Exceptional and Varied: Restaurants in Oslo, Norway
What a plate– Twice the Deer! Photo by: Evan Berman
During my time in Oslo, I had several incredible meals. From grilled whale to cod, read all about my food journey through Norway’s capital in this article!
The reviews of these terrific Oslo restaurants are 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
Oslo Restaurants (This Article)
Hotel: Comfort Karl Johan, Oslo, Norway
A Whale of a Meal, Tromsø, Norway Restaurants
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
Vaaghals:
For lunch, I went to Vaaghals, a restaurant near Oslo’s waterfront. This restaurant appears in the lowest Michelin category: The Michelin Plate. An inclusion indicates “restaurants where the inspectors have discovered quality food.” I’m no inspector but the food was certainly quality here!
The restaurant is a lively lunch spot and features an open kitchen. The kitchen is grandiose and bustling with activity. The staff is entirely female and very professional. Overall, I was impressed by what this place had to offer.
To start, I was brought fresh bread and salted whipped butter, as seen above. Both were exceptional and I finished off the bread, eagerly awaiting the next course.
The choice for the main course was easy. Cod is a fish that appears in many menus in Norway. This particular dish was served with rosette kale, a potato crisp topping, and a beurre blanc sauce. The sauce was incredibly creamy and paired well with the tender fish. I was unfamiliar with rosette kale before but am glad to have been introduced! It is incredibly fresh and a terrific alternative to traditional kale.
The meal certainly lived up to the moniker of quality food– everything was delicious. From the bread to the cod and everything in between, each and every piece of food was tasty. One minor detractor was the drink situation. I ordered a special cider that I was looking forward to trying and they were out of it. The replacement option was a Norwegian IPA which was nice but nothing special.
Price: 550 NOK ($56.54)
Points Earned: 226 AmEx Membership Rewards Points
Stock:
After exploring the National Museum, it was time to have one last meal in Oslo. I went to Stock, also located in the waterfront area. Stock is just a block away from Vaaghals, where I had lunch.
The only reservation that was available was at 5pm local time on a Tuesday in December. That being said, when I arrived at 5:35pm, I was seated at one of a couple empty tables.
For dinner, you have a choice between the daily 3- or 4-course meal or the full menu. I opted for the 4-course meal to try both the arctic char and deer. While I’m not a huge dessert fan, there was no option to avoid the dessert course. In fact, when I attempted to leave prior being served the dessert, the waiter insisted that he bring it before I left.
I ordered a glass of dry German Riesling to accompany my meal, as well as a glass of water.
Appetizer:
The appetizer was a grilled whale with smoked sour cream and accompanied by mango, fennel, and punzu. To say it was tasty would be an understatement. The whale meat was incredibly tender and the sour cream paired exceptionally. Fresh mango was just the icing on the metaphorical cake! It may be small but the dish packed a tremendous amount of flavor. What a way to begin the meal!
Main Courses:
Next up, it was time for the first protein course. This was an Arctic char and beurre blanc with trout roe, celery, cauliflower purée, romanesco, dried tomatoes, and dill. The char was very tender and paired perfectly with the beurre blanc. Once again, the vegetables were fresh and a great complement to the fish. Speaking of pairings, the Riesling was a perfect accompaniment.
After the fish, I was served a delightful combination of what you might call the “deer course.” The two proteins were sliced deer from Sogndal and deer sausage in a red wine sauce. Mushroom, pickled onions, and flower sprouts were the side dishes. Both types of deer meat were melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sides were flavorful and fresh as well. In all, this meal was incredible and one that I would love to have again.
Dessert:
For the final act, I was brought a cheesecake with raspberries and a strawberry currant accompaniment. This was the only portion of the meal that was less than stellar. That being said, the dessert was fresh even though the taste was not my favorite.
Even though it wasn’t the best dessert I’ve ever head, I was happy to finish off this incredible meal with a bang!
Price: 962 NOK ($98.90)
Points Earned: 396 AmEx Membership Rewards Points
Full Menu:
In case you were wondering what the other options were, here is the full menu:
Recap:
I had several terrific meals during my time in Oslo. Vaaghals is a great choice for lunch and Stock was excellent for dinner. If you’re in Oslo, I’d recommend making a reservation and eating here! These are two of the best restaurants in town and I was able to make a reservation for both the day before– unlike the 3-star Michelin restaurant in town.
Yum!