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32°F / 0°C
(Passing Clouds. Chilly.)
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If eating and drinking is all you ever think about, you will be happy in Oslo. Chances are you will survive even without a caravan with a fridge and a stove in it. But even though tap water is good, fish is cheaper than meat and the east-end shops have a wide range of inexpensive vegetables and fruit in store, you probably did not come here to spend your time cooking.
Norway's capital is big enough for the amount of choice to be inexhaustible, no matter what your choice may depend on - value for money, low price, luxury, location, provenance of the cuisine - and yet the city centre is compact enough for the restaurant you have chosen to be easily accessible even on foot.
A lot has changed since the 1960s. Norway has moved from rags to riches, Norwegians have acquired more leisure and money, and Oslo has become a multicultural society, notably with a large group of Asians. Today, half a million Osloers spend more and more of their time and money in Oslo's about one thousand food and drink places. The traditional Norwegian food that some decades ago was simply prepared and eaten without anyone giving it much thought, is now just a niche in the overall restaurant market, to be sampled at places like Maud, Engebret (sea specialities), Holmenkollen restaurant or Kaffistova(self-service). Around Christmastime you can find it anywhere; look out for Norwegian specialities like lutefisk (cod prepared in an alkaline solution, translucent in appearance), pinnekjøtt (smoked and dried ribs of lamb laid on top of birch sticks and steamed, served with boiled potatoes and mashed swedes) and slices of spekemat (dried meat) like fenalår (cured leg of lamb), followed by some dessert based on multer (cloudberries).
Whether you come by plane or by train, your stay in Oslo is likely to start at the central train station, Oslo S The modest eastern opening of the city's main street, Karl Johans Gate will be among the first things you see as you leave the building. If you only eat food you are familiar with, you might as well choose a Burger King, McDonalds, Peppe's Pizza Pizza Hut Subway or Bagel & Juice close to where you are staying, as such chains can be found all over the city. If you are already too hungry to move on, a more exciting bet would be Tampopo in Skippergaten, where you get two generous pieces of sushi for a reasonable price. Also, even before you reach the Oslo Cathedral you could pause for Italian delicacies at Baltazar Restaurant or Trattoria Cappucino (light meals). In Rådhusgaten, a couple of blocks to the left, you will find the luxurious restaurants Statholdergaarden and Wollans, the latter widely recognised as Oslo's best fish restaurant, and Café Celsius which offers excellent café meals and a cosy fireplace.
To avoid misunderstandings, we might as well let you in on another Norwegian speciality: don't get too worked up if someone invites you to a vorspiel. In its local sense, the word vorspiel implies drinks and at least three or four people. And when you reach the point where none of you can bear to wait any longer, you all get dressed and go out. A nachspiel, on the other hand, is when you continue drinking which could really get things going, at least judging from what people who have tried it are almost sure they remember.
With Egertorget, you reach the innermost core of Oslo, and here you no longer need anyone to tell you where to eat; whatever you are after, you would find it blindfolded. With a little luck you will bump into a classy French meal at Brasserie Handsken (a little formal) or A Touch of France; spectacular Szechuan at 90973>Dinner or the plain luxury of Julius Fritzner. With a little class you might seek out an evergreen like Grand Café once Ibsen's hangout, or the Art Nouveau classic Theatercaféen whose clientele and atmosphere is more renowned than the food. Northeast of Studenterlunden, the streets are packed with nice bars like XO, Ett Glass, Savoy, Café Amsterdam, Zoo Lounge, Last Train, the rock venue So What, or the hip lounge club called The Living Room, while the Italian menu at Ciao Ciao is filled with exquisite, inexpensive highlights. On the other side of Studenterlunden there is the vegetarian restaurant Vegeta vertshus and the intimate Babettes Gjestehus
If the weather is warm, you will be over at Aker Brygge in no time. Here, the beer and seafood barges moored along the piers make for a wonderfully dizzying afternoon in the sun. If it is cold and cloudy, most corners of the world are represented with at least one eating place inside the ancient docks of Oslo, rebuilt in a Post-Modern vein to form a big centre with offices and residences. Acqua is its most exclusive restaurant and Beach Club prepares the best burgers in town, while the Indian curry class is topped by Agra.
