Nydalen Bryggeri & Spiseri, Oslo – Restaurant Review

Over the last year or so Oslo has seen some great new restaurant openings. Although there's still a long way to go before Oslo catches up with its Scandinavian neighbours, it's finally starting to feel like Oslo is getting a restaurant scene befitting its status as Norway's capital. One very recent addition to the city's dining scene is Nydalen Bryggeri & Spiseri that opened in Oslo's Nydalen neighbourhood in August 2013.

Running Nydalen Bryggeri are the team behind Oslo's Amundsen Brewery who have turned the site of a former Bølgen & Moi restaurant into a vast temple to zythology (yeah, I had to look that one up too), serving a wide variety of beers as well as robust fare for lunch and dinner, with many of the dishes made with their own beer.

Smalhans, Oslo – Restaurant Review

Smalhans has been on my radar since they opened in late 2012. The thought of a small neighbourhood restaurant serving a weekly-changing menu of no-nonsense dishes at a very agreeable price should have been enough to immediately pique anyone's interest. I kept on hearing good things about this restaurant and I kept meaning to go but, you know, stuff got in the way. And after my first meal there recently, I'm kicking myself for not going sooner. Better late than never, I guess, because Smalhans is utterly fantastic!

Maaemo, Oslo – Restaurant Review (Aug '13)

Another look at Maaemo, you say? I know, I've already written plenty about this, the most glittering of Oslo's Michelin-starred restaurants, so what's left to be said, right? Well, having first eaten at Maaemo just after they opened almost three years ago I've simply been amazed at how each and every meal there has moved the game forward – an interpretation of Norwegian terroir unlike anything I've seen before.

Certainly there's no sign of Maaemo resting on the laurels of the two Michelin stars they were awarded just 15 months after opening. It's full steam ahead and the pace of development in the kitchen is breathtaking. It's therefore perhaps interesting to reflect on how the trajectory of head chef and co-owner Esben Holmboe Bang's cooking has progressed since three guys got together with the idea of opening Norway's first fine-dining restaurant based solely on organic or bio-dynamic produce.

Inn i Granskauen — An Evening in the Norwegian Forest

The instructions in the email were intriguingly vague. "Take the subway at 18:06 from Oslo Central Station all the way to Voksenkollen" – some twenty stops and 500 vertical metres away, and roughly where the compact urban-ness of Oslo gives way to the vast expanse of wooded hills that is Oslomarka.

Oslomarka is the Norwegian capital's playground. It's here where impressively fit Osloites come to walk, cycle and ski and generally rekindle their bond with nature, a bond that seems to be so deeply ingrained in the Norwegian DNA. But tonight the 30 people huddled in the train carriage are in for a different sort of experience. We're here for a very special culinary adventure indeed.

...read the full article on Food Studio's website here.

Food Studio x Maaemo x Tim Wendelboe

“The river flows in the rear of the towns, and we see all things from a new and wilder side. 

The fields and gardens come down to it with a frankness, and freedom from pretension, which they do not wear on the highway.” 

― Henry David Thoreau

There's the whisper of a chill in the Oslo air these days. The nights are drawing in and the leaves on the trees are just starting to give up their chlorophyll green. Autumn's here, and with it will soon come the bracing cold and frost. It's not quite here yet, but you know it's in the post, that's for sure. So I thought I'd take a fond look back at a unique event, held when the nights were longer and the air was warmer and long lazy dinners under the sky were the order of the day. For on that July night, in the middle of urban Oslo, a small secluded spot on the banks of Oslo's meandering Akerselva river played host to a very special evening indeed.

Maaemo, Oslo – Restaurant Review (Jun '12)

(More recent reviews of Maaemo can be found here and here)

That's right folks, this is a look at another meal at Oslo's magnificent Maaemo. I've already written plenty about this restaurant so I'll try and keep this one fairly brief and let the photos do most of the talking. If you want to know more about this ground-breaking two Michelin-starred restaurant that uses only organic/bio-dynamic produce, then pour yourself a glass or three of something nice and read my previous reviews from Feb '11, May '11, Aug '11, Oct '11, Mar '12, and Apr '12.

