My Seven Links

I’ve been nominated by fellow food blogger Laissez Fare to participate in Tripbase’s “7 Links project”. One of the great benefits of blogging that I didn’t fully appreciate when starting out is the opportunity to meet other food lovers, whether in real life or in cyberspace.

Laissez Fare has been at this blogging game for about a year longer than I have and, although we’ve never met in person, his restaurant reviews are ones I value and refer back to. So I was delighted to have been nominated by him for this project.

The goal of Tripbase’s project is to unite bloggers by taking a look back at some old posts, and hopefully share some lessons along the way (I’m sure it’s also pretty good publicity for Tripbase too). The “7 links” project consists of seven categories for which you must supply a link to a single blog post that best fits that category. So here are my seven links:

1. My most beautiful post: Maaemo Restaurant Review

Maaemo is fairly new on the Oslo dining scene. But what an addition it is! The restaurant uses only organic/biodynamic produce that originates almost exclusively from Norway, with 85% of it coming less than 100km away. The flavours of their food are crystal clean and fresh, much like the Norwegian air. It is also stunning to look at, and each plate is a beautiful work of art. Maaemo is quite simply one of the best restaurants I've ever been to and I believe is totally reinventing Norwegian cuisine.

2. My most popular post: Noma Restaurant Review

My most popular post by far has been my review of Noma, getting 3 times as many hits as the next most popular one. Since the restaurant gained the title of “World’s Best Restaurant” the hype surrounding Noma has reached a fever pitch. Luckily the restaurant lives up to the hype and more, but getting a table at Noma is a seemingly impossible challenge (though not as bad as some restaurants. I’m looking at you, Next). I hope in some way my review gives people who can't make it there a chance to dine vicariously at this truly remarkable restaurant.

3. My most controversial post: Where's the (fresh) Beef? The Current State of Food in Norway

Hmm, this is a tricky category to pick a post for as I don’t seem to have drawn much controversy in my relatively short blogging career so far. Maybe I’m not that controversial in my writing, or maybe it’s just there's no one reading this! Anyway, for this category I'm choosing my article on the state of everyday food and supermarkets in Norway. Norway can be a tough place to live for food lovers. In general the supermarkets here have a poor selection of inferior produce that are sold for eye-wateringly high prices. My post on this subject was part analysis of the reasons for this and part rant. I really wanted to get some sort of debate going, although it seems many of the commenters agreed with my view.

4. My most helpful post: Where to Eat in Oslo

This is a fairly new post, but a question I often get asked is, "where should I eat out in Oslo?" Oslo's not the easiest city to eat well in, both from a quality and cost perspective, but there are some really wonderful gems to be found if you know where to look. I decided therefore to create this little work in process compendium of places that I like to go to in the hope that it may be of some use to visitors to Oslo.

5. A post whose success surprised me: Fru Ingrid's Brown Cheese Ice Cream

Brunost (brown cheese) is as Norwegian as the fjords and mountains. It is universally eaten here and most people don’t give it a second thought. I first tried brunost ice-cream made by Ingrid Hov Lunde at Røisheim Inn in Bøverdalen and was totally won over by its sweet/salty/fudgy taste. I recreated the dish at home and blogged about it. Although the post didn’t get many comments, I am constantly surprised at how popular it still proves to be.

6. A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved: Skolebrød (Norwegian "School Bread" Buns)

Of course, I should say all of them, because blogging is all about me, me, me, right?! Well, I didn't start blogging just to get attention, but it is lovely when others take the time to read something you've written. One post that didn't get much love was my wife's recipe for Norwegian Skolebrød buns. Norwegians are Jedi masters of baking and Mrs. Nibbler is no exception. This recipe has been in her family for ages and the buns are simple to make – always a favourite in our household.

7. The post that I am most proud of: Review of my first meal at Alinea 

My first meal at Alinea was really a special moment for me. The sheer precision and creativity of the meal was staggering. I struggled writing this post, as words alone were impossible to adequately describe the experience. In the end, a 3,500 word behemoth was the only way I felt I could properly describe it. A few days after posting I got a very nice email from Nick Kokonas, co-owner of Alinea to say how much he enjoyed reading it, which gave me much satisfaction.

So there you have it; my seven links. Although I've only been blogging for just over a year it was fun taking a look back at some of my older posts. The rules of the 7 links project stipulate that I have to pass the mantle on to another 5 bloggers. So without further ado I nominate the following excellent food blogs that I am a huge fan of; if you’re not reading them already then you really should! In no particular order they are:

Hobbykokken

Kavey Eats

Elizabeth On Food

TomEatsJenCooks

Gourmet Chick