provide other info if needed.

[SeAAttle]

Thanks to The Viking for great suggestions. We will see where our hosts take us and then perhaps try Bagatelle and/or Oro. Will probably pass on Palace Grill since cigarette smoke is an issue of us. Bolgen&Moi also sounds very interesting.

Any other suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Always very helpful to hear from a local.

I hope that I can reciprocate with recommendations if you travel to Seattle. Just post a request on the US/Pacific Northwest site.

[mdibiaso]

If you go to bagetelle see if you can get the salad with foie gras in beet root bon bons. Or anything with the foiegras beet root bon bons. They are to die for. Well the wine has a hefty mark up they do serve matched wines by the glass to every course which I would strongly recommend especially if you get a tasting menu.

[The Viking]

SeAAttle:
Well, maybe you have just been here and experienced our great weather...

Maybe going a bit off topic...

Hope you did try Bagatelle. Took my two daughters aged 6 & 9 there yesterday for an early dinner, and it was once again great! 5 course+ meal, dishes served a bit speedier than normal, in at 6.15, out by 8.20 pm.
Apart for my youngest one trying to order hot cocoa for drinks at the start, they made perfect and not too challenging cuisine for the littl'uns, who savoured grilled crayfish, risotto with porcini and tiny cubes of apples, wild duck with a richly reduced sauce, gnocci and haricorts verts, great desserts and petit fours.

Not all of the dishes we're amongst the young ones' favourites, but they truly enjoyed the diversity of flavours, AND the youngest one did get her hot (Valhrona) chocolate along side her dessert.
Speaking to Mr. Hellstrøm afterwards in the hallway, also thanking him for av very sympathic tab, he said that he had followed the progress of our meal from a distance, and considered the reduced bill more of an investment in future business, as especially the eldest one had shown such expressions of sheer delight at some of the dishes and its individual components.
And last, but not least: The atmosphere at Bagatelle whilst not being overly formal, transformed my two small "potential bombs of ill temper" into well behaved flexible kids, and enjoying that as well...

[SeAAttle]

We returned a few days ago and are recovering from jet lag. It was a real treat to visit your wonderful city again after 30 years (we lived in Stockholm for 2 years in the 1970s and traveled extensively in Scandinavia).

Our hosts made most of the arrangements for our visit so we did not have a chance to experience Bagatelle, which I now regret. We stayed at the Holmenkollen hotel - a truly beautiful place - and had dinner one night in De Fem Stuer. Excellent in service, food and setting. Our hosts took us to Bar og Restaurant on Kirkeveien near Majorstuen Station. I highly recommend it for its creative approach to the preparation. Also, I love the extremely tall entrance door.

We had one dinner at the Holmenkollen Restaurant down the road from the Holmenkollen Park Hotel. While the view was spectacular, the food was not especially noteworthy. However, we were quite tired and did not want to travel into Oslo.

All in all, a delightful visit to your wonderful, although very expensive city. Thanks for your advice and interest.

[The Viking]

Last week I stumbled upon a new small restaurant in Oslo, only holding approx. 20-25 guest places. It's called "Restaurant Oscars gate", situated centrally and within walking/tram distance of most attractions/hotels.
This hole in the wall provides mainly a tasting menu (8 courses+ nidbits in the front and tail end) and with a style I'd describe as crossover between Cinc Sentits, Troisgros and El Raco de Can Fabes (If you have the imaginatison that is..)

Highlights for us were the leg of quail with powdered foie gras, the cheese dish which had a piece of deep fried cheese on top of melted Brillais Savarin, aubergine raviolis with chanterelles and seafood broth etc.. The Petit Fours were presented as miniature chess players on a chess board, elegant and plentyful!

Wine list to die for, more than 300 bins that were ranging from approx. Euro 34-2,000.- with the latter being La Tache 1990..

