A Whale of a Meal– Restaurants in Tromsø, Norway
The view of Full Steam, the site of a terrific meal, from the outside. Photo by: Evan Berman
While not as extravagant as the Oslo restaurants, while in Tromsø, I had several great meals. This was my first time trying whale and I even had a carbonara meal despite being north of the Arctic Circle!
This review of the great meals in Tromsø, Norway is a part of the larger Nordic Expedition. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: Delta Comfort+, CHS-JFK
Flight: Norse Airways Economy, JFK-OSL
Flight: Norwegian Economy, OSL-BGO
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret, Bergen, Norway
Hotel: Comfort Karl Johan, Oslo, Norway
A Whale of a Meal, Tromsø, Norway Restaurants (This Article)
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora, Tromsø, Norway
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel With, Tromsø, Norway
Flight: Norse Atlantic Airways Economy: OSL-JFK
Flight: Delta Economy, LGA-CHS
Pastafabrikken:
As mentioned in the Tromsø recap, I had a late lunch/early dinner before heading off to my Northern Lights tour. Since there were few restaurants are open on Sunday afternoons and those that are cater to tourists, I opted for a traditional meal of pasta carbonara! I chose Pastafabrikken, a large casual dining restaurant, and enjoyed a hearty meal before heading back into the cold Norwegian winter night. To accompany my meal, I had a glass of their house red wine which was surprisingly decent.
The ordering was done completely online. I scanned the QR code to open the menu and select my options. Once that occurred, I was able to pay. Since I did not plan on ordering anything else, I paid at that moment as well and everything was done seamlessly on my phone. The staff was constantly running around back and forth (in fact my waiter let me know he was stopping to eat since it was nearly 4pm and he hadn’t yet gotten a chance to do so) and this was a nice way to ensure the overall process ran smoother. Was this the best meal on the trip? No, but it was quality food and hearty, two characteristics that are important before heading out into the Norwegian wilderness!
Full Steam:
Incredible. That’s the only word to describe my experience eating dinner at Full Steam Tromsø. The restaurant is on the harbor, though the boardwalk shown above means that there is a bit of space between the door and water. I got a reservation at Full Steam the day before eating there which proved to be a great decision since 5-6 groups came in while I was eating asking to be seated and the waitress turned them all away since they were fully booked. Make sure you get a reservation to enjoy this food!
After being welcomed in, I was seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant. The area is massive, comprising of 2 floors, the restaurant and the above museum/storage area. The Seafarer’s Museum, the upstairs area, tells the history of this building and its owners. There are tours available, though I dined at night rather than at lunch.
To start, I ordered the “Mack Trio.” As described in the drink menu below, this was a Tropical IPA, Dark Lager, and Pilsner from Mack, which describes itself as the Northernmost brewery in the world. The beers were quite interesting and, as you might expect, tasted different than their counterparts found most places in the US. In particular, the IPA was much less hoppy than usual.
I opted for the smoked whale and cod tongue to start. The whale was outstanding. The menu describes the dish as: “Cured and smoked whale served with red onions, crème fraîche, and flatbread.” The crème fraîche and onions paired very well with the whale and while I wouldn’t necessarily call the bread flatbread, it pulled everything together. In short, the dish was perfect!
Unfortunately, the cod tongue was not. The tongue was bland and while the carrots and remoulade sauce were a great pairing, the potato purée was also less than stellar. I definitely wish I had selected the caviar appetizer instead. Oh well!
The main course was the day’s special, a reindeer stew. As a reminder, this was the first weekend of December and everyone was feeling the Christmas cheer. I had to order the reindeer stew even if the butter fried whale sounded delicious as well. And, well… I was not disappointed! The reindeer meat was more tender than the deer I had in Oslo, which is really saying something! Lingonberries were the perfect touch and tasted incredible to boot. The onions once again were flavorful and a nice addition. In all, this dish was heavenly and very a propos of Christmastime!
Excepting the cod tongue appetizer, the meal was outstanding and the service was great. My waitress was friendly and happy to see what I had ordered– even more so given how much I enjoyed the dishes!
One other note: as I was finishing up my appetizer, two young Chinese women walked in. After some back and forth, they communicated that they had a reservation and despite being chastised by the hostess for arriving 45 minutes after their reservation, were seated. They gathered up their courage and asked an Austrian couple to my left to help them decipher the menu. The couple recommended exactly what I ordered– they had had the same whale appetizer and stew main course and loved it as well!
I bring up that occurrence as this was not my first time seeing these women in Tromsø. On the Northern Lights tour, they had attempted to join our trip and despite the tour guide telling them the bus was full and since they did not have a reservation they would have to leave, they tried to convince him to be allowed to stay. Thankfully there was no such conversation this time around.
Now for the menus:
Skarven:
Arctandria was a restaurant that I really wanted to try in Tromsø. Known for a modern twist on classic Norwegian dishes, it offers one of the best selections in the town. Unfortunately, the restaurant is only open for dinner and not on Sundays. I tried to get in on Monday but was unable to do so. I instead had lunch at Skarven, which is located on the first floor of the shared building.
As I was in the mood for something lighter before exploring Tromsø, I strayed from the soups and ordered the bolinhos. That is, bacalao balls of clipfish and potato, served with mayonnaise, seaweed, and a salad. Bacalao balls have a tendency to be hit or miss. In this case, the food was decent, though not the best I’ve had. The fish was definitely fresh, though with the potato and mayo, it was hard to isolate the flavor. In all, a decent meal though nothing to write home about.
Recap:
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Tromsø and the food was just one reason why. The highlight of the visit was dining at Full Steam– a must-try if you ask me. The smoked whale and reindeer stew combination was unbeatable! Had I been able to get in, I would have definitely tried Arctandria– I hear it is the best restaurant in town. Next up: the Northern Lights!
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