Maaemo, Oslo – Restaurant Review (Mar '12)

(You can read a more recent review of Maaemo from me here and here)

This week’s release of the 2012 Michelin Guide brought with it what will surely be the story of the year for the usually quiet Oslo restaurant scene. The latest Guide Rouge for Europe came with the news that Oslo’s restaurant Maaemo had been awarded not one, but two of the French company’s coveted stars. In doing so, Maaemo becomes the only Nordic restaurant in history to have entered the famous guide directly at the two star level. In one fell swoop, a restaurant that has been in existence for just over a year joins a rare club that includes restaurant titans such as Noma, Le Gavroche, Mugaritz, and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

Mathallen, Oslo – A Taste of Things to Come?

It's finally happening! In just a few months' time Oslo will boast its very own permanent food hall. Norway's capital has lagged behind its Nordic neighbours when it comes to indoor food markets. Stockholm has the wonderful Östermalms and Hötorgshallen food halls, Helsinki boasts the Kauppahalli food market, and Copenhagen now has the new gleaming Torvehallerne food hall. But until recently (and for a few more months yet) Oslo had nowhere permanent to buy speciality produce from local producers.

Café Laundromat, Oslo – Restaurant Review

As far as ideas go, putting together a laundry, restaurant, library, café, and bar under one roof isn't an obvious one, but Oslo's Café Laundromat does just that. It's an ingenious concept that first started in Copenhagen in 2004 and came to Oslo in 2010. I must admit I had high hopes for Café Laundromat – all-day dining places are as rare as hens' teeth in Norway, and there was something about the quirky style of this place that just felt right.

Maaemo, Oslo – Restaurant Review (Oct '11)

(You can read a more recent review of Maaemo from me here, here and here)

I know, I know, this is another review of Maaemo. In fact this is my fourth visit to Oslo's ground-breaking restaurant in the last eight months. I've already written over 12,000 words on Maaemo (which, worryingly, is almost as much as I did for my master's dissertation), so for more in-depth information on the restaurant see my previous reviews here, here, and here (and an interview here).

Another Visit to Maaemo, Oslo – Restaurant Review

(You can read more recent reviews of Maaemo here, here and here)

Well, this is becoming quite the habit. But I just can't help it. Regular readers will know that I've become totally smitten with Maaemo, the ground-breaking Oslo restaurant that has completely redefined the concept of Norwegian cuisine. My previous meals at the restaurant (see here and here) left me in no doubt that I had truly tasted some of the best cooking of my life – a bold statement, but Maaemo really is up there with the very best. Indeed, such is my fascination with the restaurant that I even interviewed some of the people behind it to learn more about what they are trying to achieve. Have a look at these links if you'd like to learn more on the background of the restaurant and the people behind it.

Kuma's Corner, Chicago – Restaurant Review

Monstrous burgers, Jack Daniel's on tap, and the feeling you're on the set of Wayne's World; Chicago's Kuma's Corner has them all. The lure of this holy trinity was just too much for me to resist, so when Mrs. Nibbler and I were in Chicago recently we found ourselves making the trek to this small grungy restaurant and bar located about 6 miles northwest of the city centre.

The Nighthawk Diner, Oslo - Restaurant Review

The Oslo district of Grünerløkka is not the first place that pops into my mind when I think of American diners. But tucked away in this fashionable enclave is Norway's first example of one of America's ubiquitous eateries. The Nighthawk Diner opened in March 2010 and takes its name from one of the most iconic pieces of American art - Edward Hopper's 1942 painting, Nighthawks. The painting, a paragon of American realism, depicts the quintessential diner of the 1940s, and walking into the Nighthawk Diner you immediately feel transported to the Greenwich Village of Hopper's artwork.

