Stavanger Restaurants Review

Il Piccolo: update 21/10/2012

2012-10-25T13:47:00.002-07:00

This restaurant has been opened for a few months now and I was curious to go there again. You will find the original review here. I went there a bit late with my wife and my son so there were not so many costumers. The menu has changed a bit and I am disappointed not to see the limoncello dessert anymore... I will miss it.

My wife went for Spaghetti Bolognese and it was kind of a surprise that we were served some sort of tagliatelle instead. At least, it was not spaghetti. Otherwise, the sauce was not bad but we would have liked it with more tomato sauce (it was a bit dry). A bit more Parmesan cheese could have been better too but again the dish wasn't bad.

"Spaghetti" Bolognese, 155 NOK

I went for a pizza vegetariana and I liked it. The dough was good, the pizza was well cooked, the vegetables (mainly sliced eggplant/aubergine and diced artichoke) were full of taste. All in all, it was a success.

Pizza Vegetariana, 155 NOK

The service was better than last time we went there. The waiter was really warm and smiling. So all in all, a good experience despite a small deception about the pasta dish.

Phad Thai Hinna: another Sunday buffet reviewed

2012-10-09T06:13:00.002-07:00

We know how nice it is to have a nice buffet on a Sunday with the kids and this is why Stavangourmet has reviewed several Sunday buffets including Akropolis and Mikado.

This time, we went up to Hinna, next to the Viking Stadium (the new stadium) to try the Sunday buffet of Phad Thai Hinna. This restaurant is quite popular during the week and of course when there is a football match but this Sunday, it was quiet.

Sushi opening offer: 8 pieces for 120 NOK

Also, this restaurant is now starting to serve sushi and as an opening offer, the prices are quite low. For some reasons, my wife was offered to try two pieces (maybe because she is Japanese or maybe because they guessed we were reviewers) and she liked them which is a very good sign.

Back on track here are some photos of the buffet:

The buffet costs 300 NOK per person and is free for children under 3. Coffee, tea and dessert are included.

The overall quality of the buffet was good, we particularly liked the thai soup (not on the photo but included in the buffet), which was a chicken soup with cream and Thai vegetables. It was particularly enjoyable as it was freezing outside (Stavanger weather...). The normal white rice was also better than on average in Asian restaurants in Stavanger and the spring rolls seemed home made and were nice too. The red curry was also quite good but beware it was spicy (as any good curry).

The service was good too so the only drawbacks are that this restaurant is a bit isolated (not so much to do in this area on a Sunday) and that the price is a bit high (but again, coffee/tea and desserts are included).

Great lunch at Renaa Matbaren

2012-10-06T14:38:00.002-07:00

I have already reviewed this restaurant here and explained the difference with Renaa Xpress that I reviewed there. This is a new review, for the meal I had with a Norwegian Friend yesterday (Friday 05/10/2012).

Soup of the day (pumpkin with cream and bacon), small portion 89 NOK

My friend was not too hungry, so he went for the soup of the day. It was a pumpkin soup with cream and bacon. My friend liked it a lot and thought the pumpkin taste was quite delicate in this soup. People liking pumpkin a lot could have been a bit disappointed though that the taste was not stronger.

Dish of the day (duck confit with pumpkin puree and Brussels sprouts), 269 NOK

I went for the dish of the day which was duck confit with pumpkin puree and Brussels sprouts. The duck was tender while well cooked and the sauce was exquisite with a subtle mustard taste. I really enjoyed it and wish it was in the regular menu.

Other than that, the service was nice as usual and we had a great lunch.

Noodle noodle update

2012-09-08T15:30:00.003-07:00

On Monday (opening day), we went to this restaurant and I wrote a review here. On Friday, we went there again as we wanted to try even more things from the place. Here is a small update.

This time, I went for Japanese noodles (called "ramen").

Japanese Ramen, 135 NOK

It was served with an egg and two pieces of pork. One piece of pork was nice but the other was too thick.You need thin pieces of pork for this dishes as they should take the flavor from the soup. The noodles and the soup were nice, though. The quantity was also good for the price.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice), 135 NOK

My wife went for Nasi Goreng, which is Indonesian fried rice. It came with an egg, with chicken skewers and shrimps crackers. I was not convinced by the crackers but the rice and the skewers were good. The photo does not show it but the dish was actually quite big (a lot of rice).

The conclusion is not too different from last time: this place is quite nice. For a correct price, you get some original and tasty dishes.

Noodle noodle: a new restaurant in Stavanger

2012-09-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Date: 03/09/2012

There are so many new restaurants in Stavanger that it is difficult to keep track of them. In case you missed them, Stavangourmet reviewed Gådjå and il Piccolo not so long ago. Today, it was the turn to "Noodle noodle" to open its doors.

Where is it?

It is in the shopping mall Magasinblaa, more or less in the centre of Stavanger. As I said in my review of Deja Vu, I am not a big fan of restaurants in shopping malls in general because I find them a bit noisy, having less personality and generally being of lower quality. However, I must admit it is convenient for kids (not a big deal if they are a bit noisy, they can go see the fish if they are bored, ...).

What kind of food?

I am sorry to be honest but I really don't like the name of this place. Not very creative and even a bit misleading. So, yes, "Noodle, noodle" serves noodles, but they also serve other things coming from different Asian countries (Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, ...). I am really happy about this restaurant as these cuisines are not so common in Stavanger (I was happy about Gådjå too).

Decoration

The decoration is simple but nice, I think it fits with the Asian culture. About the chairs: they are really beautiful but unfortunately they are not so comfortable.

Our meal

Today, I ordered the "chicken katsu curry" (you can write "karee" or curry"), which is a Japanese curry dish with fried chicken. It does not look good in the photo but I liked it and it tasted quite authentic (I have eaten this dish several times in Japan, so I knew it from before).

Chicken Katsu Curry, 145 NOK

One small thing about the presentation though: the rice was over the chicken while it should be on the side or under it, so that the chicken is visible.

My wife went for the "gyoza" bento, with "tempura prawns". The issue is that she is a bento specialist, her father and brother working in a bento place in Japan. So, she should probably have gone for something else. Here is a photo of it:

Bento Box, Gyoza with e) tempura prawns, 160 NOK

By the way, what is a bento? It is a food box with compartments, generally enjoyed because of the varied taste of each compartment. Here, 3 pieces of sushi, 3 pieces of gyoza (Chinese minced pork dumpling, very much appreciated in Japan) and 3 "tempura prawns".

Overall this dish was not bad, but my wife had several critics about it. She thought that the sushi did not fit very well with the prawns+rice compartment (too much rice). She would have liked pickles and a miso soup. As usual for sushi outside Japan, she found the rice too hard (sushi needs a softer, more expensive rice), and she complained that the prawns were not "tempura" prawns. Here a tempura photo from wikipedia:

The difference is that breadcrumbs are used in one case and not in the other. For her, what was served in the bento were "ebi fry" or "fried prawns" but not "tempura prawns". Well, I told you, she is a specialist.

For our son, we ordered udon with ginger and sesame. Udon is a Japanese type of noodles. A small irony about Japan fans is that they generally don't know udon but are experts of ramen, a type of noodles which are also popular in Japan but which are coming from China.

