Brutus

Located just behind the city jail, in a somewhat hidden part of peripheral downtown Oslo, a band of hipsters has created this little gem of a natural wine bar/restaurant helmed by Chef Arnar Jakob Gudmundsson. There’s a communal table, a green egg on the sidewalk, a wall of fermented delights, and progressive wines on tap. Sitting at the low bar counter, looking into the kitchen while perusing the intriguing and rather cryptic menu, your expectations are sure to be fueled; everything coming out of the kitchen is consistently attractive and well executed.

Delicate cured fish is decked out with herbs and seeds foraged just beyond the front door. Icelandic flatbread, so called ‘Flatkokur’, is presented as a big, fat Nordic taco filled with lumpfish roe and fresh cheese, topped with loads of peppery cress. The house moules frites are a warm hug of mussels, fried potatoes and dill in a broth, A lightly smoked whale tartare with a horseradish emulsion and poached egg is covered with freshly cut ramson, it’s a tasty and feisty dish – the place is called Brutus after all. The pièce de résistance is three fat slices of pork of rare quality, grilled to pink perfection; very, very good. Dessert can take the form of an intense and delicious raw milk ice cream marbled with cider sediment, oat crumble and a wild fermented rose hip syrup, it pairs nicely with a sweet plum sake. The selection of wines, ciders and beers is designed for adventurously inclined drinker. Mostly, these quaffs make good, or at least decent food companions, whether you like them or not, Brutus deserves its place on Oslos restaurant scene.

Published January 2020