Tapas Restaurant in Bygdøy Alle: Schiller's

You can find a Schiller's tapas restaurant at two places in Oslo: Bygdøy Alle and Folketeateret. We tried the one in Bygdoy Alle on Friday and here is a short summary of our diner experience.

We had not booked which is probably a mistake as the restaurant was almost full. After some thinking, they managed to find us a table in the room below but booking a table is recommended.
The inside design is elegant, including that room. In the corner, there was even a real fire place. One regret maybe: the lights may be too dim and towards the end of the meal we felt it was too dark.

It was our first time in a Schiller's restaurant so we simply ordered a predefined combination of tapas. There were two options: Tapas Classico and Tapas Variada.  We chose Tapas Classico.

Tapas Classico for 2, part 1/2, 309 NOK pp

The tapas came in 2 servings. First, we had bread, aioli, olives, cheese and ham. Everything tasted good and it was a lovely way to start the dinner.

Tapas Classico for 2, part 2/2, 309 NOK pp

Then, the second serving came. From top to bottom, left to right, there was: chorizo (warm), meatballs albondigas, entrecote with thyme, gratinated mushrooms, tiger shrimps and potatoes.

My wife and I both liked the mushrooms tapas very much. It was the type of Paris mushrooms. I am generally not a big fan of these mushrooms but here it was a perfect combination with the cheese and the sauce.

The tapas based on potatoes was also quite nice. Not sure what they used to make it but I liked it.

The chorizo was also quite good. My wife find its taste a bit too strong but I suppose this is what one can expect from chorizo.

I didn't find the remaining 3 other taps particularly good. Not bad but not exceptional either.

Fondant de Chocolate: 89 NOK and Lemon Dessert with Rasberries: 94 NOK

To conclude this meal, we ordered a chocolate cake for my wife ("fondant de chocolate") and a lemon dessert for me which had strawberry on it. Both desserts tasted good: the chocolate dessert was not too sweet and the lemon one was well-balanced as well (not too sweet, not too acid).

The service was good but there were some small hiccups. For example, the food was quite quick to come - which is a good thing - but the drinks did not follow. I got my glass of wine when we were pretty much done with the starters. Also it took quite some time to get the desserts and after that to get to pay. The bill came quickly but without the credit card machine. No big deal and surely something to expect with a fully booked restaurant.

All in all a good experience.

New Review of Delicatessen Majorstua

I already reviewed this restaurant here but I went there a few days ago with my family and one adult friend and thought I would write a quick update on it.

If you didn't read the previous review, let me present the restaurant in a few words: it is a tapas bar-restaurant where customers generally order a few dishes and can share them.

Here are some tapas we ordered:

Going from the nearer to the farthest, you can see:

- pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomatoes and garlic): 38 NOK

- albondigas (meatballs): 94 NOK

- asparagus beans (the long green peas): 62 NOK

- a nice mix of artichokes, tomatoes (probably other vegetables) and chevre cream cheese 82 NOK

Here is another set of tapas:

From left to right:

- Chevre salad with red beets (probably my favorite)

- croquetas (nice but I should probably have ordered 2 of them as they aren't easy to share)

- Octopus and potatoes (not for me but my friends really enjoyed it)

We ordered two more tapas that I forgot to take pictures of.

Everything we ordered tasted good and we were really happy with the overall quality of these tapas.

At the end, we were quite full and only ordered 1 dessert and shared it:

Crema Catalana, 104 NOK

It was an apple cream with a berry and lime sorbet. My wife found the sorbet a bit acid but I really enjoyed it this way (I like the lime or lemon taste). The top of the cream was thin and crispy as we like it.

The service was good despite the restaurant being full. The only delay was with the dessert at the end (which took more time than the food) but well, we didn't mind much as it gave us a small digestive break.

To sum up, we are still happy with this restaurant. It may be a bit pricey but it is worth it as each of these tapas is very good. Avoid busy hours or book a table in advance (we were lucky to get the last available table).

Jewel of India: Indian Restaurant Near Solli

I had heard a lot of good thing about "Jewel of India" so I was happy to finally be able to go there 2 days ago. As usual, I was there with my wife and son.

The restaurant is in Solli which is a quite nice area to have dinner (not far from there, you can find a pizzeria, a Japanese restaurant, a French pancake cafe, etc...).

The meal started with some complimentary papadum and a few "sauces".

Among the sauces you see in the bottom pictures, 2 were quite spicy and 1 was sweet (kind of a jam).