Ginger and sesame chicken udon, 130 NOK

Udon are generally served in a soup. Here, they were served slightly fried without soup (this is called "yaki udon" in Japanese). The udon themselves and the vegetables were good, the chicken was not bad but could have been cooked a little more.

One thing that could surprise non-Japanese people was the ginger. This root has a strong taste and there was plenty of it in the dish (the big pinkish things that look like leaves). It is easy to take the ginger away if you don't like it, or find the taste to be too strong for you (I personally love ginger).

The restaurant also serves Indonesian and Singaporean food but we did not try them this time. Next time, for sure ;)

Verdict:

I liked this place and would be happy to go there again. My wife was not particularly impressed but would like to go there again to try other dishes.

Cafe 24: a Turkish place in Pedersgata

2012-09-01T03:43:00.003-07:00

Cafe 24 has been in Stavanger for a while now. It was rennovated not so long ago, increasing the size of the front kitchen but decreasing the number of seats available in the main room. However, there is now an available room in the back of the restaurant.

Cafe 24 is the typical kebab/turkish place people have in mind in Europe with a little twist: they do offer other kind of food. The first time I went to this cafe, I was disappointed with the food but since then, my general impressions of this place have increased. This is the advantage of blogging about restaurants I know and have been to several times. I don't just judge on a one-time experience.

Yesterday (31/08/2012), we went there (my wife, my son, and me). I ordered a "kebab tallerken" ("tallerken" is the Norwegian word for "plate") which is kebab meat with rice and salad (photo above).

My wife went for lamb skewer (photo above). It came with salad, rice and potato chips. It was beautifully presented and the meat was good. Finally, we ordered the dish of the day (eggplants/aubergines, tomatoes and minced meat cooked together for a long time) for our son (photo below). It was served with rice and salad and was quite good. I may not be neutral though as I really like aubergines/eggplants.

Overall, it costs 368 NOK which is a good price for 3 dishes. The food was good and the service was not bad either. The dish of the day was served immediately, while the two other orders took longer (this is not a fast food restaurant, unless you just order the regular kebab).

All in all, I think it is a nice place, especially if you go for the grill options (skewers, grill mix, ...) or for the soup (it is really nice but we did not order it yesterday).

Sting cafe: the highest cafe in Stavanger

2012-09-01T03:18:00.002-07:00

The place next to the cafe Sting was once said to be the highest point in Stavanger. Not sure how true this is today but it is anyway a nice place (small garden, no cars, center of Stavanger but a bit quiet), especially when the weather is warm.

(photo: tower on the place next to Sting)

Concerning Sting itself, it is an old house which was probably not designed to be a restaurant (two separate rooms, narrow stairs, floor not even,...). But it gives the place some authenticity makes it cozy.

When it comes to food/drinks, Sting is more a cafe/bar, even organizing some concerts in its "underground floor" (Sting being elevated, its underground floor is still above the floor...) but it does serve food. We went there on Thursday (30/08/2012) and we had a small dinner.

My wife went for the Sting special: Shrimp and chicken marinated in salsa, garlic dip, pickles, melted cheese and served with bread (photo above). Price: 169 NOK. My wife liked it but I tasted it and was not so convinced myself. Maybe too many different savor mixed which tasted a bit "messy" to me.

I went for the Creole mix: grill skewers with spicy sausages, tiger prawns with BBQ sauce, potato salad, corn and coleslaw (photo above). Price: 179 NOK. The skewers were nice, the sausages were a bit spicy but not crazy hot, the BBQ sauce was nice and in good proportion (still get the taste of the shrimps/sausages). The corn was not the grill corn you could expect, simply salad corn. The potato salad was a bit boring and the coleslaw salad was a bit too spicy (too much mustard I think) but together it was actually fine.

For our son, we went for a pizza Margarita. The pizza was actually better than expected. The dough was very thin and a bit crispy, the tomato sauce was maybe a bit too tasty but the cheese was good and overall the pizza was nice. Price: 109 NOK

Conclusion: Sting is probably not where you will get the best culinary experience but the food is not bad and the prices are not that expensive either.

Harry Pepper: small update 23/08/2012

2012-09-01T02:32:00.002-07:00

I have reviewed this restaurant here: http://stavangourmet.blogspot.no/2012/06/harry-pepper-telephone-man-on-his-way.html

I just wanted to share some more pictures I took last time I went there (with a Norwegian friend, my wife and my son). It was the same dishes, just not the same persons eating them, so I will not say more about them (check my previous post for that). The only thing I want to say: we were again satisfied with the meal. The food was nice, the service good. We tried one of their tequilas and we liked it a lot but we don't know much about tequila

Tenderloin Steak

Blackened lamb

Fajitas with chicken

We even order a dessert (with a white chocolate mousse). It was really good but someone ate it before I could take a picture of it, so you will have to wait for the next time we go there for a picture.

Naree Thai: Second review

2012-08-19T15:25:00.001-07:00

Date of the meal: 19/08/2012
Number of people: 2 adults
Website of the restaurant: http://www.nareethairestaurant.no/ (the website is in Norwegian but the menu is in English and Norwegian)

I have already reviewed Naree Thai here but we went there again tonight and I thought I should share our dining experience. If you read the previous review, you know that like this restaurant and I believe it is a great value for the money. Unfortunately, tonight, we were a bit disappointing with the food.

10. Fried Spring rolls, Thai style (home made) - 54 NOK

40. Clear noodles, pork, onion and shrimp with chili and lemon juice - 86 NOK

For the starters, we order some Thai spring rolls and a clear noodle salad. The spring rolls and the sauce for the spring rolls are home made, which is a good thing but we did not find them wonderful. The clear noodle salad was good but I would have liked it with a little more "lemony" taste.

For the main dishes, my wife had Fried pork with mixed vegetables, I ordered fried Ba-Mi noodles and we took some fried rice for our son (from the children menu).

62. Fried pork with mixed vegetables - 141 NOK

124. Fried Ba-Mi noodles with chicken, pork or beef (beef in the photo) - 84 NOK

The fried pork with mixed vegetables was not really good. The sauce was too much diluted (water) or had probably not been cooked for long enough.

On the other hand my dish was good. My wife tasted it and liked it too. It was the first time we ordered it but we will probably order it more often. I did not know what Ba Mi noodles were so I had to look it up on Google. Here is the answer if you don't know it either: "In Thailand, wheat noodles are also known as bami (Thai: บะหมี่). It is eaten mainly in noodle soups and in Chinese style stir-fried noodle dishes."

900. Chicken fried rice, Thai style, children menu - 46 NOK

The fried rice for our son was not a success either. Not so much taste, and too sticky in my opinion. My wife agreed on the taste problem but did not think the consistency was worse than usual. We have ordered this dish several times in the past and this was the first time we didn't like it.

Conclusion: today was a small disappointment. The clear noodle salad and the fried Ba-Mi noodles were good, the spring rolls were not bad but the fried pork with mixed vegetables and the fried rice were not good. As we have tried the fried rice several times before (also from the children menu, and every time with chicken) and were never disappointed with it, I suspect there was either some problems in the kitchen (fire not strong enough, for example) or the fact that the chef was on holiday (Sunday, August, ...). Let us hope that the quality of this restaurant will be back very soon.

