Lille Taste of Indian–new Indian restaurant in town

As I have said before, it is always good to see new places open in downtown Stavanger. This time a new Indian restaurant called “Lille Taste of Indian” (a bit weird combination of Norwegian and English name) has opened in Stavanger and it is located on the corner of Øvre Holmegate and Kirkegaten. I’m not sure if this place is jinxed or not but businesses never seem to last here. I think it has been clothing stores, bars and now a restaurant.

Anyway, we went there one day after a workout just to check it out. I think this is a branch of a restaurant with the same name located in Bergen as the menu seems to be similar. I’m also a bit fascinated by the name – when you look outside the place they have used “Lille taste of Indian” one place and “Little taste of Indian” another place. Shouldn’t it just be “Little taste of India”? But hey, what’s in a name – I’m just glad to see that there is an additional Indian place in town so we can try something apart from India Tandoori, Delhi and Mogul India. You can read a review of Mogul India here.

Luckily they had a table when we got there as I was starving and we got the extensive menu pretty fast. Reading the menu was not that easy on the other hand with the dim lighting and the photos of Indian food as a background on some of the menu pages – but that is why you have an iPhone with a “flashlight” built in, isn’t it ;-) I went for one of my favorites: the Murg Saag (chicken in a spinach sauce). In the menu it said that you could choose how spicy you wanted the meal (graded from mild to vindaloo or something like that) but when we ordered we totally forgot about it and the waiter never asked us.  We also went for some naan bread: I wanted the garlic naan and Nikki went for vegetable naan. The food was served pretty fast and I guess it can have something to do with the fact that there were not that many people in there.

The meals were presented in small pots on top of a candle and that is a good idea to make sure that you keep the dish warm. We were however a bit disappointed when we tried the meal – my dish was not bad at all but it was not spicy at all so I assume that I got the mildest version. Next time I will be sure to ask for it a bit spicier. The naan bread on the other hand was not good at all – way too dry in my opinion but I’m not an expert in the field of course but I have had better naan bread in other restaurants. So all in all we were not totally crazy about this place but I’m willing to give it another try in the near future and then I will be sure to ask for the meal to be a bit spicier.  The main dishes seem to range from 170 to 200 Norwegian kroner (about 30 USD to 35 USD) just to give you an idea about the price level.

Regards
Gard
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Renaa: Xpress–the new breakfast/lunch place in town

In earlier articles I have written about Renaa Restauranter. Just to summarize it: Renaa Restauranter is split into two sections: Matbaren upstairs which is an informal place to have some good food and Renaa Restauranten (downstairs) which is one of the few fine dining gourmet restaurants in Stavanger. Just a few weeks back Mr. Renaa expanded and opened a new third section called Renaa: Xpress. This new place will focus on breakfast and lunch so it closes at 5 PM. I have had the pleasure of going there a few times already and they serve a selection of sandwiches, soups, smoothies, juice, Danish pastry etc.

The first time I went there I had a sandwich based on focaccia bread and it was with Stavanger ham (delivered by the local butcher in town Idsøe) and tallegio cheese. The sandwich is served on a wooden trey and the cutlery is in a disposable wooden version. The only problem with the sandwich was that there was quite a lot of mustard on it and I’m not a huge fan. So the next time I came there I asked if I could get it without mustard and that was not a problem as there are chefs on duty that actually makes stuff ;-) Without the mustard the sandwich was great and I have also tried the one with pancetta and salsa verde. Another great thing about this place is the power smoothies…one example is cucumber/avocado/apple/spinach. Sounds kinda weird but it was actually quite good.

They also serve Danish pastry – like croissant, pain au chocolate but they also have blueberry muffins, scones etc. From what I have tasted it seems like the products are fresh and made with good ingredients. The only thing that hasn’t been a huge success so far is the salad that Nikki tried the other day – she found it to be very boring. They also serve coffee of course and I have tried the caffe mocha and it seems like I have finally found a great replacement for Charlie Brown that was closed a few years back. The caffe mocha here is served in a glass, it is made with chocolate sauce and served with real whipped cream – just the way I like it

Renaa: Xpress is located right next to Matbaren and you can access it from Breitorget. It is a tiny place so there are only like 20-25 seats inside but you can also sit within Breitorget. On cold days it can be a bit cold inside Xpress – maybe it would be an idea to install a self closing mechanism on the entrance door ;-) Anyway, I like this place – I think the sandwiches are good and the caffe mocha is great. So there might be a chance that this will be the regular hangout spot on Saturdays after a good workout Read more about Renaa: Xpress on http://www.restaurantrenaa.no/xpress.htm .

