Norman Visited 5/4/2018 4.5 Forks

Norman  29 Norman Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Ever since I went to Denmark and Norway, I have been obsessed with all things Scandinavian.  I'll admit that the food isn't for everyone and it's got it's own unique flavor palate but I really enjoy it.  So I was thrilled to check out Norman which is the ultimate hipster paradise in Greenpoint.  It's this enormous creative space in Greenpoint that is kind of like part WeWork, part cafe.  The entire aesthetic reeks of a typical minimalist Scandinavian design that I love.   There a tons of communal tables, lots of light and open space - perfect for the Brooklyn freelancer which there were tons of.   If I were some hipster freelancer, I would work here all the time. 

In the middle of the space is a cafe/bar/restaurant where you can order a variety of Scandinavian focused food - so think of grainy bread, smoked salmon and cured meats.  They also have a daily lunch special for $14 which comes with a vegetable side dish and freshly baked bread.  I was super tempted by the egg sandwich since I was there for lunch on a weekday but I opted for the daily lunch special which was a chicken kabob and cucumber salad.  I also got a side of rugbrod (Danish rye bread) which came with almond butter and a berry preserve ($5). 

The chicken kabob was fantastic - super moist and flavorful and came with marinated grilled chunks of onion in between.  The cucumber salad was enormous - it was chunks (not sliced) cucumber in a mild dill yogurt sauce.  It was refreshing and simple yet something I haven't really seen elsewhere.  Finally the bread.  What can I say except it makes me never ever want to go on a no carb diet.  It was warm and comforting and so so delicious.  The rugbrod was also fabulous - although I can see why it may not be everyone's cup of tea.  It's a thick cut of bread that has a lot of texture to it thanks to the heaping of seeds and grains in it.  The almond butter and berry preserve was the perfect combination to it.  It's very hearty and it was a bit of an overkill with the other bread I had but oh well.  

I walked out of this place feeling instantly cooler and hipper.  While I can't say I ever crave Scandinavian food, it has a very soft spot in my heart and I would bring anyone here in a heartbeat if they were looking to tip their toe into this new culinary trend.  Total bill:  $24/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Bergen Day 8 Visited 7/9/2016 3 Forks

Fish Market Torget, Bergen, Norway

One of the more famous spots in Bergen is the Fish Market which is smack in the middle of town. There is an enclosed area that has an actual seafood market along with several restaurants attached to them with nice views of the harbor.  Right next to it is an outdoor version with stalls offering slightly more casual fare - lox, chilled seafood, paella, fish soup, whale meat, and fried seafood.  At first I was super excited to visit it, but after visiting it, it was a bit of a disappointment.  It's rather small - you can walk through the whole thing in less than 15 mins and all the stalls pretty much offer the exact same line-up of food.  They also know that it's catered to tourists so when you're walking through, the workers will just start screaming at you to come check out their food.  It's really quite distracting and annoying - especially the ones who were screaming at me in Chinese (there is a shockingly large number of Chinese tourists in Norway).  

I almost didn't want to eat here but I felt like I would regret if I didn't, plus I love seafood and getting a sit down seafood meal elsewhere would be really expensive.  I looked around and decided on this place right by the beginning of the outdoor market - they had a plate of chilled seafood that looked pretty decent and seating in the back.  The plate had several pieces of smoked salmon, chilled tiny shrimp, chilled langostino tails (they're like tiny lobster tails), and caviar on a piece of bread with garlic mayo - all on a giant bed of iceberg lettuce (175 Krone = $20 USD with a diet coke).  It looked nice enough and while it was a fun experience to have, from a culinary standpoint, this seafood snob wasn't really blown away by it.  It was missing seasoning to it as it was all a bit bland (except for the lox which was super salty).  Also the bulk of the dish was really the lettuce which if you know me, I hate iceberg lettuce.  It didn't come with any dressing, so I was basically eating a seafood salad plain. I guess it was healthy and good for me?  I wouldn't tell people to not come here because it is such a central part of the city and it is a fun experience to sit outside and have an affordable meal.  I just wouldn't necessarily get your hopes up that this is some super traditional local experience with really high quality ingredients. 

Overall, I really fell in love with Denmark and Norway.  Stunning scenery, stunning people, cool design and at least in Copenhagen, it's really becoming a culinary hot spot.  I would most definitely recommend this part of Europe to anyone (who can afford it!), especially in the summer time when the sun is out for 20 hours and the temperature is a fantastic and comfortable 60-70 degrees.  Take me back!

Bergen Day 7 Visited 7/8/2016 3.5 - 4 Forks

Bar Barista  Øvregaten 12, 5003 Bergen, Norway                                                          3.5 Forks

After an early 4 hour boat ride, we arrived in our final destination of Bergen.  It's a quaint town that's actually Norway's 2nd largest city after Oslo.  Luckily, it has a bit more character and charm than Oslo.  One of the big things to do in Bergen is to take the funicular up to the top of the city to get a spectacular view of the whole town.  But before we did that, we needed to grab a quick bite to eat. 

