Grace Young
Google
This is 4.5 stars rounding up to a 5. After missing our reservation at Colonialen in Bergen due to an injury, my boyfriend and I decided to celebrate my birthday in Oslo instead. We tried getting a reservation at Hos Thea, but it was fully booked for the weekend, so we settled for a late dinner reservation here after finding it on TripAdvisor. Originally, I wasn't too excited, but then the day of our dinner, the head chef himself called my boyfriend's cell phone with some questions about my allergies. He wanted to confirm that I was only allergic to the white parts of allium plants and not the green parts, and that butter was okay to include despite my lactose intolerance. Upon walking into the restaurant, I saw that the staff had a printout of all the reservations for the night, along with each party's dietary restrictions. Throughout the night, never once did I have to mention my allergies. They had already crafted special versions of each dish (a garlic-free sauce, a gluten and milk-free flatbread, a dairy free chocolate...) just for me. I've never eaten at a restaurant so at peace before.
The meal was nothing short of a gastronomical experience. Dishes were modern, creative, well thought out and executed, beautifully plated, locally sourced, and minimally processed: the "tree" starter contained raw vegetables that tasted like the earth, the herring and lamb brisket were simply pan fried, and I had my very first raw pork tartare. My only criticism was that everything was on the salty side, but my boyfriend thought it was fine, so perhaps it's just me.
The service throughout the night was stellar, with the sommelier and chefs stopping by for little chats with the guests. It didn't feel at all pretentious or snobby, but it was very attentive and professional. They always folded my napkin when I went to the restroom and refilled my water for me. It was also much fun watching the chefs work in the open kitchen, which was of course kept painstakingly clean.
It's only a matter of time before they earn a Michelin star.