We paired our 8 course menu (Euro 100) with a wine menu (Euro 70-80), and it matched perfectly..
As would have it, we were there approx. at the same time as one of the major newspapers' critics, as we could identify each course we had in their report later the same weekend..

http://www.oslopuls....urant&id=998486

Oslo kept its stars in this edition of Michelin guide, but IMHO this one could rival Bagatelle's 2* at least what's being presented on the plates.

[Mumin]

Intreasting how advanst was the food!
I hav heard a lot abowt the place the last time!
And only good things!
Is it worth the money to wisit?

Mumin ses hi!

[Culinista]

Thanks for the recommendation, Viking. I checked out the restaurant June 1.

All in all, an interesting little place, very ambitious with a young team headed by Bjorn Svennson, who looks about 25 or 26. He did a 3-month stage at El Bulli. The food is fashion-forward for Scandinavian standards but I think not really world class, at least not at the moment. Still, I think they are doing a good job with a tiny, new kitchen and limited resources.

I had the tasting menu. Amuses were very strong and well executed, quite elegant, if almost overly substantial.

There was a thin, 4" square of salmon scattered with enoki mushrooms under transluscent slices of cucumber which would have been very nice if it weren't marred by an ill-conceived lime coconut sorbet and a thick, cloying soy sauce that unfortunately turned out to be homemade. There were also cubes of raw tuna topped with caramelized onion going on.

This was followed by an elaborate eggplant ravioli with eggplant puree, summer truffles, and cepes. The cepes tasted fresh, but I have no idea where they could have come from.

Then a square of vanilla brandada topped by an olive-crusted skate wing, a scoop of cauliflower couscous, and celery root puree. Once again, I felt like there was too much going on, and the vanilla brandada and other delicate white foods were drowned in "Sauce Navarra" that tasted pretty much like veal jus with truffle oil.

Two palate cleansers, and then on to crisp lamb sweetbreads with rosemary with asparagus and morels, chunky potato/truffle puree. Again, drowned in overly salty meat jus, but otherwise a very nice combo.

Strongest dish of the evening was an almost puddinglike, probably sous vide chicken breast with a beautiful carrot cylinder filled with orange-carrot puree and capped with a disk of caramelized sugar. The rest of the ensemble on the plate was seared foie gras on a mound of salty cabbage salad with minced veal tongue, little sticks of salsify wrapped in potato with a very El Bullish wrapped potato pillow, and a tiny stick of zucchini in a thin pepper hoop.

Desserts were mini popsicles, ice cream cones, sorbets, etc. The signature is a full chessboard of white chocolate mignardises to go with coffee.


I'd say Bon Lloc, Bagatelle and Chez Dominique are still better, although I liked Oscarsgate's more casual, less self-conscious atmosphere and it is probably a better value for the money. I had a good time even though I was dining alone. The crowd was fairly young, professional types, and the restaurant was fully booked.

[John Talbott]

May’s Bon Appetit had an article on the “Hot 10/euro bargains” that mentioned Lille Herbern.

[Time]

Is there any change in Oslo's restaurant scene since the last big post here? I'm gonna be in Oslo this weekend and was wondering if there were any wonderful bistro-esque places worth visiting without extortionate prices..

[Christopher Haatuft]

Is there any change in Oslo's restaurant scene since the last big post here? I'm gonna be in Oslo this weekend and was wondering if there were any wonderful bistro-esque places worth visiting without extortionate prices..

I could tell you of a place in Bergen ;)

But, Ive heard a lot of good about Mares, esp the fish and foie
http://www.mares.no

[John Talbott]

December's Conde Nast Traveler recommended: Sult + Hell's Kitchen for pizza, Delicatessen + Yaya's for tapas and Thai respectively and Brasserie Blanche + Nodee for Asian.

[The Viking]

December's Conde Nast Traveler recommended: Sult + Hell's Kitchen for pizza, Delicatessen + Yaya's for tapas and Thai respectively and Brasserie Blanche + Nodee for Asian.