Salza Steakhouse: Nice Dining Experience

2012-08-12T15:23:00.001-07:00

Date of the meal: 09/08/2012
Number of people: 2 adults
Website of the restaurant: http://www.herlige-restauranter.no/salza/salzasteakhousebarforside.cfm (available in English)

When Salza opened up a few years ago (actually reopened after some renovation), it was a big news in Stavanger. Many people were speaking about this place. Unfortunately, its success prevented me from trying it. Always full unless you booked in advance. After that, the place got a bit more quiet and it is now possible to get a seat without booking in advance just by avoiding peak hours (Friday evening or Saturday evening).

The place is both a steakhouse restaurant and a nightclub. I will only review the restaurant part of this place. As you can have guessed, this restaurant is mainly about meat, but it is not limited to steaks. There was one fish dish, and several burgers in the menu too. Maybe steakhouse was a better wording than meathouse...

About the place: as it was renovated recently, it is beautiful and clean. The restaurant is on the first floor without problems for strollers. Something a bit strange is that the restaurant has only one toilet which is common for both men and women. The menu is available in both English and Norwegian.

We were hungry and ordered a starter and a main dish each (probably a mistake), especially because the waiting time we were served warm bread and butter (quality butter with salt/pepper). I had Grilled asparagus and “St. Kristina” ham (165 NOK) which was really nice. The asparagus were perfectly grilled, the ham was tasty.

My wife had KFC Kristoffer's fried chicken, served with bell pepper mayonnaise (115 NOK). It was home made and my wife liked it.

For the main, I went for the "Jack Daniel and brown sugar glazed beef" (245 NOK). It was served with grilled tomatoes, lettuce, and French fries. A home-made tomato sauce was served for the fries. The meat was good and too much in quantity in addition to the starter. The sauce had some honey taste, which made the dish a bit sweet. The two things I appreciated less were the lettuce which was served without dressing and was particularly good and the sauce which, despite being good, did not seem to fit too well with the fries (I ended up asking for mayonnaise).

My wife went for the "Blue cheese dressed burger from the grill 180gr" (195 NOK). It was also served with French fries and the home made tomato sauce. The meat was good and the blue cheese taste was quite subtle (maybe too weak for people who love blue cheese, but not so strong as being disgusting for people who simply like it). The burger was also big and my wife had a hard time finishing it.

All in all, Salza is a nice restaurant for a dining experience, especially for people liking meat.

Gådjå: an African restaurant in Stavanger!

2012-08-03T14:39:00.002-07:00

Date of the meal: 02/08/2012
Number of people: 5 adults and 2 children (1 yo and 2 yo)
Order: several dishes we shared and 3 sodas (no alcohol)
Price: about 150 NOK per person, drinks included
Address: Brødregata 6, Stavanger

As I wrote in my previous note, my wife and I tried and enjoyed the food at the Gådjå stand during the Gladmat festival. Yesterday, we decided to go to the restaurant itself with some friends.

The restaurant is located one street behind Food story in city center (not far from Wayne's coffee). It is a new place that opened only 1 month ago and the first thing to say is that the interior is beautiful, colorful and gives an African atmosphere.

If you like the food you are used to and don't like to try cuisine from other countries, don't go to Gådjå. Except the children menu, there is probably not a single dish you will recognize (unless you have tried Ethiopian cuisine before).

As an example, here is one page from the menu:

We decided to order a menu for 3 people (number 11 in the menu), 2 separate dishes (number 4 and number 8 in the menu) and share everything.

The food came in a big common plate and it was apparently not in the spirit to ask for individual plates. Some spoons came with some of the stews-like dishes but mainly, it was to eat with your hands (better wash them very good before eating).

The food in general was mild, with only 2 dishes being slightly spicy (all of us managed to eat everything without problems). As we ordered several different things, we had many types of meat: chicken, pork, beef and lamb, served with different things like eggs, lenses, potatoes, salad, spinach and cheese. The chicken "stew" called Gådjå Wått (on the right of the photo above) was one of the dishes proposed during Gladmat.
I can say we were all very satisfied with the food. It was good, very tasty and seemed completely authentic (one of my friend has Rwandan origins and confirmed it was tasting similar to some Rwandan recipes). The service was modest but great. the atmosphere was not formal or intimate but I don't think that would have fit the African spirit of the restaurant. The price was nice, lower than average in Stavanger (around 150 NOK per person, even though we ate a lot).

All in all, I think Gådjå is the perfect place for people who like African cuisine in general, or simply like to taste different flavors. It is especially good for group of friends willing to share a culinary experience.

Gladmat festival: gladmat Stavanger 2012

2012-07-25T15:51:00.001-07:00

Today began the Gladmat Festival 2012, a food festival in Stavanger that happens every year and which is the opportunity to taste a lot of food at great prices. Translated literally, it means "happy food" (probably in the sense "enjoy the food"). Last year the festival was unlucky with the weather. Fortunately, this year, it opened on a sunny day.

First of all, there are regular events on the stage, so it is worth checking the schedule (sorry, I only found it in Norwegian) if you intend to go to the festival. Below, people making an incredibly big pancake.

Please note that in the following reviews you will see some stand numbers. To find them on a map, go here and click on the purple banner.

Cheap options

Actually, most stands offer small portions for a great price. Even though, 3 stands should be mentioned here as they offer particularly cheap options.

1) Coop and its Barbecue (stand number 69)

Coop is proposing a grilltallerke (barbecue plate) for 30 NOK with the 3 pieces of meat and a bit of salad. For the meat, you have the choice between a sausage, pork ribs or a burger. The burger was not convincing (dry, no taste) but the other 2 were nice (you can order 2 sausages 1 rib for example, or 3 burgers if you want).

Another notice about Coop: they also give you the alternative to go for healthy food. Lots of fruits, vegetables, are available. Heart-shaped cucumbers were sold out quite quickly though.

2) Stavanger Aftenblad is also participating! (stand number 61)

This year, Stavanger Aftenblad is proposing three small plates:
- fiskesuppe for 30 NOK
- bacalao for 35 NOK
- a strawberry and yogurt dessert for 30 NOK

The dessert was quite nice, we did not try the 2 other dishes.

3) Gilde for sausages (stand number 59)

Gilde is proposing a sausage with bread for 10 NOK. Difficult to make it cheaper. Also, the choice of sausages you can get is quite wide (only some of them are shown in the photo)

The popular and classical stands

Here are some popular stands. There are other popular stands, making an exhaustive list would be impossible.

1) Samba grill and its Brazilian skewers (stand number 80)

Every year, Samba is a popular place to get skewers and this year is not different. People are queuing a lot and this cannot just be due to the Brazilian girls preparing the skewers, can it?
Count 40 NOK for a skewer with chicken, 50 NOK for a shrimp one and 60 NOK for a beef one. The Feijoada (Brazilian stew) is at 100 NOK.