Regards
Gard
gardkarlsen.com – trip reports and pictures
 

 

Slow service at Bølgen & Moi

I have been to Bølgen & Moi a couple of times before and to be honest I have had various experiences there (you can read my old review here and here). On a Friday afternoon we decided to grab some food before a movie and at about 5 pm we called Bølgen & Moi to make a reservation for 8 PM. We were told that they didn’t have a table at 8 PM but 8.30 could work and we accepted this. The location of Bølgen & Moi is great – located inside the oil museum and located on the waterfront in Stavanger, it has stunning views of the waterfront area. We came there at 8.30 and our waiter took us to our table – to my surprise there were lots and lots of table with no people and table that were not set! So I’m having problems understanding why they couldn’t accept our request to come at 8 PM.

As we were going to the movie at 10 PM we ordered the food right away – Nikki went for the tenderloin and I went for Norwegian clip fish and Nikki also ordered a glass of red wine. After a couple of minutes the waiter came back to inform Nikki that they didn’t have tenderloin after all but she could get entrecote. Then we started the waiting game – there were not that many people in the restaurant – I would guess 20 people or so. After a fair bit of time the waiter came back to serve the wine and he had already forgotten that it was Nikki who had ordered the wine. We waited a bit more and we got a small appetizer with some bread on the side – I guess they knew already that this would take time! The appetizer was not bad at all – a small potato and leek soup with bacon. Too bad Nikki couldn’t have it as she is lactose intolerant. In the end the waiter came back and poured some more wine in Nikki’s glass even if she had not asked for it so she was like “No, I only wanted one glass”. The waiter replied that it was on the house as the food was taking so long and she needed some wine to go along with the food.

So after about 1 hour we finally got the food – but by this time we were getting a bit stressed as we also needed a few minutes to get to the movie house. My clip fish was served with various vegetables and it was pretty good even if it was a bit on the salty side. The fish was served on top of mashed potatoes with the vegetables, mussels and bacon so it was a bit strange combination. But all in all it was pretty good. The fish was warm but as I said, a bit too salty. Nikki was not that lucky with her entrecote – the food was a bit lukewarm, the small potatoes that she got on the side were dry and parts of the steak were chewy.

Conclusion: I was not too impressed with Bølgen & Moi this time. I have no idea how to run a restaurant and I guess they have to run on a minimum staff if they don’t have that many reservations one evening. But I find it annoying that we couldn’t get a table at 8 was there was clearly tables available and hence we had to eat fast to get to the movies on time as it took close to an hour from we ordered until the food was served – it shouldn’t take that long guys. But I did enjoy my fish – too bad I didn’t have the time to really enjoy it. One glass of red wine was 99 kroner (18 USD) and our food cost about 500 kroner (about 90 USD).

When we asked for just tap water we were also asked if we wanted to support a drilling for clean water in Cambodia program that the restaurant is sponsoring – I think it is great that the restaurant gets involved in stuff like this and I hope the money will help improve people’s lives in Cambodia. The program is called “Vann til vann” and you can read more about it on the restaurant homepage http://www.bolgenogmoi.no/

Regards
Gard
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City Brasserie & Vinbar–decent food but disappointed by the wine bar

A few years back this place was called “Bryggeriet” I think and right before City Brasserie & vinbar took over they installed “wine machines” – a machine where the bottles are kept with nitrogen I guess to preserve it longer (I have seen similar ones in butcher shops in Tuscany – see this trip report). The result was of course that they could offer many wines by the glass every day which I really enjoyed. Anyway, City Bistro took over and turned it into City Brasserie & vinbar and I had big expectations as there isn’t really a proper wine bar in Stavanger. So I was a bit peeved when the first thing they did was to remove the machines. I asked them why and they had some sort of explanation that they wanted the wine experience to be more personal and exclusive. But I’m not sure that it has turned out the way I wanted it to at least – when I have gone there I don’t feel like they had lots of options of wine by the glass and buying a whole bottle is normally out of the question.

Today City Brasserie & vinbar is split into three sections: the lower floor is the brasserie, the mezzanine level is the champagne lounge and wine bar and the upper floor is the restaurant. I have been there a few times and I have eaten both upstairs and downstairs but this will mainly be about my latest visit in September 2011. Nikki and I went there to have a meal at the restaurant upstairs but when we came all the lights were turned off. I asked them what was going on and the head waiter said that due to personnel being off sick they had closed the restaurant and only had the brasserie open. When I have been there before there has not been many visitors to the restaurant so I speculate that they closed it off as they didn’t have any reservations but that is just my personal opinion.