The L-shaped restaurant is dominated by a long, stainless steel bar. The waiters and waitresses wear authentic 1940s style uniforms, while leather-clad booths, ceiling fans, and a jukebox complete the historical look. There is even that famous painting of the diner's namesake on one of the walls.

The menu at the Nighthawk Diner includes all the usual suspects such as burgers, steaks, eggs Benedict, pancakes, and shakes. I went for a 'Nighthawk combo burger' that came loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayonnaise, with a side portion of fries, and a token green salad.

Like the interior of the restaurant the burger certainly looked the part, and I couldn't wait to take my first bite. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations. The meat was under-seasoned and seemed oddly tasteless, with none of that pleasing charred beef flavour and, despite asking for it to be cooked medium, it was served distinctly well-done. The worst aspect, though, was the amount of grease; the plate was swimming in enough oil to make BP proud. Most of this oil had managed to be soaked up by the burger bun, which dripped with fat when I picked it up, like a fully laden bath sponge, and I could feel cardiologists all over Oslo cackling with glee.

The fries were the same; never mind triple-cooked fries, I would hazard a guess that these chips had not spent anytime outside of a deep-fat fryer. To add insult to injury, I was charged the non-diner-esque sum of NOK 190 (€24/$32) for the dish (maybe not a bad deal when you consider oil is currently going for $80 a barrel).

If I think back to some of the best eating experiences I've had, they have always been accompanied by a sense of belonging - buttery o'toro in Tokyo, char dogs in Chicago, pintxos in San Sebastian. And this, unfortunately, is where the Nighthawk Diner falls flat. We're in Oslo; Norwegians don't really do "have a nice day" or "hi, my name is Peggy-Jo-Suzy-Lee, I'll be your server today". So while the interior of the diner was authentic enough, it just felt a little incongruous having this slice of Americana in the land of fjords and Ibsen. So much of the enjoyment of food comes not only from its taste, but also from a sense of belonging. Without this sense of location, the Nighthawk Diner becomes a gimmicky restaurant that serves substandard food at inflated prices.

I really wanted to like the Nighthawk Diner, but based on the food I had there I'm struggling to find a reason to do so. For some reason, a decent burger is something that European restaurants struggle to produce, so I will probably go back to try some other things on the menu, as I think the Nighthawk Diner deserves another chance. But until then I'd recommend you go there for some of the excellent Nøgne Ø breakfast brown ale they have on tap, marvel at the interior, and then eat somewhere else.

Food:          4 / 10
Service:       7 / 10
Ambiance:   7 / 10

The Nighthawk Diner
Seilduksgata 15
0553 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 96 62 73 37

Nøgne Ø Beer

Norway doesn't provide much excitement for beer-lovers. Now, I'm hardly a bearded, flat cap-wearing member of CAMRA, but I do like a good pint. Unfortunately, over 90% of beer sold and consumed in Norway is of the generic pilsner type from brewing giants Carlsberg or Hansa Borg, which can be, well, a tad boring to say the least. But it wasn't always like this. Norway has a long tradition of brewing beer going back over 1,000 years. Indeed, a couple of hundred years ago no farm in Norway was complete without its own "bryggeghus", or brewhouse. Legislation and increased consolidation in the brewing industry saw these independent brewers gradually die out. But all is not lost. Recently, a tiny handful of beer aficionados have been resurrecting Norway's lost art of brewing. Independent breweries such as Haandbryggeriet in Drammen and Ægir in Flåm have started to produce some excellent beers, and it seems Norwegians are starting to take notice. Among the most exciting of these breweries is the tiny Nøgne Ø brewery, which is located on the beautiful south coast of Norway.

The unusual name of the brewery comes from a Henrik Ibsen poem, Terje Vigen, which is set in Nøgne Ø's hometown of Grimstad, and roughly translates as "barren isle". The protagonist of the poem sets out in search of food on a seemingly impossible journey to break the English blockade of Norway during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809. The founders of Nøgne Ø felt this was somewhat symbolic of their attempt at resurrecting Norway's lost art of brewing. Indeed, the story of Nøgne Ø is quite a remarkable one.