After that, we got a "Cocktail Samosa":

Cocktail Samosa, 85 NOK

Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing. From the name "cocktail", I was expecting 3 pieces with different tastes. It was only 2 pieces with the same taste. Also, we found them a bit plain and nothing special.

After that, we had ordered 2 types of curry: "Chicken Shahjahani Curry Chef's Special" and "Masala Lam Chef's Special".

Chicken Curry (210 NOK) and Masala Lam (225 NOK)

We had the choice of "hot level" on a scale from 1 to 6 (6 being the hottest) and went for 2 for both curry. It was exactly what we wanted. A bit spicy but not too much.

They both tasted good, especially the curry of the masala lam. Also, thanks to the clever recipient they used (with heating at the bottom) the dishes didn't get cold.

All in all, we are quite satisfied with the dinner. The service was good, the restaurant is beautiful and the rices are OK (maybe on the high/quality side). I would advise you to book a table if you want to go there, especially during rush hours.

As a final note: this is what came at the end of the meal and I found it quite beautiful so I took a picture of it.

Official website: http://jewelofindia.no/

New Restaurant in Majorstuen: Azuma (Korean and Japanese Cuisine)

I am always excited when I hear a new restaurant is opening, especially if it is a cuisine which is under represented. So when I heard that a new Korean (and Japanese) restaurant was opening in Majorstuen, I had to try it. It is located in Kirkeveien, where Bambus was in the past.

We like Korean BBQ (bulgogi) so we had to try their 2-person BBQ set. It included a few pieces of salmon sashimi and Korean-style meat (with mushrooms and garlic)

Here is the meat and mushrooms (to be grilled)

And here is our tray, with sashimi and a few Korean snacks

The meat was really good: juicy, tasteful... and my wife and I were really happy about it. As it is grilled in front of us we can choose ourselves when we considered it done. Also, the spicy miso present on our tray fit very well with the BBQ meat.

For our son, we ordered sushi:

It was well presented and my son liked it. My wife (Japanese) on the other hand tried it and wasn't convinced by the rice (maybe too sweet or something). Not bad but not as particularly good as our dish.

About the price: 325 NOK per person for the BBQ set and the sushi was at 165 NOK  for 12 pieces. The service was good and the restaurant was beautiful. Also, it was quite nice to see that there were many Korean customers. If they go there themselves to get Korean food, I don't think we should doubt the restaurant quality/authenticity.

Next, I will go there, I will probably try the Bibimbap which is my other favorite Korean dish.

For an alternative Korean/Japanese restaurant have a look at my review of the Miso Cafe.

Larsen: a Good Restaurant in Majorstuen

There are a couple of restaurants in Sørkedalsveien next to the Majorstuen T-bane station but somehow they are not popular. Maybe because they are a bit old-fashioned (compared to, say the ones in the Colosseum area). And yet, they may have a lot more to offer than one thinks. We have been to the Larsen restaurant twice and both times, we had a very good meal.

Last time, my wife ordered the dish of the day which was lam in wine sauce (138 NOK).

It is original to use lam meat with wine sauce. I am thinking for example of "boeuf Bourguignon" (beef)  or "coq au vin" (roster or, nowadays, chicken). But, well, it worked well as the lam was thin, and my wife liked it.

I went for a pasta dish (142 NOK) which was also quite original with a combination of beef, pesto and chili.

There too, it worked better than expected. The meat wasn't tasteless (as it generally is when cooked with pasta), the chili wasn't making the dish too spicy (just a bit) and overall I also liked my dish.

We had a guest with us this time who had the chicken burger (138 NOK). The chicken was tasteful with some spices and mayonnaise. It was served with tortilla chips and salsa sauce.

Our friend was also satisfied with it.

Finally, our son had some grilled chicken breast with french fries. The dish was well prepared and not "just-for-children".

So, to sum up, we were all happy with our dinner. I also checked some reviews at Google+ (in Norwegian) and other customers were also positive about this place. It is a nice place with good food and correct price.

Solsiden: a Nice Fish and Shellfish Restaurant with a Beautiful View

Tonight we went to Solsiden a fish and shellfish restaurant that my wife had recommended to me after having tried last year. The restaurant only opens in summer time and I couldn't make it last year.

My wife went for the 3-course menu of the day (about 500 NOK)

The starter was tuna tataki.

The main dish was grilled halibut with some asparagus and other vegetables.

And the dessert was coconuts ice cream with some fruits and a bit of merengue.

My wife enjoyed the 3 dishes and thought they all tasted very good.

I had myself some dampened mussels (about 200 NOK).

They tasted good and it was a bit original with a bit of chili in the sauce.