We were offered to go to the brasserie instead and the menu is quite short which is not a problem – but I would like to have seen the menu on their website but I guess that is tricky if they claim that it changes daily. They had a three course meal for 499 Norwegian Kroner (about 85 USD these days) if I’m not mistaken but as we were not that hungry we decided to go for a starter and main and that was about 450 kroner. I went for the foie gras as a starter and pork as the main meal. They did have a few options of wine by the glass but I do get a bit worried when I get to a restaurant early in the evening and they bring out a bottle of red wine where there is hardly anything left in the bottle – does that mean that it was opened yesterday or even the day before? So I got to try one wine and as it seemed to be a bit on the border of going bad, I went for the other Italian red wine alternative. My starter turned out to be not quite what I hoped for – foie gras can be excellent but I got some sort of bloc de foie gras which was more of a pate – still good but not quite the same as the real deal. It was served with shredded lemon and with a lemon sorbet type ice cream which was actually a good combination. Nikki went for a seafood risotto as a starter and it seemed like she enjoyed it and the was a good lobster taste as far as I can remember – the only problem was that it was not warm enough when it was served.

My pork main was one piece of pork belly and one piece of tenderloin I guess served with a block on potatoes and some sort of “cabbage package“ and sauce came on the side. The meat was quite good but the tenderloin was a bit on the dry side but the portion size was quite good.

All in all the service is quite good and the atmosphere is nice in this small restaurant located on the Skagen side of the Stavanger harbor. But it seems like it is quite empty on most days when I have been there and I’m not sure there everyone gets the “three sections” concept as I described earlier on. I’m a bit disappointed that a champagne and wine bar does not have more varieties by the glass on offer but it is nice to have a glass of Mumm champagne while sitting by the fire place in the lounge. So if you are looking for a place to go for a decent snack before going to e.g. the movies, City Brasserie & vinbar might be a good option – but don’t expect to be blown away by the vast variety of wine by the glass or food. You can read more about the place and book a table on their homepage http://www.citybrasserie.no/

Regards
Gard
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Café Sting – now you can dine with a view

We have gone to Sting many times over the years as it is a great informal place for a snack before going to e.g. the movies. One of the highlights at this place is the annual garlic festival in March/April where they have a special focus on…you guess it, garlic. The place is located at the top of the hill right next to Valbergstårnet so the location is pretty unique as most other restaurants and bars are located closer to the waterfront. And this location is also what makes their new feature so spectacular: they have opened a new rooftop terrace! I saw the sign for this new rooftop terrace a few months back but I could not really see how this could happen – but the other day when I stopped by they had just installed a sliding door in the middle of the main seating area leading out this new terrace and with a staircase leading up to the rooftop terrace.

We came there at about 5 pm on a Saturday to have a snack before going to the movies. The weather was beautiful as the sun was shining from a cloud free sky but it was also a bit of a chill in the air. But we went to the rooftop terrace and we were happy to see that there were a few tables available. I think this will soon change when the word gets spread that this terrace is now open. The rooftop terrace is placed in such a way that most of the tables did get sunlight and that is always a plus in a cold place like Norway.  The rooftop terrace still needs the last finishing touches but nothing that prevents it from being a nice hangout spot already.

As always I had to go to the cashier to place the order and we decided to go for the burger (as we have tried that at various places lately). Sting is also the only(?) place in Stavanger were you get wine by the glass by the weight. They just place the glass on a scale and they ask you to “say when” as they pour the wine in. They have a few bottles to choose from when it comes to wine but with the new rooftop terrace I think it can turn into an even more popular spot for a cold beer as long as the weather cooperates.

It was great to sit in the sun and enjoy the view of Stavanger while waiting for the burger – and the burger was served sooner than expected. We talked a bit to the girl who served us the burger and she said that it had been a bit chaotic earlier on and people had been waiting for quite some time to get their food served. I guess that is something that the management has to deal with – they have just more or less double the seating capacity but it seems like they have the same kitchen and staff. That could spell disaster if they don’t plan for it. The burger was served with small, fried potatoes on the side and a garlic dip. But where was the tomato sauce or ketchup? The burger itself was good but I would have enjoyed pickles on mine instead of just cucumber. We were never asked how we wanted our burger done but it seemed like medium was the default setting so Nikki found her burger to be a bit too rare. The garlic dip really had lots of garlic in it by the way – I could feel my garlic breath myself the rest of the evening. Not that it is a negative thing but just be aware of it ;-) So I think the burger at Matbaren is still the best burger in town so far (you can read the Matbaren review here). The burger at Sting is 169 Kroner – with the current currency value that spells about 32 US dollars or 22 €.