2) Indian Tandoori and its authentic Nan (stand number 39)

Indian Tandoori has made it clear: no compromise with the Nan, they make it in front of you, in a real tandoori oven, and the result is visible. Impossible to get a seat there, people queuing at all time (and just try to cut the queue to see how serious these waiting people are about it). The Tikka Masala (curry based stew) is served in two portions: 70 NOK for a small one, 110 NOK for a big one. The rice is included. The plain nan costs 25 NOK and is not included. The dish is not spicy at all. Good news for those who cannot eat spicy food, bad news for those who like spicy food.

3) Skeie Gård and its burger (stand number 73)

Many stands propose burgers, so when you see so many people queuing for a burger at the Skeie Gård stand, there must be a reason. Either it is because the girl at the stand is very sexy (and she is), or it is because their burgers are among the best of the Gladmat Festival. 100% pure beef without additive, home made bread, fried onions, cheese, ... The meat was juicy, but was so big that the very center of it was not cooked enough. Still, it is a great burger. The burger costs 100 NOK.

4) Scandic Hotels and a nice 4 course menu (stand number 26)

The Scandic hotels stand is also a good choice: tasty food, comfortable seats, good service and nice prices. This year, they propose salmon cubes with coriander, chicken surprise (liver pate), something called "burning love" (with bacon and onions) and rosmarin marshmallow. We especially liked the salmon and the "burning love" . The chicken liver was good but the taste is really strong so you need to like this type of food.
1 item costs 30 NOK, or you can have the full menu with the 4 dishes for 99 NOK.

5) Le café français for a dessert (stand number 81)

A crêpe (French pancake) and chocolate marshmallows or strawberries: isn't it a killer combination?

The original ones

This is probably my favorite category (isn't trying new food better when you have the possibility to get to taste small portions for nice price?), I have selected 3 stands for you.

1) Gådjå serving Ethiopian food (stand number 22)

The 3 meals you can get there are:

Dårå Wått: vegetables "alicha" style, chicken, onions, Ethiopian spices, egg and Enjera (something similar to savory pancake, used a bit like bread). This dish is a bit spicy, but good, full of flavor and original.
Gådjå Tibs: beef, tomatoes, peppers, chili, salad and Enjera (see previous note). We did not try this dish.
Yetsom Wått: vegetarian dish with misir (something to do with lenses), vegetables, spinach, salad, chili and Enjera (see note about Dårå Wått). We did not try this dish either this year

Small portion of dårå wått

The three dishes are available in 2 sizes: small and big. The small size is probably enough if you want to taste some food from other places. Small size of the 2 first dishes cost 45 NOK, big size 89 NOK and the third one cost 35/69 NOK. You have also the possibility to get a plate with a mix of all three for 98 NOK.

2) Peru/Chile and Norwegian food (stand number 84)

It is interesting to see a stand mixing the 3 (Peru/Chile is understandable but Norwegian food too?). The Norwegian food is limited to Komler/Kompe/Raspaboller (globally the same dish, different names). Today we tried the Chilean Chicken skewer. It was served with a potato salad. The skewer was good, the chicken was tasty, but the potato salad was not really good. The dish costs 55 NOK.

3) Persian food (stand number 14)

This stand proposes several things: beef skewer, chicken skewer, shrimps skewer. We noticed that the skewers were not the same on day 1 and day 2, so you may not get the same skewers as on the photo below.

Today, we tried some interesting and quite good meatballs. What made them special was the fact that they contained rice and vegetables. The sauce was a bit spicy though.

A bit of seafood...

You may have noticed, I like meat. A lot. For those of you who like fish, I have checked some options though (what wouldn't I do for my readers).

1) Vestgaard mat and its beautiful 5 small dish (inside the Coop stand)

This is one of the best looking food of the festival. Unfortunately, a bit badly situated (quite a lot of passage so that people don't have much chance to stop or have a look). Count 150 NOK for the whole menu or around 30 NOK for one item (25 for the caviar, 50 for the soup, 30 the others).

2) Fisketorget with fish soup and Bacalao (stand number 54)

Nice stand, lots of sitting places, ideally located. the food looked great. Maybe a bit expensive, though.

3) Sjøhuset Skagen (stand number 79)

Looked very nice too, but a victim to its own success (quite difficult to find a seat).

Juice, anyone?

You can find 2 nice stands next to Coop (no stand numbers, they are inside the coop stand according to the map). One proposes juice from Aronia berries (choke berries), the other proposes rhubarb juice. Both are good, both are probably healthy and both offer free samples. The rhubarb stand even proposes a cup of juice for 10 NOK (not sure for the other stand).

Best locations

Some places are clearly better than others to eat (less packed, elevated, outside, ...). Here are two options.

1) Barca food: nice terrace (stand number 49)

2) Veteranskipet Sandnes: eat on a boat (maybe stand number 89)

What about kids?

Such an event is for adults. They eat, eat and eat even more. For children, this can be boring. Fortunately, you have 1 stand that is really focusing on children: the IVAR stand (stand number 74). Quiz, games, small gifts, everything is gathered to make this stand a success for children, not forgetting that they learn about recycling etc... Congratulations to IVAR for their stand and for doing a great job year after year so that children can enjoy this festival too!

A big thanks

To anyone who have helped me with this article: people working at the festival who let me take some pictures of their stand, random people who let me take some pictures of their food (probably thinking I was crazy)... And a big thank to you who are reading this article because without readers, it would have no meaning. Finally thanks to Arnaud for following this blog despite the fact that he is not even living in Stavanger.

If you went to the Gladmat festival this year, you are welcome to leave a comment (about anything you liked yourself, anything you disliked, etc...).

A new Italian in Stavanger: il Piccolo

2012-07-08T14:57:00.006-07:00

NB: This is the original review of the restaurant, for a small update, have a look here.

Date of the meal: 07/07/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order and price: 3-course menu 250 NOK
Address: Lyder Sagens gate 18

Il Piccolo ("the small one") is one of newest restaurant in Stavanger and Stavangourmet was happy to try it for you and review it.

Located in the city center but not on the harbour side (more towards Arkaden, Sony center, Wayne's coffee, ...), il Piccolo is the restaurant of the hotel Myhregaarden (quite new itself), but of course, you don't need to stay at the hotel to eat at the restaurant. For people curious about history, there was actually another Italian restaurant at the same place some years ago (called "Simone"). The place became a buffet restaurant after that but did not have much success and it is now "il Piccolo".

Their 3-course menu is quite attractive (250 nok for starter + pizza/pasta + dessert) so we decided to go for it. It was also good to provide you with many photos/dish reviews, as this place is quite new and no other reviews are available.

As the place is new and maybe because of summer holiday, the restaurant was quite empty. Despite this, we had to wait for a while to be served. I am not sure if this is because everything is relatively new or if the restaurant purposefully had few staff because they knew there would be few customers.

My wife went for the pasta salad (summer time!) and chose to have it with tuna (the choice was between chicken, ham, shrimps and tuna). It was nice but some pasta were not cooked enough.

I went for the minestrone soup. At the beginning I was a bit disappointed as the taste was close to boiled water plus vegetables but after a while, the taste became more homogeneous and the soup was good. So it was just a matter of waiting a bit and mixing the soup a bit more. There was a nice variety of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant/aubergine, ...) and they were well cooked (not too much, not too little). Also, be aware that the soup is quite big, so should only be taken in a menu by those with a big appetite.