The brewery was started in 2002 by a headstrong Norwegian pilot by the name of Kjetil Jikiun, who still flies Airbus A340s for Scandinavian Airlines. An avid beer enthusiast, Kjetil would stock up on home-brewing equipment on his frequent trips to the US, often bringing back sacks of malt, yeast, and kegs. He teamed up with a welder and a housewife and, after much blood, sweat and tears, Nøgne Ø was born. The brewery's website has Kjetil's fascinating and brutally frank account of how the brewery began, and I encourage you to have a look. It reads like a soap opera. Who knew brewing beer could contain so much drama!

Now, as I mentioned, I'm not an expert on the amber brew by any means, but I know what I like, and I don't need an excuse to crack open a few brewskis. So, in the interest of, er, research, I will try to describe a few of Nøgne Ø's beers as best as I amateurishly can.

First up is Nøgne Ø's Bitter (4.5% ABV). This is a light ale with a slightly cloudy appearance and a rich amber colour. It's made with East Kent Golding hops that give it a quintessentially English taste with a really hoppy aroma and floral and citrus notes. It was by far my favourite of the four beers I tried, and it made me achingly homesick the instant I took my first sip. I could sup this all day, preferably somewhere by a river on a warm summer's day with the sweet sound of leather on willow in the distance.

Bitter

Next was a dark, mahogany brown ale (4.5% ABV) made with English malts and Maris Otter barley. The flavour is quite complex and pleasantly spicy, with notes of biscuits, chocolate, nuts, caramel and coffee. If you like your ale malty then you'll really enjoy this one.

Brown Ale

Then I tried a stout made with oats (4.5% ABV). Now at this point I should confess that really dark beers scare me. Would I need a knife and fork to consume this one? Apparently not - this was an easy drinking, light stout with rich, chocolately flavours and a slight hint of coffee. If you're not a fan of stout then try this one as it will really change your perceptions of the black stuff.

Wheat Stout

Finally, a Belgian-style white beer (4.5% ABV). This was very refreshing with strong citrus notes of orange and grapefruit, coriander, and slightly bitter hops - a delicious witbier that would go well with seafood.

.

 Belgian White Beer

Currently, Nøgne Ø produces 26 different beers. All of the brewery's beers are bottle conditioned, unfiltered, and made with top fermenting yeast, which gives their beers a complex and full-bodied characteristic. A few months ago, in an exciting twist, Nøgne Ø finally branched out into brewing sake, and they released their first batch in May 2010. Apparently this makes them the first ever European sake brewery (heia Norge). They currently offer five types of sake; one is pasteurised and four are more exciting, unpasteurised, nama-sakes.

Nøgne Ø is producing some of the most exciting beers in Norway, and it makes me so happy to see artisanal brewers like this popping up in Norway. If you fancy getting hold of some Nøgne Ø beer then it is available in some supermarkets across Norway (and of course at the state-run booze shops) and is exported to Finland, Sweden, Japan and the USA. If you're ever in Norway, though, Nøgne Ø also offers tours of their brewery in Grimstad.

Nøgne Ø
Gamle Rykene Kraftstasjon
Lunde N-4885 Grimstad
Norway
Tel: +47 37 25 74 00

The Publican, Chicago - Restaurant Review

Pork, seafood, and beer. What more does a guy need? Just one look at the menu of the Publican and I'm already won over. It's the sort of menu that brings a smile to any dedicated carnivore or piscivore, and features numerous tempting dishes such as ham chops in hay, potted rillettes, pork belly, oysters, and octopus.

The main man behind the Publican is Chef Paul Kahan who is most well known for his critically acclaimed Chicago restaurants, Blackbird and Avec. For his third incarnation, Kahan designed the Publican as a casual Belgian-style beer hall. The cavernous dining room is dominated by a huge u-shaped walnut table that seats around 100 diners in communal fashion. Towards the back is a semi-open kitchen buzzing with activity, and flanking along the wall is a bar lined with around a dozen beer taps. There are also smaller, cosy booths that seat four with waist-high barn door style gates. An array of luminous orbs hangs from the ceiling and huge porcine artwork adorns the walls. It's loud and raucous inside, and you sit cheek by jowl next to other diners, perfect for ogling the dishes others have ordered.