I had read about Bar Barista in a few blogs and it was 2 blocks from the funicular, so we headed there.  So it turns out that it really is more of a bar/coffee shop than a cafe or restaurant.  It has a very limited food menu (some panini, waffles and crepes) but quite an extensive beer and beverage menu. The big draw here is the super fun an funky decor - it's loud, colorful and fun.  It's got a very hippie, artist vibe which was a nice change from the grey rainy backdrop (apparently it rains 4 or 5 days a week in Bergen).  I ended up getting a ham and cheese panini and a Belgian lager (175 krone = $20). It was a pretty basic but filling panini - I liked the fresh cut tomato salsa it came with as well as the garlic mayo that came on the side.  The guy next to me got a waffle (which is almost like a national dish in Norway) which looked delicious and sweet.  

I can't really say this is a great place to go to if you're hungry and really need to eat.  But if you're looking for a cool place to chill, relax and get something to drink, this is definitely a place to check out. 

Escalon Vetrlidsallmenningen 21, 5014 Bergen, Norway                                                     4 Forks

Lav and I had spotted this cute Spanish tapas place while we were walking around town and filed it away in our head as a place to eat for dinner.  While I never really had a terrible meal in Norway, I was ready for some more flavor and something besides fish and sandwiches.  Tapas seemed like a nice change up to our usual meals.

The menu here has your usual line-up of traditional tapas dishes - we decided on manchego (80 krone), shisto peppers (78 krone), potatoes bravas (69 krone), eggplant with goat cheese (72 krone), fried cheese balls (44 krone) and the meatballs (80 krone).  The manchego was simply cubes of cheese, so while it was good, it wasn't anything innovative or creative (although I did end up using it as a vehicle to sop up the tomato sauce that went with the meatballs and the garlic mayo in the potatoes).  The shisto peppers were a nice dish - it's what you would expect of these types of peppers: salty outside with a hint of heat on the inside.  The potatoes bravas were delicious but it was really because they were drenched in a super garlic-y mayo (who doesn't love that?).  The eggplant wrapped and filled with goat cheese was also great - the goat cheese wasn't overpowering and the eggplant had a nice soft but not too mushy texture.  The best dish of the nice was the fried cheese balls - gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside - I could have eaten another order of it.  The only disappointing dish was the meatballs which is surprising since it's Norway and you'd think they would excel at meat.  They weren't super juicy or moist and seemed pretty one dimensional.

We got suckered into a chocolate cake dessert (98 krone) that in all honesty wasn't chocolate cake at all but some dry cookie with super sweet chocolate sauce dripped all over it - very unimpressive, especially for the price.

Overall, it was a nice reprieve from the slightly mediocre food we had been having in the small fjord towns.  It was a nice change of pace from Balestrand where there weren't a lot of options but there are most definitely lots of restaurants to choose from in Bergen - however, the prices definitely reflect it. Bergen is a cute town, especially the Bryggen area and the suburbs beyond that, but I wouldn't really spend more than 1-2 days here.  Most people use it as a jumping off place to the fjords, so we kind of did it backwards but I actually preferred it this way - it was nice to end of a quiet and relaxing note. Total bill:  800 Krone = $93 USD with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  TripAdvisor

Balestrand Day 6 Visited 7/7/2016 4 Forks

Sognefjord Aquarium  Holmen 2, 6899 Balestrand, Norway

This might be the most random entry I've written about as this review isn't about a restaurant but about the local "aquarium" in Balestrand.  I use that term "aquarium" very loosely because the aquarium was the size of my apartment in Brooklyn and I'm honestly not sure what kind of animals you'd find in there. 

To be fair, I didn't actually go into the aquarium but had dinner at the cute cafe/bakery that was connected to it.   It's right in the front next to the ticket office and I was surprised at the variety they had in terms of baked goods and other snacks that all looked freshly made.  Given the lack of other really inspiring dinner options in town, how tired we were and the fact that it had started raining, we made a decision to stay here and make it a night. 

They have a bunch of sandwiches, egg scrambles, and savory pasteries for a main dish.  I opted for the shrimp sandwich on a pumpkin seed bread, fruit cheesecake, and cappuccino (179 Krone = $21).  It was all shockingly good for this totally random setting.   The pumpkin seed bread was fabulous - healthy tasting and fresh and the shrimp was the small thin Norwegian kind piled high on the bread and served with mayo, tomato, cucumber and sprouts.  It was all super tasty even if the shrimp was probably out of the jar that I saw at the grocery store next door.  The cheesecake tasted less like an American style cheesecake but more like a tart with a fruity gel top.  I enjoyed most of the desserts in Norway because none of them were super sugary or sweet - you could really tell that this dessert here was homemade in the bakery and not from a box.  Lav got scrambled eggs on a buttery homemade croissant which looked delicious as well. 