For the main, we had the choice between any pizza or a pasta dish from the menu (including risottos and calzone pizzas) which is really good. My wife went for the pizza capricciosa: tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushroom and cooked ham. My wife enjoyed it and thought it was quite good.

I went for the risotto with game (wild animals meat) and spinach. The dish was good but spicy. The rice was tasting a bit like saffron rice but harder (which I think is a good thing for a risotto). The game tasted a bit like chorizo, at least some of it. The sauce was good but spicy and the menu did not mention it.

Finally, the desserts: my wife ordered strawberry ice cream which was beautiful with small pieces of fruits and I went for a limoncello dessert as I really like the taste of lemon. It was really good and I recommend it to people who like lemon.

Otherwise, the service was good, the restaurant is beautiful (I like best the part with the kitchen which is the original part of the Simone restaurant, the other room having been added afterwards), and the menu is a good value for the price.

Let's wish good luck to this restaurant, hoping they get more customers and that they will handle it properly.

China Town: a good chinese restaurant in city center

2012-07-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

Date of the meal: 04/07/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order and price: 41 Vermicelli spesial 169 NOK, 45 Chicken with vegetables & cashew nuts 175 NOK, Chop suey de luxe 199 NOK
Address: Skagen 14, 4006 Stavanger

China Town is very central since it is located in one of the most busy streets of Stavanger. Located on the second floor above Newsman, facing the Sportsbar and Cardinal. It has been there for a while and I have been there many times (with my Italian friend, with my Norwegian friend, ...). Yesterday, I went there with my wife and my son and I decided I should review it.

To begin with the accessibility, China Town is unfortunately one of the few places I know that are completely impossible to access if you are in wheelchair or have a baby sleeping in a stroller. It is situated on the second floor of the building and there is no elevator. Even the steps to enter the building are quite difficult to take with a stroller.

Concerning the menu, the choice is quite wide. There is a lunch menu (Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 18:00) with prices ranging from 85 NOK to 120 NOK, a children menu (sausage, chicken, chicken wings or fried rice) and of course a dinner menu, including dinner courses (between 200-300) that are quite good value for the money if you are a big eater.

Yesterday I went for what I think they do best: the "chop suey de luxe" hot pot. For the sake of objectivity, my Italian friend likes the seafood version of it better (called Sea Lord in the menu). Anyway, I think those hot pots are good options. Not too salty, not too greasy, just well cooked, nice flavor dishes. As most of their dishes, those hot pots come by default with white rice but you can order fried rice or noodles instead for a small additional fee. I would not recommend it though as it may hide the subtle taste of the dish itself. For picky people, there is a small spelling mistake in the menu, the correct spelling is "chop suey", not "chop seuy".

I ordered fried vermicelli called Vermicelli special for my son. I wanted to change a little bit from the fried rice (children menu) we generally order when we go to this restaurant. The dish was quite nice but a bit too salty and too much pepper. I liked it as I like pepper but I would not recommend it for children, people who don't like pepper or as a side dish (the taste would be too strong). In case you wonder, there is a small mistake in the menu again, they used the Norwegian spelling "spesial" for both the English and the Norwegian version of the menu.

My wife went for the "Chicken with vegetables & cashew nuts". The dish looked great but she was actually a bit disappointed with it. The chicken was good, the sauce was fine but the bamboos did not taste good. It was the first time she had this particular dish so it is difficult to say if this was just a one time problem with this dish or if this dish in general is bad.

Otherwise, the prices are correct, the service is fine, the restaurant is clean and spacious, so all in all China Town is a good restaurant situated in the city center of Stavanger, except it is not accessible to all. I would recommend the hot pots or if you are a big eater, why not try one of the dinner courses.

Harry Pepper the telephone man on his way to Mexico

2012-06-15T15:23:00.001-07:00

Date of the meal: 13/06/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order and price: Blackened Lamb 295 NOK, Tenderloin steak 305 NOK, Fajitas chicken (half portion) 150 NOK
Address: Øvre Holmegate 15, Stavanger
Website of the restaurant: http://www.harry-pepper.no/

Update 01/09/2012: For newer photos, you could check this small update: http://stavangourmet.blogspot.no/2012/09/harry-pepper-small-update-23082012.html.

I had the chance of being invited by my company to have a dinner in this restaurant last December. I liked it and decided I had to go back to review it. Time has passed and it is only this Wednesday I had the opportunity to go there again.

Harry Pepper has been in Stavanger since 1986. It is located in city center, not far from the harbour. From the frontage Harry Pepper looks more like a bar than a restaurant, but it is both. On a practical side the restaurant is often full, so you'd better book a table or avoid busy hours.

The interior of this restaurant is ambitious, with some original paintings. The restaurant is quite small, but the space is used in a way you don't feel cramped. The bar at the end of the restaurant is also nicely done with a lot of candles encrusted in the wall.

I personally had the Tenderloin Steak that I can recommend as it was really good. It was served with mushroom ragu (hashed mushrooms cooked with a bit of cream), red chili sauce (a bit spicy), and some potatoes.

My wife went for the Blackened Lamb and was very satisfied with it. It was served with potatoe puree and a mild mustard sauce. The sauce was good and quite complexe with several flavours. Despite being based on mustard, it was not spicy.

For our son, we ordered Fajitas with chicken and were proposed a "half portion". I did not find it in the menu but I may have overlooked it. This "half portion" was 150 NOK, while the normal one costs 275 NOK. The meat comes on a hot plate and the flour tortillas in a closed round box. This is nice as it gives you the time to make your fajita without having everything get cold. The meat was a bit spicy and all in all this fajita dish was good but not fantastic. I personally found the meat dishes to be more interesting, original and refined.

Harry Pepper offers a 3-course menu for 435 NOK which is a good value for money and they have a lunch menu.

Conclusion: Harry Pepper is a good restaurant, the service, the atmosphere and the food are nice, with a preference for main courses other than Fajitas. Prices are a bit expensive but meat in general is expensive in Stavanger. Again, it is better to avoid busy hours as this restaurant can become full quite quickly and the waiting time can become quite long then.

Phileas Fogg: a beautiful restaurant based on the Jules Vernes roman

2012-05-29T09:02:00.002-07:00

Date of the meal: 27/05/2012
Number of people: 3 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order and price: Bourbon Street (tenderloin of beef with a glazed bourbon sauce) 299NOK, Bar B.Q. Spareribs 289 NOK and Bourbon chicken 175NOK
Website of the restaurant: http://www.phileasfogg.no/

Who hasn't heard about the roman "Around the world in 80 days" by Jules Vernes? Well, Phileas Fogg is a restaurant based on this roman (it is the name of the main character). Serving food from around the world, it has an interior decoration that reminds customers of travels (here you sit on a train-like seat, there you find a plane, overthere is where you buy tickets...). People can feel how much effort was put into this (so many carefully selected objects here and there) and it is a success. You are immerged in this world. Also, this restaurant is perfectly located in Stavanger city center, next to the harbour.

On Sunday, we went there with one Norwegian friend. I ordered the BBQ spareribs which is served with corn on the cob, coleslaw salad and deep fried potatoes.