For our son, we had ordered the children menu (about 150 NOK). It included a small bag with some games (stickers, 10 differences, etc...) so that he could keep himself busy before the meal. I liked the idea. Also the dish was grilled salmon with some kind of risotto. It tasted good especially the fish and my son enjoyed it a lot.

All in all, the food tasted good, the service was nice and the view was beautiful. A nice evening!

Disappointed with Nodee

I like Nodee and I stated why when I reviewed it last time. Since that time, we have been there a couple of times without any particular problems but yesterday, we were disappointed with it.

We started with a "Snacks De Luxe" which was spinach, shrimp chips and cashew nuts. An interesting combination and the presentation was quite nice but the spinach was sweet! I didn't like it (didn't think the taste fit with the spinach and didn't feel it was going well as a snack).

After that we had ordered the sushi combination "tokujo" (which in Japanese means "extra good", "first class", ...).

On a presentation perspective, the dish was stunning. However there was a few problems with it.
First, we had specified we wanted the dish to be without wasabi to be able to share it with our son. They did exclude wasabi on the plate but unfortunately they used it when making the sushi. So there was wasabi between the rice and the fish and my son couldn't eat it.
The second thing was for example for the egg/omelette sushi. The "dashi" taste was missing and there was too much garlic in it.

For me, I had asked for the Cantonese Wagyu beef ("Wagyuu" means "Japanese beef"). The presentation was once again good and the taste was nice but I don't think the dish was so exceptional it justified its price (340 nok for 100g beef).

Så all in all, we were a bit disappointed. The good points were the service which was still good, the presentation of the dishes which we like and the fact that food came quickly, especially knowing the restaurant was quite full. On the minus side, we were not impressed with the taste of the food and the price was a bit high for what we ordered.

Eating Vietnamese at Far East (Oslo)

Far East is a Thai-Vietnamese restaurant located in Oslo city center (close to Oslo S). It took me some time to try it because I wasn't so convinced about the combination Thai/Vietnamese (I had tried a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in the past without finding anything Vietnamese) but I let me convinced by the fact that the restaurant is often quite full. I don't regret it.

About the menu, the restaurant really proposes Vietnamese dishes: Pho, Bun Bo, Bun Cha Gio etc... It also has some Thai dishes (Pad Thai, some Thai soups, ...). We generally have Vietnamese food when we go there.

Their springrolls are really nice:

Cha Gio (springrolls) 78 NOK (or 54 NOK for 3)

The only thing is that I find the sauce a bit spicy which I don't find necessary for springrolls.

Here is a Bun Bo (sorry for the lack of focus, I am a terrible photograph). It is a dish composed of rice noodles and beef with a lemon taste.

Bun Bo 98 NOK

My wife generally order the Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef) but last time we went there, she went for some skewers with shrimps and beef.

It is an original combination in my opinion but it worked nicely and she really enjoyed it. 

We ordered some fried rice for our son. The kingprawn was ordered in addition to the normal dish.

All in all, we really enjoy the food there. We will have to try some dishes from their Thai menu too.

Otherwise, the restaurant itself is quite modest, maybe a bit outdated. Beware that the restaurant can get quite full during popular hours (Friday evening, Saturday evening, ...). 

Miso Cafe: a Place to Enjoy Korean Food in Oslo!

Miso Cafe is a cafe but it also serves very nice Korean food.

It is located in Røa, not far from the subway station (line 5). I generally try to feature restaurants near city center in this blog but this place deserves the effort to go a bit farther.

The choice isn't big, especially if you want to try Korean food but everything this cafe serves tastes good.

Here, for example, is a picture of a Dolsot Bibimbap we had last time we went there:

Dolsot Bibimbap (a bit spicy), 149 NOK

You may not see it in the picture but the pan is very hot. They basically heat it, put the ingredients in it and bring it to you. You season it if you want to and mix it. The dish is a bit spicy.

Something else we like there is there Bulgogi bento which mixes different Asian styles (Korea for the Bulgogi, Vietnam for hte springrolls and Japan for the presentation).

Bulgogi Bento, 179 NOK

One thing to note is that every tastes good and I believe the springrolls to be hand made. And by the way, Bulgogi is the beef dish on the lower left side of the picture. Sauteed beef in a Korean style.

They also serve everything cafes serve (coffee, sandwiches, rolls,...).

All in all, I really like this place.

