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FOOD AND DRINK

How much does it cost to dine at one of Norway’s Michelin-starred restaurants

With the Michelin Guide's Nordic Countries edition for 2024 out, Norway's food scene is buzzing. If you're eyeing a meal at one of Norway's Michelin-starred restaurants, here's what to expect in terms of prices. If you have dined at any of these restaurants let readers know if it was worth it.

Published: 4 June 2024 14:07 CEST
Fine dining
Twenty restaurants in Norway now proudly display at least one Michelin star. Photo by Pingting Wang on Unsplash

For foodies worldwide, Michelin stars are the highest stamp of approval, signalling top-notch dining experiences.

The release of the Michelin Guide’s Nordic Countries edition for 2024 has sparked excitement in Norway’s food scene, with 20 restaurants now proudly displaying at least one Michelin star.

READ MORE: Where are Norway’s Michelin star restaurants?

The latest guide saw three new restaurants in Norway earn their first Michelin star: Hermetikken in Stavanger, Bar Amour in Oslo, and Iris in the Hardanger region.

Furthermore, Re-naa achieved the coveted three-star status, joining the ranks of Maaemo – leading to Norway boasting two restaurants with three Michelin stars.

With all the current buzz surrounding Norway’s food scene, many are weighing the fine dining options available in this Scandinavian country, and the price is an integral part of such considerations.

One Michelin star: Hot Shop, Lysverket, K2, À L’aise…

At Hot Shop, a Michelin-starred restaurant located on Københavngata Street in east Oslo, the food menu is priced at 1,295 kroner, which can be customised for vegetarians and people with allergies. The wine menu, which can accompany your meal, costs 1,095 kroner.

Lysverket, located on Norway’s western coast, retained its Michelin star in the latest Nordic Countries guide.

Renowned for its innovative interpretations of Norwegian cuisine paired with artisanal cocktails, Lysverket offers a 10-course menu at a price of 2,040 kroner. The menu focuses on local seafood, such as handpicked scallops, dry-aged meats and seasonal vegetable dishes.

You can also choose from an extensive wine list (an alcohol-free pairing costs 560 kroner, a regular wine pairing is offered at 1,650 kroner, and a premium wine pairing will set you back 2,990 kroner).

READ MORE: The Norwegian foods considered to be the best in the world

At À L’aise, in Oslo, which has been recognised by Michelin for its “use of Norwegian produce to create sumptuous French dishes,” its “Menu Prestige” featuring dishes such as soupe a l’oignon (french onion soup), duck, cabbage millefeuille, halibut from Havøysund, grilled turbot from Kristiansand and much more, is available for 2,495 kroner, with an option to pay an additional 2,295 kroner for wine pairing.

For their 2,295-kroner canard à la presse (pressed duck) menu, you’ll need to reserve at least 48 hours in advance. The price for the wine pairing for this menu is set at 1895 kroner.

K2, based in Stavanger in southwestern Norway, is another restaurant that retained its Michelin star in the latest guide.

Located in Pedersgata Street, a popular Stavanger foodie hub, K2 impressed Michelin with its locally sourced produce and overall charm.

Their menu – priced at 1,430 kroner – is presented in 10 servings and focuses on seasonality, local produce, low waste, and sustainability (they also have vegetarian and vegan options). Drink pairing costs 950 kroner, while non-alcoholic pairing costs 630 kroner.

Two Michelin stars: Kontrast

Kontrast, in Oslo’s former industrial district, received two Michelin stars after previously being recognised with one.

Its international team, short-haul seasonal produce, and atmospheric dining area were all worthy of praise, according to Michelin.

They offer a tasting menu called “Big Kontrast” for 2,450 kroner, with drinks pairing for 1,900 kroner (you can upgrade the pairing to more premium drinks for 2,650 kroner). The price of alcohol-free pairing is set at 995 kroner.

Kontrast also offers menus for groups in their private rooms. The restaurant offers two types of private rooms: small (4-8 guests) and large (8-16 guests).

As part of a group, you’ll also get access to their Medium Kontrast menu (just note that all guests must choose the same menu), priced at 1,850 kroner, with a basic drink pairing for 1,500 kroner or the upgraded version for 1,950 kroner. Groups can opt for alcohol-free pairing for 695 kroner.

Three Michelin stars: Re-naa and Maaemo

At RE-NAA in Stavanger, Chef Sven Erik Renaa offers the best produce of the region in his intimate 21-seat studio, which proudly holds three Michelin stars.