Sult hardly serves any pizza worth mentioning, and calling Brasserie Blanche Asian will have its chef running after you with a set of FRENCH steak knives. Brasserie Blanche is definetely bistro French influenced.

Nodee though is spot on Pan Asian with arguably the best sushi in town.

Oscarsgate is very much back on form after its first Michelin*. Reserve well ahead.

Cru is an exciting new local bistro with extremely limited menu, but reciprocally extremely nice winelist.

[Christopher Haatuft]

I had a great thai meal at Plah earlier this fall and underwhelming sushi at Alex Sushi.

[John Talbott]

December's Conde Nast Traveler recommended: Sult + Hell's Kitchen for pizza, Delicatessen + Yaya's for tapas and Thai respectively and Brasserie Blanche + Nodee for Asian.

Sult hardly serves any pizza worth mentioning, and calling Brasserie Blanche Asian will have its chef running after you with a set of FRENCH steak knives. Brasserie Blanche is definetely bistro French influenced.

Nodee though is spot on Pan Asian with arguably the best sushi in town.

Oscarsgate is very much back on form after its first Michelin*. Reserve well ahead.

Cru is an exciting new local bistro with extremely limited menu, but reciprocally extremely nice winelist.

It should have read: Nodee for Asian.

[rlibkind]

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I are heading back to Oslo 15 years after my first, brief visit there; this one will only be for five nights, too. We'll be staying just off Stortingsgata, so anywhere in that vicinity or an easy tram ride away for dinner would be nice. We're not looking for fancy, just decent, hearty food on the lower end of the price spectrum (that's an oxymoron in Oslo, I know).

Also, here are a few places for dinner that appear to be within our budget. Any opinions?

Fyret Mat og Drikke. I love Akavits, and the small plates looked tasty and priced for a budget.
Café Tekethopa
Dovrehallen Rest.- Bar. Looks like industrial food, but it's in our price range.
Amundsen & Nobile

Thanks for any updates and hints you can offer.

In addition, any particularly good street foods for a quick, very cheap lunch? We'll be filling up at breakfast at our hotel.

Edited by rlibkind, 26 February 2009 - 08:33 PM.

[Christopher Haatuft]

congrats, Eyvind Hellstrøm with regaining that second star!

[ben mcmayon]

when are the results out really want to know the swedish results must be some new stars!!!!!

[Christopher Haatuft]

if its the same book, then its out tomorrow. its been in the news here that Bagatelle regained the star they lost last year.

[hll]

Any current recommendations in Oslo? We'll be there in 2 weeks.

[rlibkind]

This isn't fancy, but for a homey taste of NorwAy you might want to try Restaurant Schrøder in the St. Haugshagen district. It's one of the few remaining "brown" cafes. The Norwegian equivalent of New Jersey diner food, except better. A more upscale and lively version of the Brown cafe would be Lorry, not far from the royal palace.

[Vooon]

For future reference to anyone going to Oslo this autumn or winter here's a few restaurants which might be worth checking out. I'm not able to check out the fine dining of Oslo because of the outrageous price level.

St. Lars, close to Bislet stadium, which is a place everyone seems to be raving about these days (and for a while). I was here myself a few months after they opened and wasn't very impressed, my entrecote resembled an overcooked shoe sole, and the service was far from satisfying. I have however heard a lot of good things from friends recently, and I know the menu is very interesting (seasonal French dishes I think), so it's probably worth a try.

Håndverkerstuene, one block north of the main street Karl Johan and the parliament building, I've never been disappointed here. The concept is (microbrewed) beer with and in food, and they serve mostly seasonal dishes ranging from fish, seafood and meat. The home made sausages are affordable and good for instance.

For a quick snack there's a very small hole in the wall at Aleksander Kiellands Plass which serves proper Francfurters. The owner makes his own meat stock every day where he cooks the sausages which are special made from a local butcher. Very popular place.