But all in all – Café Sting is still a great place to go for a bit of snack. Even if their menu is limited you should be able to find something that you like. And it looks like there are lots of new things happening at this place and I’m sure they will stay in business for many years to come. With their new rooftop terrace I’m sure they will attract new crowds when the sun hits Stavanger in the summer months. You can read more about Sting on their homepage http://www.cafe-sting.no/ . It does not seem like their homepage is in English but click on Mat (meaning food) to see the menu, it is both in Norwegian and English.

Regards
Gard
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Renaa Matbaren–still a great option for a meal!

It has been almost 2 years since Renaa took over both Jans and Craigs Kjøkken and created Renaa Matbaren and Renaa Restauranten. Matbaren is the more informal hangout spot while Restauranten has replaced Jans as a fine dining and gourmet restaurant. I was invited to the opening a couple of years back (as you can see here) but after that I have been back a number of time – after all Stavanger is a small place and there are not that many restaurants to choose from ;-)

This is just a few words about Renaa Matbaren which I have checked out many times. First of all: the good news is that it seems like the place is going really good and most days when I have been there it is always crowded. We have just popped in a few time in connection with going to the movies and it is not always easy getting a table – so if you want to make sure to get a seat, make a reservation!

We stopped by there on a weekday before going to the movies and as I had gotten recommendations from Whitney (from the Thanks for the food blog) about the hamburger I decided to go for that. The setup at Renaa is quite cool – the menu, cutlery, glasses, menu and butter is already laid out on the table so when you sit down you can just start looking at the menu…which is both in Norwegian and English. Well done guys! Their menu also varies a bit and I have attached the menu for evening – for some reason I took a photo of the Norwegian version – my bad. But it contains smaller portions like oysters, or local blue mussels, or mozzarella with Parma ham and local tomatoes and basil, beef tartar etc. Other larger options are tagine, homemade sausages and also a variety of barbeque stuff. They actually have a coal barbeque in the kitchen where they fry up burgers, meat and fish.

I went for the burger as I mentioned and in this place they actually ask you how you want the burger fried…that does not happen very often in Stavanger. The burger took a while to get served but in the mean time we got some bread and the butter is already on the plate…an organic butter from Rørosmeieriet. The burger was served split as you can see on the photo and it was quite a challenge to deal with. It is always a delicate decision – try to eat it in a civilized way with fork and knife OR just put it together and use your hands to dig in. I’m not sure my mouth is big enough so I went for the fork and knife option and the burger was excellent. It was fried to medium as I asked for and it had a great barbeque taste as well (most likely from the coal fired barbeque). On it there were cheese, bacon, large slices of tomato, onion and pickles. And on the side fresh and hot (as in very warm) French fries with two sauces on the side. An excellent meal, presented in a nice way (as nice as you can present a burger I guess) with fresh ingredients and a great taste. So not much to complain about in other words. The burger is 220 Norwegian kroner (about 40 USD).

The second time I went there lately I went there on a Friday evening. It was still early but already full so we had to sit in the bar. Not the best place at least if you want to talk to your company as you are not facing each other and you have the noise from the kitchen. But as you are facing the kitchen it can also be interesting – obviously they are confident in their product if they allow people to look straight into their main operation. I wasn’t that hungry this evening so I just went for a platter of Italian ham and a selection of cheese while my friend went for the fish of the day fried on the barbeque. I think they were a bit busy this evening and they seemed to forget us a bit in terms of serving us e.g. bread. It was also a bit when they came to serve the fish as they brought two portions and I said that I was still waiting for my ham and cheese. But they seemed to handle the challenge pretty well…the fish was sent back to the kitchen and I got my food pretty fast. I love the combination of salami and cheese and this was served in a rustic way…on two wooden boards and with a bit of rocket and honey. The meat and cheese was good but it would have been great to get just a short presentation of what I was actually eating. The salami/ham plate was 185 Norwegian Kroner (33 USD) and 150 Kroner for the cheese (27 USD).

Conclusion is that Renaa Matbaren still works and they still serve some great food in a nice environment. So if you haven’t been there already, there is no reason to not try it out :-) Enjoy. You can check out their homepage on http://www.restaurantrenaa.no/ . It would be great to see the menu online by the way!

Regards
Gard
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Stavanger wine festival coming up

The annual Stavanger wine festival is coming soon – this year it is from April 27th to April 30th. The “Route de vin” is already sold out unfortunately but there are of course other activities. You can read more about the wine festival on http://www.stavangervinfest.no/