While I wouldn't call this a culinary hot spot, it was certainly a surprisingly enjoyable meal - it was probably even better than some of other places I've eaten on the trip.   If you're staying in Balestrand or even if you're passing through and want a solid snack, definitely check out the aquarium and maybe even check out the fishes while you're there!

Flam and Balestrand Day 5 Visited 7/6/2016 3.5 Forks

Food Stalls at Flam Rail Station                                                                               3.5 Forks

The highlight of my trip was a visit to the fjords - they are truly stunning and a site to be seen in person.  Most people do the "Norway in a Nutshell" track where you take a combination of trains and ferries from Oslo to Bergen to take in the sights.  It's basically you and a thousand tourists taking the same route across the fjords, which is fine but a bit annoying.  Most people transfer at the Flam station to either catch the train back to Oslo or the ferries onward to the fjords.

Flam is definitely one of the more developed villages along the fjords but even then I was still surprised that when we got off at the station that there was a mini food truck situation.  There is a Thai food truck, seafood food truck, hot dog stand, ice cream and a crepe stand.  So a pretty decent line-up of food.  I, of course, go straight for the seafood one.  They had a giant seafood paella pan, fish and chips and other varieties of seafood dishes.  I saw that they had a green mussel plate and I had to get it because they are one of my favorite seafood dishes.  Unlike the common black mussels, the green New Zealand ones are usually much plumper and filling.  I got a plate of them (149 Krone = $18 USD) and they were covered in a curry cream sauce (I should have asked for it on the side).  While the mussels were meaty and satisfying, texture wise they were a bit tough and old - you could kind of tell that they had been sitting in that vat of curry sauce for a while.  But hey, I'm in the middle of nowhere Norway, I can't complain too much about it.

I was still a bit hungry, so I searched the grounds for another snack.  Strangely, hot dogs are all the rage in Scandinavia (I noticed that when I was in Iceland a few years ago).  Since I never got one while I was in Copenhagen, I figured that I might as well give it a go here.   It's an expensive street dog at $8 USD and it wasn't anything mind blowing but it did taste a bit less processed than the ones back home.  It was more along the lines of a home made pork sausage than a ballpark frank.

If you're doing the whole Norway in a Nutshell thing, definitely bring some snacks with you but rest assured that when you get to Flam, you will have some interesting food truck options, even if they are a bit overpriced.

Gekkens Holmen 15, 6899 Balestrand, Norway                                                     3.5 Forks

Finally, after 2 trains and a boat, we arrived in stunning Balestrand.  It's a tiny village off the fjord with less than 800 people - I'm generally not a nature person but this place was really really special. There is absolutely nothing to do there but to take in the beauty. 

Unfortunately, that also means that there's not much to eat either.  We stayed in a super cute "hotel" that was more like a B&B which didn't have a on site restaurant.  I think the girl who checked us in mentioned that there were literally 3 restaurants in town.  After looking at the menus, they were pretty much all the same and within 5 minutes of each other.  We picked Gekkens because it looked to be the most veggie friendly. 

It was totally packed when we got there but since it was pretty cold there, we were able to get a table outside (they provide wool blankets for you).  The place is very mom & pop (as is everything in town) and was run by what looked to be a Thai family?  It felt like you were having dinner in someone's home which was nice.  The menu was as expected in a place like this - pretty basic - some local fish and meatball dishes and randomly pizza.  I opted for the fish soup (89 Krone = $11 USD) and the cod while Lav got a veggie pizza and fries (again, life saver on the trip). 

Norway is known for their fish soup, which is why I got it here and to be honest, it wasn't all that. I had expected it to be a chunky chowder or stew but this was watery, thin and heavy on the celery and carrots instead of fish.  As for the cod dish, the fish itself was fine, it was similar to the cod I get at Trader Joe's and it was covered in a cream sauce.  The dish was served with steamed broccoli (maybe the first green I had seen on this trip in a while), carrots and potatoes and a very small garden salad with 1,000 Island dressing on it.  Given how low of an expectation I had, the meal was totally fine - it actually was a meal that reminded me of what a Norweigan would eat at home. 