Their booking window opens every three months (the next booking window opens on August 1st, 2024, at 9am for reservations in November, December, and January 2025).

The restaurant offers a menu featuring approximately 25 servings, focusing on high-quality products from the Stavanger region’s sea, fjords, land, forests, and mountains.

The “A Taste of RE-NAA” menu costs 3,600 kroner, while the “Unique & Honest Wine Pairing” is available for 2,500 kroner. The “Fine & Classic Wine Pairing” is offered for 6,000 kroner.

At Oslo’s 3-star-powerhouse Maaemo, the seasonal tasting menu is priced at 4,800 kroner per guest.

Guests can upgrade their dining experience with wine selections at 2,800 kroner per guest, prestige wine selections at 7,500 kroner per guest, or the “Holy Grails” wine selections at 16,000 kroner per guest.

READ MORE: Five dishes that every newcomer to Norway should try at least once

For those preferring non-alcoholic options, Maaemo offers seasonal drink selections at 1,800 kroner per guest.

Reservations are released on the 1st of each month, two months before the desired booking date.

Have you dined at any of these restaurants in Norway? Let us know if they were worth it?

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FOOD AND DRINK

How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the chilly waters of the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway, two women want to bring the area's seaweed to fine dining tables across Norway and Europe.

Published: 23 April 2024 08:49 CEST
How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the glacial waters of the Lofoten archipelago in Norway’s far north, Angelita Eriksen uses a knife to cut a handful of seaweed that will soon end up in a fancy European eatery.

“We have the cleanest and clearest waters in the world. We’re very lucky that we have this really important resource growing right outside our doorstep,” Eriksen told AFP in a cabin on the shores of the northern Atlantic Ocean where the seaweed is laid out to dry.

“We want to show that to the world.”

The daughter of a Norwegian fisherman, Eriksen joined forces with New Zealand-born Tamara Singer, whose Japanese mother served seaweed with almost every meal, to start the company Lofoten Seaweed — specialising in harvesting and preparing seaweed for the food industry.

With the help of six others, they hand-pick 11 tonnes of seaweed a year, the snow-capped mountains plummeting into the sea behind them in a dramatic tableau.

It’s a demanding and “physical job”, said Eriksen.

The peak season runs from late April until June, but “we harvest the dulse, the nori and the sea truffle in the winter and fall”.

“It can be quite cold, as we can stay out for about an hour along the shore”, with lower legs and hands submerged in the chilly water.

By “late May, I’m actually sweating in my suit”.

Norwegian Co-Founder of "Lofoten Seaweed" Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds in knee deep water.

Norwegian Co-Founder of “Lofoten Seaweed” Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

One time, she said, “I took my glove off and the steam was just rising up”.

“It’s physically hard but at the same time it’s very meditative, or therapeutic in a way, to harvest,” she says.

‘Delicate’

Truffle seaweed, winged kelp, nori, dulse, sugar kelp, oarweed kelp: the pair focus on about 10 types of seaweed, long eaten in Japan and increasingly popular in Europe for their nutritional qualities.

The seaweed is sold locally or shipped to gourmet restaurants in Norway and the rest of Europe.

The two women organise workshops to teach chefs about the different varieties and the qualities of each type.

“Seaweeds are like vegetables, they have their own texture, taste and colours,” says Singer.

She said it was a “huge surprise” how many European chefs had little or no knowledge of the different flavours and ways of preparing seaweed.

The duo have worked with Japanese chefs “who know exactly what to do, you don’t have to tell them anything”.

“It’s just so natural for them. It’s like giving a piece of fish to a North Norwegian,” says Singer.

Some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, chef Josh Wing has been serving the pair’s products in his high-end restaurant Hattvika Lodge for about five years.

He is well versed and does not need to take part in their workshops anymore.

Wing is particularly fond of the dulse, a “very delicate purple seaweed”, which he serves with local fish dishes or bread.

It “can provide a physical texture in a dish that you can’t get from other products”, he tells AFP.

US Chef Josh Haner prepares a dish based on seaweed condiments, surrounded by algae containers. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

To ensure that their business is sustainable, Eriksen and Singer have mapped and dated their harvest sites, as well as the volumes of each species, for the past four years.

“Our results show that the regrowth in recently-harvested patches is actually faster than anticipated, almost as if a harvest actually stimulates growth,” says Singer.

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