As you can see, this dish was huge, especially the quantity of spareribs. Half of it would still have been decent. The spareribs themselves were good, just some parts were a bit overcooked/dry. The sauce was said to be "piquant" (spicy) on the menu but I think most people can handle this level of spicy. Also, some of the sauce was set apart so that customers could chose themselves how much they wanted of it. The only disappointment for me was the corn that did not taste much. Still, I think this dish is quite nice and I can recommend it to people who like spare ribs (and are hungry).

My Norwegian friend and my wife both went for bourbon dishes. My friend chose the "Bourbon street" which is with tenderloin of beef while my wife ordered the "Bourbon chicken". The beef was good, very tender and was served with sautéed vegetables and gratinated potatoes. The sauce was of course a bourbon sauce. It went particularly well with the vegetables and the meat and my friend was really satisfied with the dish in general.

The Bourbon chicken was good too but the chicken itself lacked a bit of taste and my wife wished it had been prepared with at least more pepper and salt. Otherwise the dish was good, including the fries that came with it.

All in all, Phileas fogg, is a beautiful restaurant in the center of Stavanger. The prices are a bit high but the dishes are huge and quite good. Have a nice trip!

La piazza: nice italian restaurant next to the harbour

2012-05-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Date of the meal: 25/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order: Capricciosa (from the children menu), 14. Farfalle al Salmone and 43. Calzone con Spinaci
Total price: 551 NOK (about 180 for a pizza or for a pasta meal, 75 for a child)

It has actually been about 5 years since I first went to "La Piazza". My Italian friends invited me there and if Italian people themselves go to an Italian restaurant, it is generally a good sign. Today, as someone voted on the poll for an Italian restaurant (the poll is about which restaurant to review next), I decided to go there to review it.

First of all, this restaurant is well placed, next to the harbor of Stavanger. For curious people, "la piazza", means the place, the square, as in "Leicester square". It fits perfectly with location of the restaurant, in a place with a small fountain. If you want to access to the restaurant with a stroller or a wheel chair, you will have to go from the back side (from the bar/night club "Checkpoint Charlie").

Then, I have to say that this restaurant is quite beautiful, having been renovated not so long ago. Also, the cutlery is nice, tables are covered with "real" tablecloth (not the paper or plastic ones).

Going to the food review, we were served some warm hand-made breads to make us wait which was a good surprise. Concerning the main dish, my wife ordered the Farfalle al Samone, which is pasta with Salmon (easy to guess). She liked the pasta and the sauce, and the dish was very filling. The only small negative point is that she found the salmon a bit salty, but it may be because Japanese people eat less salty food.

I went for the Calzone con Spinaci. Again, Spinaci is quite easy to understand, it is Spinach. The Calzone is a "closed" pizza that always reminds me of the drawing of the little prince novel by St Exupery. It was served with a tomato sauce and a gorgonzonla sauce. What I really liked was the dough and the gorgonzola sauce. Actually the gorgonzola sauce did not look nice but its taste was really good, maybe too strong taste, though, if you are not used to eating this kind of cheese. Also the pizza was perfectly cooked, not overcooked, not undercooked. The tomato sauce was fine but not exceptional.

The children menu proposes different kind of pasta or a pizza of your choice from the adult menu. This gives quite a lot of freedom if your child wants something in particular. We simply chose the "Capricciosa" pizza with ham and mushrooms (the name of the pizza is easy to guess, it means "capricious" but it is more difficult to guess what toppings this implies). The pizza was quite good and I appreciate it when restaurants have good quality meals for children.

To conclude, the service was good too and as the prices are not excessive, I think "La Piazza" is still a good restaurant, a "classic" in Stavanger.

The restaurant has a website but it is a bit outdated. For example, the opening hours on the website do not fit with the ones displayed on the menu. Here are the ones from the menu today (25/05/2012):
Monday-Friday 16:00 - 23:00
Saturday-Sunday 14:00 - 22:00
(kitchen closing half an hour before the restaurant closes)

That's it for this review. Hope this was useful. Don't hesitate to leave a comment, whether or not you agree with this review. Thanks!

Bacchus: a good place for light meals

2012-05-22T10:57:00.001-07:00

Date of the meal: 22/05/2012
Number of people: 3 adults
Order: Bacchus speciality, Greek salad and Amor salad
Total price: 349 NOK (about 110 for a salad and 130 for other meals)

If you are looking for a small cafe-restaurant where you can eat light meals for less than 150 nok, Bacchus is the place for you. Not too far from harbour, Bacchus is situated in Stavanger city center (sentrum), just next to the "coloured-house-street" (street with houses of different colours).

Bacchus is more a cafe than a restaurant but proposes also salads, sandwiches and light meals. We were there today with my Norwegian friend. He had a meal called Bacchus speciality, with marinated chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, tsatsiki and polar bread (sorry the photo is not so good as the chicken pieces were under the vegetables). The chicken was a bit spicy but my friend liked it (and he does not eat spicy food), and I have also ordered it several times in the past and I like it too.

My wife went for the Greek salad, ie lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, olives, tsatsiki and toasts. She liked it but thought the olives were a bit acid (probably marinated with lemon).

I ordered the amor salad. Potatoes, eggs, tsuna, served on bread. I liked it and found it a bit original. We did not have desserts this time but they also have some nice cakes (at least we like their apple cake).

All in all, bacchus is a good place for light meals because it is ideally situated (not far from the harbour but still in a quieter area), because the prices are reasonables, and because their meals are quite good. The only problem is that in busy hours, it can be quite full; there is not enough space for strollers inside so you will have to leave yours outside if you have one (they have a backyard for that, ask them to open the door for you).

PS: by the way, if you wonder about what/who is Bacchus, he is basically the god of wine, the roman equivalent of Dionysus.

Buffet part 4: Bølgen&Moi

2012-05-20T08:30:00.002-07:00

Date of the meal: 20/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order: 2 Sunday Buffet
Total price: 690 NOK (345 nok per adult)
Other restaurants proposing a Sunday buffet: Akropolis and Mikado (Alanyal has unfortunately stopped serving a sunday buffet).

In my review of Bølgen&Moi here, I was explaining how Bølgen&Moi was a good restaurant but with the problem of being a bit slow to serve food. I was also explaining that even though it was a quite formal place to eat in the past, it had become quite informal recently. Well, it seems that the restaurant has decided to rectify both points by offering a Sunday buffet. This means that the food is ready when you arrive (no more waiting time) and the price is probably in order to become again a formal place to eat, which may be a shame, as it was quite practical for families with children to come here after or before a visit to the oil museum.

Today the weather was nice so we got a lovely view of the sea/bridge/harbour from the restaurant.

The buffet includes breads, salads, warm dishes, cheese and desserts. Today there was quite a lot of choice for breads and salads. There was some ham, chorizo, salami and pate (lever) with bacon. The warm dishes were pork with bbq sauce, sausages, meat balls with tomato sauce and bacalao. As a side dish you had boiled potatoes. There were two types of cheese including blue cheese and for desserts, the choice was quite wide, with for example fresh fruits (apple, figs, raspberry, ...), carrot cakes, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mousses, and a strawberry mousse.

As the buffet will not feature the exact same dish all the time, it would be useless for me to comment on every single dishes. I would simply say that the salads were good and diverse (pasta salad, tomato salad, vegetables only, with some fish, ...).