To sum up advantages and inconveniences of this place, here are the advantages:
- serving Korean food that tastes great
- the price is quite nice
- it is opened on Sunday

What is less good:
- a bit farther from the city center than other restaurants I am reviewing in this blog
- tables and chairs are more of a cafe than of a restaurant (logical since this is a cafe)
- it closes quite early (18 normally, 21 on Thursdays)

Sato: a Real Japanese Restaurant in Oslo

There are many Japanese restaurants in Olso but only a few are managed by Japanese people and serving something else than sushi. Well, Sato is one of them. The owner and main cook is Sato-san and he is Japanese.

You can find the restaurant in Niels Juels gate, next to the tramway stop (line 12). It is quite close to Solli too, if this makes it easier for you (more buses/trams go there).

So what do you find other than sushi? Well, a couple of things like Oyakodon (rice with chicken and eggs), Gyudon (rice with beef, in a Japanese style), or Unagidon (eel in a sweet soya sauce, again with rice).

The "donburi" dishes (things that end with "don") are generally the small version of the original dishes, with the main component laid on rice in a bowl.

But actually, those dishes are quite big in this restaurant.

I am really sorry I don't have any photos yet but I promise I will take some next time I go there.

Xich Lo, a Vietnamese Restaurant in Oslo City Center

My wife and I are big fans of the Vietnamese cuisine. We have never been to Vietnam but we have tasted Vietnamese food in both France and Japan and had some nice experiences with it in both countries.

This is why we decided to try Xich Lo as soon as we heard positive comments about it. The restaurant is in Karl Johans gate (so you cannot do more central than this) and is on the 4th floor of a building with Nespresso on the first floor (just some help if you look for it).

Otherwise the restaurant is pretty and quite "classy". We were received at once and followed to the table. Before we even order anything, we get some water (flavored with lemon, orange and some herbs) and when we ordered, to make us wait, we got the following appetizer:

Vietnamese style beef stew - complimentary

It tasted really nice. The Vietnamese taste was rendered by the spices and despite the chili at the top, it wasn't hot. My wife removed the small chili part and had no problems eating it.

As a starter, we shared a "springroll"

Vietnamese Springrolls, 87 NOK

It was actually a combination of 2 fried springrolls (the usual ones) and 1 "fresh" springroll (cut in 2). Both type of rolls tasted good and at least the fresh one was hand made.

My wife ordered a lamb tenderloin with red wine sauce as a main:

Lamb tenderloin with red wine sauce, 257 NOK

It was good but it did not seem traditional Vietnamese to us (we may be wrong though, we are not Vietnamese). As for me, I went for the duck breast a la Xich Lo:

Duck breast a la Xich Lo, 257 NOK

The duck meat was really nice: soft, tasty but not too strong and I really appreciated it. I liked the sauce too but it was spicy and after a while, I couldn't take it anymore. I wasn't particularly impressed by the mushrooms but I may be too demanding about it.

Both dishes came with flavored rice::

Flavored rice, incl in the dish

Overall, we had a nice meal and we are satisfied with it. The prices are a bit high, but this has something to do with the restaurant being right in the heart of Oslo

Mahayana: a Very Good Asian Restaurant in Nationaltheatret

*** Update 14 Nov 2013: new photos at the end of this article ***

There are many Asian restaurants in Nationaltheatret and I have already reviewed two of them: Dinner and Tabibito. My wife wanted to try Mahayana for a long time but as we knew two nice restaurants in the same area already, it took us some time to actually do it. But we don't regret it as this is a nice place.

The decoration is classy, the restaurant is clean, the food tastes good, with the option to eat Japanese or Chinese (maybe even Thai, I don't remember). We actually ordered both Japanese and Chinese food. 

Everything tasted good but I must warn you that Chinese food may be spicy, even if the menu does not mention it. The Japanese dishes should be fine.

Here are a few photos:

Sweet-sour Pork

Chinese style beef in the foreground and sushi in the background ("natural born salmon")

Japanese style beef

Green tea tiramisu

A special mention for the sweet sour pork which is not the common dish we are used to but something particular which was very good. The Japanese-style beef was really good too. I didn't try it but my wife enjoyed her green tea tiramisu a lot.

All in all, a really nice restaurant and probably one of our favorite.

*** update ***

I took some new photos last time we went there. I still like this place very much. However, I now believe that they use the word "mild" in the menu to signify that the dish is spicy (if nothing is written, the dish is not, if the mention "only available mild" or something, it means the dish is a bit spicy). Kind of the opposite of the intent, in my opinion.

Anyway, here are the photos:

"Gu Lou Yuk", sweet sour pork, a bit spicy

"Gyuniku Teriyaki", Japanese style beef