The communal nature of the place also extends to the menu, where dishes are arranged in order of size, with seafood listed on the left side and meat on the right. The idea is to pick two or three smaller plates and one or two larger dishes to share between two. And what a menu it is! Naturally, given the decor, the menu is very pork-heavy and the restaurant takes weekly deliveries of whole pigs from Becker Lane Organic Farm in Iowa, which are then butchered in-house. The problem here is that every dish is the sort of thing you actually want to eat. It's simple, hearty food that is devoid of foams or encapsulations, and choosing what to order can be a real challenge. The beer menu is also amazing, with well over 50 (mostly European) bottled beers, including the fantastic beer from Nøgne Ø in Norway (heia Norge!), and with 12 different beers on tap.

To start us off, Mrs. Nibbler and I ordered a plate of fresh radishes and some spicy pork rinds. The radishes hailed from Kinnikinnick Farm in Caledonia, Illinois. They were cool, crisp, and spicy and we ate them leaves and all (a trick we learnt at Noma) with a smear of plain butter and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Kinnikinnick Farm Radishes with Butter & Sea Salt

The spicy pork rinds arrived wrapped in brown paper in a pint glass. They were made from pigs reared on Slagel Farm in Fairbury, Illinois and had been dusted with an acidic and fiery espelette pepper powder. They were like no other pork rind I had ever tasted. Simply stunning. They were as light as popcorn, ethereal even, and just melted on your tongue. Between Mrs. Nibbler and me they stood no chance and were gone almost instantly.

Spicy Pork Rinds

Next, we shared a dish of pork cheeks that were served with shiso plums and aubergines. The pork cheeks were well-seasoned and full of flavour, and they were cooked to a melting softness rendering the knife redundant. The shisho plums provided just the right amount of acidity and sweetness to cut through the fatty porkiness, and the aubergines had a wonderful, mild smoky taste. I loved this dish dearly and was genuinely sad when it was gone.

Pork Cheeks, Shiso Plums & Marinated Aubergine

For our main course we shared some Provençal fish stew. A large pot of the steaming stew arrived with a ladle buried deep inside and Mrs. Nibbler and I took turns to serve each other. It was such a nice touch. The stew had been made with salt cod, prawns, clams, octopus, crab and potatoes and was served with some toasted bread and a garlicky aioli. It was divine, although a touch salty, but this can happen if the salt cod is not soaked for long enough. Unusually for a Provençal fish soup, this dish did not include saffron or tomatoes, which I was hoping it would as I love those flavours in a fish soup.

Provençal Fish Stew

Desserts are a very simple affair at the Publican, with just three options to choose from. We decided to try a simple white peach sorbet that was served with basil and blueberries. It was a perfect, light and refreshing end to a marvellous supper, although perhaps a touch too sweet for my taste (I like my sorbets to be on the acidic, rather than sweet side).

White Peach Sorbet with Basil and Blueberries

I left Publican that night sated and happy as a pig in the proverbial. The Publican is a truly wonderful place. It serves the sort of hearty and homely food that just makes you glad to be alive. So there it is, if you're lucky enough to live in Chi-town then just go there. Let me leave you with the delicious little homage that appears on the restaurant's card:

"Here’s to the Swine

That Animal Divine

who through Mud and Slime

Grit and Grime

Gorges over Time

Into Meats Sublime"

- the Publican

(UPDATE 10.11.2010: In Michelin's inaugural guide to Chicago, The Publican was awarded a Bib Gourmand, which signifies a restaurant offering "good food at moderate prices.")

Food:         8 / 10

Service:      7 / 10

Ambiance:  8 / 10

The Publican

837 W. Fulton Market

Chicago, IL 60607

Tel: +1 312-733-9555