The main dishes were a bit disappointing: the pork was a bit dry and the bbq sauce was a bit bitter (I actually found it interesting but my wife did not appreciate it). The sausages were nothing particular (not bad either). And the bacalao was quite salty (but that may be the way bacalao is supposed to be). The potatoes were quite good but was the only side dish option.

The cheese and the cakes were good. I particularly liked the chocolate cupcakes which really tasted chocolate (nowadays too many chocolate desserts only taste sugar). The fruits were also good and were giving a little refreshing touch to the meal.

All in all, I think the buffet is quite nice but a bit expensive. The main dishes were a little under the quality of the rest of the buffet but that may change over time (if I understood correctly, they do not intend to serve the same dishes every weeks).

As usual, your comments are welcome. You can share this review or give it a +1 mark, that would keep the team motivated for the future reviews.

Renå Xpress, a nice place for sandwiches and coffee

2012-05-19T10:34:00.002-07:00

Date of the meal: 19/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order: 1 sandwich, the soup of the day and 1 pastry
Total price: 208 NOK (about 70-80 for a sandwich and 65 for the soup)

I have already reviewed Renå Matbaren here. As mentioned there, Renå is actually 3 restaurants: the gourmet restaurant where you get to eat really refined cuisine, the so-called food-bar ("matbaren" in Norwegian), which is a more "standard" restaurant and finally you have Renå Xpress, the new one which is not formal at all. This is the one we went to today.

First, I would say that Renå Xpress, or Renaa Xpress is more a coffee shop than a restaurant. They are mainly serving sandwiches, the soup of the day, some salads, some pastries, and smoothies/coffee/tea. We also saw some people coming simply to buy some bread.

Today, the soup of the day was an asparagus soup with bacon. My wife generally enjoy their soups and today was no exception. The only thing was that the stringy threads of asparagus fiber were a bit unpleasant in the mouth. I went for the grilled vegetables sandwich, which was quite good. The grilled vegetables were giving plenty of taste to the sandwich and the bread was fitting nicely with them.

Something else I would like to say is that they have a very nice terrace outside Renå Xpress with a part reserved for Renå Xpress customers. This terrace is very nice because of the high roof and the luminosity which make people feel outside, without really being outside (this is a major advantage in Stavanger since it is raining so often). Also, the chairs, tables, ... are good as they are provided by the furniture shop next to it. And finally, in the same court, you can find a flower shop, which gives some really nice smell to the area.

To conclude, Renå is doint it quite well with its 3 restaurants, each in a different range of prices. Gourmet experience, nice restaurant or just a sandwich/soup, the choice is yours.

XO bar / Vertshuset

2012-05-17T09:15:00.002-07:00

Date of the meal: 17/05/2012
Number of people: 3 adults
Order: "Beef Saute", "Selection of trout, catfish and monk fish", "Tenderloin of deer"
Total price: 1056 NOK (about 300 for a la carte main course)

I have already reviewed this restaurant here and explained why I thought it was a good place for people willing to try a typical Norwegian dish (komler).

Today, for the 17th of May (Independance day of Norway), we thought that eating Norwegian food would particularly fit and decided to go there. We were with a Norwegian friend of mine. As the 17th May is a bit chaotic for restaurants, they were only proposing a-la-carte menu.

My friend went for something quite typical Norwegian: "biffsnadder". It is basically small pieces of beef with bearnaise sauce. The meat is generally well-done but you can probably asked less cooked if you prefer. My friend liked it very much and said it was really good. He liked the texture, the composition of the plate and the taste of the meat. The bearnaise sauce was also quite good and was put apart which in my opinion is a good thing, as you can choose how much you want of it.

My wife went for something called "fish symphony" in the menu in Norwegian. The menu in English only says "selection of trout, catfish and monk fish", which is a shame as "fish symphony" was a pretty name. It was a selection of three fish, served with vegetables and potatoes of your choice (gratinated, french fries, ...). My wife liked it but did not think it was exceptional.

As for me, I ordered the tenderloin of deer which was really good. Good quality of meat, well cooked and the sauce was really good too. Also, I don't have the occasion to eat deer that often.

Speaking about prices, this restaurant may be a bit expensive but you have to remember that it is located in city center, that meat of that quality is expensive and that overall Stavanger is an expensive city.

All in all, this was a really good dining experience. For more details about the restaurant, atmosphere, service and so on, please relate to the first post I wrote about this restaurant. You could also visit the website of the restaurant. Don't hesitate to share this page, comment it, facebook-like it, google+1 it, etc...

Naree Thai, a cheap restaurant in Stavanger

2012-05-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Date of the meal: 13/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order (number in parenthesis is the number in the menu): Chicken soup with lemon and chili (21), Fried chicken with cashew nut - lunch portion (450), Fried chicken with ginger - dinner portion (58), Beef fried rice thai style from the children menu (920)
Total price: 372 NOK (about 80 nok for a lunch meal, 140 for a dinner meal)

I was introduced to this restaurant by a Tunisian friend. He told me this was his favorite restaurant in Stavanger and I have to admit that Naree Thai is a good option, especially for people on budget.

The principle of this restaurant is to propose meals in two ways: the lunch portion for people who are not too hungry and the dinner portion more expensive but more voluminous. It is in my opinion a very good idea as it reduces the food waste and makes prices attractive if you are not too hungry. 2 comments about lunch/dinner. First, to avoid any confusion for people speaking abit of German, Latin or whatever language close to Norwegian. Dinner in Norwegian is "middag". This may be confusing for people thinking "mid-dag = mid-day = meal in the middle of the day = lunch" but that's the way it is. So "Lunsj" (pronounced the same way as in English) is lunch, and "middag" (pronounced as it is written) is dinner. The second comment is that normally, the restaurant only offers lunch potion for lunch (ie until 18 o'clock form Monday to Saturday and not available on Sunday) BUT my experience has shown me that they are flexible (could see many people order lunch even outside lunch time).

What I particularly like in this restaurant are the soups. Thai soups have incredible rich flavours and aromas due to the many ingredients used to make them. Notice that not all these ingredients are eatable (some roots, leaves or vegetables are too hard to be eaten). But again, these ingredients (even though not eatable) are essential to give the soups a good taste. Today, I went for the "Chicken soup with lemon and chili". For soups too, you have the choice between small and large portion. I would recommend the small portion if you are having it as a starter and large portion if you have it as a main or want to share it (1 large portion should be enough for 2 maybe even 3 people). This soup is really nice. Lots of flavour, a hint of lemon, a bit of chili, ... It was just a little bit spicy and I think most people could handle this level of spice.

My wife had the "Fried chicken with cashew nut", in lunch portion. She likes this dish and has it quite often. I am generally not a big fan of nuts in meals but I have to admit that in this dish, the cashew nuts fit pretty well with the sauce. Today, the dish was a bit more spicy than usual and for people not used to hot dishes, or who cannot eat spicy food, it would have been a bit too spicy (still I would not say it was impossible to eat).

