Røst Teaterbistro

It’s labeled “teaterbistro”, but don't let that humble categorization fool you, Røst, located in the Trøndelag theater, Scandinavia’s oldest stage, delivers much more than a quick bite at intermission. Chef-duo Mette Beate Evensen and Martin Hovdal, partners in business and in life, direct this show like Ibsen might have directed his own plays. Evensen prepared for the task at Maaemo and Ylajali.

The dining room is nothing short of dramatic; high ceilings, a mezzanine, heavy red velvet curtains, walls lined with pickle jars and ferments, and giant arched windows that flood the space with soft daylight. The ambiance, however, is as relaxed as the white tablecloths are thick. The latter are nonchalantly decorated with fish spines, perhaps washed ashore from the Trondheim fjord.

And then there’s the food. What kind of cuisine is this, you wonder? Some techniques and ingredients are clearly part of the New Nordic register, but the style cannot be defined. Delicate pancake with whale tartare, smoked beef fat hollandaise and pickled gooseberries; luscious linguine with mussels and chanterelles; a perfectly balanced potato-, caramelized yeast- and lumpfish roe creation; and expertly pan fried cod with Avruga caviar and a chicken stock-based sauce that guests are encouraged to spoon off the plate with a small silicon ladle, the better to enjoy every drop of the umami goodness. Røst’s sourdough starter, named Herman, yields a rich dark bread, made with fermented potato and malt. Each dish is confident and precise, all the way through to the beautiful white chocolate and rhubarb dessert.

The wine pairings are skillfully selected by sommelier Ida von Stoltz.

Published January 2020