On our way up Drammensveien to Frogner, we hurry past the Park of the Royal Castle trying not to spend too much time in any of the lively bars like Barbeint, Bollywood Dancing or Palace Grill (also a splendid and imaginative restaurant). This west-end residential area is dominated by top-ranking French gourmet paradises like Feinschmecker or Le Canard seafood temptations like Mares (Italianate), East or Fuji (sushi), modern Italian pleasures at Spezzo Cucina Italiana or Indian ones at Village Tandoori; but it also boasts the country's best pizza place, Pizza di Mimmo. However, any gastronomical tour of Oslo, Norway or even Scandinavia, would have to end at Bagatelle From here, you cannot go any further; at around NOK800, their mind-blowing eight-course fantasies still seem perfectly reasonable price wise.
On your way back to downtown Oslo, you may consider crossing the Royal Park to visit Homansbyen and its beloved artist hangouts Lorry and Arcimboldo Here, you also find plenty of inexpensive places like Tapas Bar Hegdehaugsveien is a long range of fashionable couture shops that extends into Bogstadveien, while the eating and drinking place density never drops for a second. From here to Majorstuen, try the Indian meals of the boisterous Curry & Ketchup (copious and cheap) or Gate of India (great food), the vegetarian ways of Krishna Cuisine, the crossover kitchen of Fusion, the drinking and messy dancing of Mezzo (F and Sa only) or a nice cup of cappuccino at Broker
If you still do not feel at home in Oslo, ask for a ride with one of the taxis loaded with west-end kids on their way to barhopping at east-end Grünerløkka, the hippest part of Oslo these past five years. The renowned Bar Boca (on which a drink book has been written) and the intimate Dr. Kneipps wine bar both make for a pleasurable evening. While Markveien Mat- og Vinhus is still the most exclusive restaurant, more recent eating places mostly opt for crossover, as is the case with Helt Rått and Somewhere Else Of these, Sult has the best food as well as bargain prices, and it even takes on to quench your Tørst. Dermed Pasta! is a great Italian take-away, whereas Mucho Mas prepares Tex-Mex dishes at a moderate price.
Grünerløkka slopes down to bridges across the Aker river. On the other side, in between Southeast Asian supermarkets and vegetable shops, the cross streets around Storgata and Torggata conceal secret treasures like Hai Kafé and Saigons Lille Kafé, both serving up a decently prepared meal with a drink for less than NOK100. Likewise, at the excellent Korean-Japanese Nam Kang Sushi there are meals to fit most wallets. Torggata is teeming with fast-food shops, mostly kebab, of which Lille Amir is arguably the best. Not far from there you will find bars like Sikamikanico (alternative, young and hip clientele) and Paragrafen the time-honoured beer café Justisen and the ethnic nightspot The Nomad. Storgata could be rounded off consuming delicious pastries at Café Bacchus; or instead, turn left down Brugata well before it, passing the stylish Teddy's Softbar on our way to Grønland where Punjab Sweet House will sell you a three-course meal and a beer for under a NOK100. In the same area, Bangkok Thai Restaurant, providing Oslo's only authentic Thai cuisine, is also known to have an advantageous price level.
Come to think of it, now we are almost back where we started, at Oslo S If you ever get hungry again, try leaving central Oslo to find a restaurant so good its location does not count, like Victor on Sandakerveien. Or visit one whose location is exactly what matters, as in the case of the outdoor cafés in Frognerparken, De fem stuer, Frognerseteren Restaurant, or Lille Herbern Fjordkro, not to mention the popular staffed cabins deep in the Oslomarka.
On the other hand, you could easily combine heavenly food and a great location by visiting Bølgen & Moi at the Henie-Onstad Art Centre where you will be running the risk of confusing the exhibited works of modern art with the deftly prepared culinary sculptures of the chef.
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