Seafood at Fisketorget

We had a fantastic lunch at Fisketorget last summer (see this review) with amazing weather and a great outdoor view of the harbor of Stavanger. The visit this time was quite different as we visited for dinner on a cold March night. There was a bit of confusion regarding the booking but after showing the confirmation e-mail that I had received, we were guided to the table. It would be great if they could get a proper booking system in place! The menu varies according to season, but the focus is on seafood – and the menu this evening was presented on a large blackboard. You have the freedom of choosing a bit of “everything” (a taste of 5 of the menu items) or you can choose 2 to 7 courses. We decided to “only” have two courses this evening and soon we got some bread and aioli as a starter. Note that there is quite a lot of cream-based food on the menu that can be an issue if you have lactose intolerance. We did not have the chance to ask if it was possible to make some of the food dairy free.

 

My first dish was Skrei 45° (a piece of cod) that was lovely – served with a delicious and rich sauce of smoked roe and crème fraiche. Nikki chose the scallop bouillon, and she was very happy with this. We decided to have the catch of the day as our main dish and this was cusk (or brosme in Norwegian) served with mussel sauce, cauliflower puree and vegetables. Again, a great piece of fish with a tasty and rich sauce! The service was a bit rushed this evening and maybe they were a bit understaffed, and I would also loved to have a bit more light at the table to be able to read the wine menu. But the most important thing is of course the food – and the food was delicious. I hope to taste more of the menu when we visit again!

 

Facts:

Homepage: https://fisketorget-stavanger.no/
Location: Strandkaien 37 – see this Google map 

 

New wine bar: Lapin

There is a new wine bar in town! Lapin opened this week and it is the crew from Restaurant SÖL that is behind it. If you remember my reviews from Restaurant SÖL (see this review), you will know that they have focus on nature wines and that seems to also be the concept at the Lapin wine bar. We went there on a Friday evening and it is so new that there is not even a sign outsider the bar yet. It is located in Pedersgata not far from other brilliant places like Casa Gio, Panzanella pizza, Siddis Gelateria, Hekkan Burger – there is a lot to choose from in Pedersgata these days.

 

The wine bar has 20-30 seats and has an extensive wine menu with Pét-Nat (pétillant naturel), white wine, red wine, and orange wines. The most extensive selection is of course by the bottle but there was also a good selection of wine by the glass. At the moment they also have a bit of snack that you can order – e.g. platter of cheese, platter of cold cuts, sourdough bread etc. We had some of the excellent sourdough bread (that you also get a Restaurant SÖL and a platter of cold cuts. The cold cuts were of good quality as it is supplied by local butcher Idsøe. We got parma ham, mortadella, salumi and it was lovely with bread and butter.

Congratulations on opening of the wine bar! I hope that the people of Stavanger will use the opportunity to broaden their wine horizon!

  

Restaurant SÖL still rocks!

We visited Restaurant SÖL on a Friday night and the table was ready when we got there a few minutes before our booking We have been there before (see this review) and as you can see from my guides on Instagram , I think Restaurant SÖL is one of the best restaurants in Stavanger. Due to this we were excited to see if this was still true! The concept is still the same: a set menu and you can choose wine pairing or have wine from an extensive wine list. We decided to go for the wine pairing and soon we had a Sylvaner wine from Stefan Vetter in the glass and fresh, warm sourdough bread in front of us! The wine was unfiltered and reminded us a bit about a cider and had a funky natural wine notes on the nose. The restaurant focus mainly on natural wines. It is always lovely with fresh bread and butter (yes, still a bread lover) and especially when you get the impression that the bread comes straight from the oven.

 

The first warm(er) dish was spinach in a cheese sauce made from pecorino and parmesan. It was topped but crisps (or potato chips depending on where you are from) so we had to dig in to get a bit on the cheese sauce and the lovely spinach. We moved on and got a glass of Calcarius Ca 40.08 Hellen Bianco. This Italian white is made by Valentina Passalacqua and we have tried some of her orange wine and sparkling wine and they are always fun to try. This wine was served together with skrei (the north Atlantic cod that is in season) and it was topped with thin slices of mushroom. The fish had a great grill taste to it and underneath there was a mushroom sauce bursting with umami and fermented Brussel sprouts. An incredibly tasty dish and luckily we had some bread left to make sure to get all that delicious mushroom sauce. The main dish this evening was a slice of duck breast served celeriac puree and pieces , onion and an amazing chicken stock sauce. The puree was soft as silk and with a great taste of the celeriac and the sauce was just incredible. This was served with a Spätburgunder (the German was of Pinot Noir) from Michael Fiebrich that worked well with the duck.

 

It was time for dessert, and we got some mead to drink – the Underfundig Mjød was sweet but maybe not as sweet as I thought it would be. But there was a strange mix of honey and hops and it was a bit like drinking a sweet, rich beer. It worked very well with the toasted bread ice cream for dessert. The ice cream itself was rich and creamy and topped with a jam made from quince (kvede) and topped with Jerusalem artichokes (jordskokk). Sounds like a strange mix but this was a delicious dessert. To round it off – a potato donut to be dipped in yogurt and sea buckthorn (tindved).

 

There is no need to elaborate a lot on a summary. Well played Restaurant SÖL! Great dishes with well defined and rich flavors. This was served with good wines – and with good service. Restaurant SÖL is still one of the best restaurants in Stavanger if you ask me.

Facts:
Homepage: https://www.restaurantsoel.com/
Location: Hetlandsgata 6 - see this Google map
Price: 585 kr (68 USD) per person for the food