Katla

Back in the summer of 2018, when much admired Chef Atli Mar Yngvason closed his little hole-in-the-wall Pjoltergeist to join the Lava restaurant group, Oslo’s dining intelligentsia was dumbfounded. Pjolter had been every other gourmand’s go-to place for casual drop-ins and special occasions alike. Atli’s exciting neo-Asian-Scandinavian-Latin American mashup and his excellent, Riesling-heavy wine list was mourned by the greater gastro-community until Katla was born, a corner restaurant in the very center of Oslo, with window surfaces that are bigger than the whole of Pjolter’s footprint.

The dining room smells of burning coals, there’s gangster rap on rotation and an open kitchen with big wood-fired grills that churn out delicacies such as hyper-fresh lightly seared mackerel, tossed with sour cream and chives, served with pickled onion and pita bread. We devour it. Then a bowl of grilled pimentos in soy sauce come along.

At this point a wine pairing seems like a good idea, and a Mosel Riesling appears. It has a slight sweetness, suggesting a spicy continuation of the meal. Halibut, blue corn, guacamole and chili tostada. Beautiful! The whole table goes ‘oooh' upon the first bite. There’s textures and punchy flavors, the wine is a perfect match. Next up are steamed buns with shrimps and chili butter. We’re drooling. The little crustaceans’ heads are prepared crispy as chips. Delicious, though we hope the shrimps won’t be cold next time we visit. Scallops are grilled to perfection, served with white asparagus, a deep mussel sauce and seasonal lumpfish roe. Yes, perhaps the asparagus is a bit tough, it should have been peeled more carefully. But can we please have another round of that totally insane grilled turbot with cabbage and vendace roe beurre blanc?

Published January 2020