I went for the "Fried chicken with ginger" in dinner portion (as you can see in the pictures, the dinner portion is more voluminous than the lunch portion). This dish was said to be a bit spicy on the menu and it was. The meat, the onions and the sauce was just a tiny bit spicy but the ginger bits were quite spicy. If you don't like spicy food, you would still have been able to eat it by just leaving the ginger. Other than that this dish was pretty good but not exceptional.
We ordered fried rice for our son. It was quite good and the portion was in my opinion just what we needed (not too much to avoid wasting food, and not too little so that my son had enough to eat).

All in all, I think Naree Thai is a very good option for people on budget. For low prices, you will be able to eat pretty good food, especially when it comes to soups. If you don't like or cannot eat spicy food, you should precise it when you order your meals.
Here is the link to the restaurant: http://www.nareethairestaurant.no/ and here is the google map of it: http://maps.google.no/maps?q=naree+thai+stavanger

Feel free to use the google +1 button, it makes this article easier to find on the internet. You can also leave a comment, whether you agree or disagree with this review (or would like some more information). Thanks!

N.B. Sørensens Dampskibsexpedition, 1st floor

2012-04-22T04:06:00.001-07:00

N.B. Sørensens Dampskibsexpedition has been in Stavanger for quite a long time but is actually a new discovery for me. Somehow, I had hardly noticed the main entrance and the back entrance is not really attractive (don't really see inside, can't tell if the restaurant is open or not, ...). And then a month or two ago, I decided it was really time to try this restaurant. My wife and I liked it and on Friday we decided to go there again.

N.B. Sørensens Dampskibsexpedition is composed of 3 parts. The "new" bar, quite fancy and only to drink, the first floor (or "første etasje" in Norwegian") which is a casual dining place (but as far as I can tell, you can also have a drink there) and the second floor ("annen etasje" or "andre etasje" in Norwegian) for gourmet experience.

We went both times on the first floor and this is the part of the restaurant I am going to review here.
First, the restaurant is pretty well decorated and got a prize for it. Taken directly from their website: "N.B. Sørensens Damskibsexpedition has been awarded The Norwegian hotel and service industry’s interior environment prize. The interior oozes of vintage maritime industry and commerce, with walls and ceilings decorated with historical images and objects."

What surprised me in this restaurant is the quality of the service, despite the fact the place was casual. I would have more expected this quality of service for gourmet places. There are many waiters and waitresses, all are nice, careful and efficient. Also the kitchen is quite beautiful, half open which gives the safe feeling that you can see what the cooks are doing.

The menu is in my opinion quite good, in the sense it offers enough variety to have some choices, but not having so many choices that you get lost, cannot decide and show that the chef could not choose what he is doing best. You can find the whole menu here (the names are in Norwegian but you have the English translation beneath them): http://www.herlige-restauranter.no/menynbny.cfm?pArticleId=21922&pArticleCollectionId=3277&dtype=ny
My only regret about this menu is the lack of a children menu.

On Friday, my wife decided to go for the burger (Burger with chipotle mayonnaise, onion rings and french fries), while I went for the veal (Veal with baked root vegetables, onion, potatoes and béarnaise).
The burger was a bit disappointing. It came in a small basket and that was both unpractical and a bit too much fast-food like design. The meat was well cooked on the outside but a bit raw inside. My wife also thought there was too much pepper in it.

My veal on the other side was really good. The meat was perfectly cooked, tender and tasteful. The sauce was also very good, yet discreet. In terms of vegetables, there were potatoes, carrots and onions. the potatoes and carrots were fitting very well with the rest of the dish and I particularly like the onions. Not bitter, a bit sweet, a tiny bit crunchy, ... The bearnaise sauce was also good, but there may have been a bit too much of it, as its strong taste may hinder the subtle taste of the sauce and the meat. I liked it but if you are a gourmet, you may want to ask the bearnaise sauce on the side so it does not interfere with the rest of the dish.

Concerning the price, here is what we pay (20/04/2012):
Veal: 289 NOK
Burger: 198 NOK
Glass of wine: 79 NOK
Total: 566 NOK

All in all, a good restaurant but a bit disappointing for the burger. You will find the menu, the opening time, the phone number, address etc... on the webpage of the restaurant:
http://www.herlige-restauranter.no/english111111111122222222229.cfm

Hall toll

2012-03-15T15:39:00.001-07:00

Update 26/07/2012: if you want a more recent review, you could check this article. It is from another blog about Stavanger restaurants.

Hall toll is a famous bar / night club in Stavanger but something that is less well known is that this place is also a pretty nice restaurant.

The restaurant is located on the harbour but a bit further towards the sea and less "central Stavanger". It is a really good spot in summer to see the sunset.

About the name and the icon, I have to say that the building where Hall Toll is located seems to be an old house for customs ("toll" means customs in Norwegian). So Hall Toll basically means the hall of the customs. The funny thing is when you pronounce it, we cannot know if you mean Hall Toll, or "Halv tolv" (which means 11:30), or even "Halv toll" (half of the customs building ?). They redesigned the customs traditional icon so that the lion holds a fork and a glass instead of an axe (I would not have dared to do so in France for example).

The restaurant is a bit more expensive than the other restaurants I have reviewed here but the food is good. We also had a good surprise to get some olives and small dry sausages before the meal.

Three of us had fish and one meat. Both were really nice, well presented and the service was really nice.

The interior was really nice but I have heard they changed it completely and have not been there since then.

All in all, not a restaurant I would go to every day (a bit too formal and expensive for me) but a very good on-occasion-restaurant.

Bølgen & Moi

2012-03-15T15:13:00.002-07:00

This restaurant is somehow a new discovery for me. It was recommended to me by a friend and I have been there several times since then.

First of all, the restaurant is located in the same building as the oil museum. So generally a good place to go before or after visiting this museum.

Then, I have to say that this restaurant has been evolving since I first went there. In the past, this restaurant was a bit more for business men or at least for formal evenings. It tends to become more and more informal / family oriented and I think it is a good thing as the museum does attract many families.

The interior is elegant and it must be really nice to sit by the window (or outside) when it is sunny.

Before the meals come, you will be served some bread. Nothing particular except that in the past the bread was too salty (at least the top of the bread was covered by salt, which looked nice but did not taste good). They have changed this and the bread is now good. The sauce that comes with the bread is also really nice.

Above is the Entrecôte sandwich, one of the best presented sandwich I have ever had. The fries are also pretty good. Otherwise, the restaurant proposes a sanwdich of the day and a soup of the day and you can even get half a portion of each.

Here is a meat dish I had. It tasted really good, especially the sauce and the mushrooms. I tried once their coq-au-vin, a French recipe and it was pretty good.

Here their apple crumble with ice cream. Tasted nice but I would have expected a bit more crumble.

PS: since this review, I have been there several times. We tried their fish soup once which was good and once their soup of the day was a crab soup with shrimps and fennel and it was lovely. The children menu includes a burger, a pizza, some grilled chicken and some ice cream. Children around us seem to enjoy it.

PS2: I forgot to mention 1 little thing about the service. It is a bit slow. I have seen several times people simply giving up at the entrance of the restaurant (too long to get seated) and some of the reviews on the internet do pinpoint the fact that it can take a long time to be served. So yes, if you are in a hurry, you may consider another restaurant; otherwise, just relax, and enjoy the view on the sea if possible :)