Luckily, you aren't coming to Balestrand for the culinary scene - you just need food that doesn't suck and will last you through the day.  The highlight was actually the fries, which I think were essentially frozen ones they bought at the grocery store next door but they were the yummy crinkle cut kind and it was sprinkled with some chili flakes to give it some heat.  The waitress was very nice and I liked that it was a family affair here.  I'm sure it can't be easy to run a restaurant in a tiny town with the limited supplies and ingredients they get but if you're in Balestrand for more than a few days, I'm sure you'll end up here at some point.  We had originally wanted to go to the Cider House, which was set on a orchard but they were closed for dinner, so do your research before you go so that you're not disappointed.  Total bill:  340 Krone = $40 USD

Photo Credit:  TripAdvisor

Oslo Day 4 Visited 7/5/2016 3 - 4 Forks

Mathallen  Vulkan 5, 0178 Oslo, Norway                                                     3 Forks

After 3 fun filled days in Copenhagen, I was off to explore the fjords in Norway. But first, a quick pit stop in Oslo before I started my journey.  I'll be honest, Oslo is eh - especially compared to all the other beautiful parts of Scandinavia that I've been to.  It grew on me a little bit as the day wore on but my initial impression was that there really is no reason to spend more than 24 hours here as there are so many other more gorgeous places to go in Norway. 

But as long as I was here, I was going to try to enjoy myself.  Of course, I searched to see if they had a food market and of course they did!  Similar to a lot of food markets, it's located in a slightly out of the way neighborhood and while it had all the makings of a good food hall, it just didn't really do it for me.  It's a nice small space but there was something lacking about it - it felt cold and impersonal. However, if you are going to spend time there, you can find good things to eat while you were there. It's no real surprise that Norwegian food isn't super famous but what they are known for is their salmon.  I ended up going to a Japanese bento box place and getting a salmon sushi box (50 Krone = $6 USD) and a salmon teriyaki box (69 Krone = $ 8 USD).  The fish itself was pretty good - fresh and clean - it felt very Norwegian.  It was a bit disappointing that the teriyaki was cold but it was totally edible with the sushi white rice it was served with.  For $14, it was not a bad meal to be had in a country where everything is expensive.  My advice is that food markets are always a better deal than eating in fancy restaurants and it gives you access to lots of variety.  This food hall had potential and I did see a few restaurants next to the main hall but maybe it was because I was so blown away by Paper Island that I felt pretty underwhelmed by this one.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Åpent Bakeri Frydenlund Inkognito Terrasse 1 , 0256 Oslo                                           4 Forks

While strolling around the area between the park and downtown Oslo, Lav and I stopped by for a snack at Apent Bakeri which is in a nice fancy part of Oslo - it reminded me a bit of the West Village. We had been walking all day and need to stop and refuel.

While the Nordic countries aren't really well known for dessert and they quite well known for their pastries and breaded products.  Lav and I split a cinnamon roll and chocolate chip cookie.  Similar to the cinnamon roll I had in Copenhagen, this one was great because it didn't have any gooey fake frosting - instead, it focuses on the actual pastry part.  It was not too sweet - much more like a bread than a dessert.  It was a great snack to split on a sunny afternoon.  The chocolate chip cookie was also yummy - very buttery though.

While I generally don't review cafes, I felt like it was important to highlight them on my trip here because Copenhagen and Oslo are such cute cafe culture cities where I've had some of the better meals on my trip.  If you are walking around this part of town, definitely stop by and treat yourself to a pastry or two.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Pacific Poke Aker Brygge, Stranden 3, 0250 Oslo, Norway                                     3.5 Forks

Apparently the poke craze has spread to Norway too. We arrived at our final destination of the night, Aker Brygge, and this was definitely the highlight of the city. While harbor fronts are generally a bit touristy, this one was actually really nice and relaxing.  It's a whole strip with lots of hip restaurants, places to sit and relax by the water and all the way at the end is a really cool modern art museum with beautiful views and funky architecture.  There were a ton of cool modern looking condos there too - I wonder how much it would cost to live there??  

Along the boardwalk are also a few food trucks and a poke one caught my eye.  I knew that it was a craze sweeping the US but I was surprised that people in Norway caught on to it as well.  I ended up chatting with the guy behind the truck - he's Swedish and said that he read an article in Business Insider about how poke was the next big thing and so he quit his job and decided to open this poke truck with no real experience or exposure to the real thing.  In fact, he had never been to Hawaii or CA before - he just knew that he liked to eat raw fish.  I had to admire his ambition and risk taking. While, it definitely wasn't traditional poke by any stretch of the imagination, I'm not sure if that's the approach he was going for. 

The salmon, while fresh and good, was missing the signature soy, sesame, ginger marinated flavor to it. It was kind of more like plain raw salmon and then it was combined with a bed of salad (my bad for not getting the rice but he only had white rice, no brown rice), tobiko, pickled onion and avocado. He's definitely on the right path and I appreciated his effort but it doesn't quite hit the real poke on the head.  I'm still glad I tried it and I would go again after maybe he's visited a few other poke places in the States.  Total bill:  129 Krone = $15 USD. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Note:  There was one more place we ate at on this day, but it was TGI Friday's and well, I can't bring myself to review it.  So needless to say, I ate there out of courtesy to my traveling companion who was having a craving for it.