From time to time it is amazing to enjoy a fine dining meal to celebrate special occasions. In May 2019 we had the pleasure of going to RE-NAA at their new location in Eilert Smith hotel in Stavanger. We have been to RE-NAA before at their old location (see this old review) but we were of course excited to see the new facilities. We went there on a cold and windy May day and the staff was waiting for us to let us in the door. I think that set the standard for the rest of the evening as the service in amazing.
RE-NAA has managed to keep the Michelin star even if they have been on the move. The new restaurant is a bit bigger than the previous place but still small and intimate and the centerpiece is the kitchen where you can see the chefs at work – and trust me, there are a lot of people involved in the process.
We got the menu and that gives a few keywords about what to expect – there is not much to decide as this is a set menu so the only think you must choose is wine pairing or not. We started with getting some small starters which was great as I was hungry. The favorite from this section was the crispy chicken skin and the duck liver paste balls. Everything was served on various plates and usually served by 4 people to our group of 4. Presentation was also beautiful as you can see from the photos.
We moved over to a seafood section where we got shrimp, oyster, mussels, caviar. I’m not a huge fan of oyster but there were some added flavors here that I also enjoyed. The caviar was served on tofu if I’m not mistaken and there was a topping of almond milk. We continued with the seafood as we got squid, a beautiful presented langoustine before we had a piece of trout topped with roe.
Some people fear that they will not get enough food at fine dining restaurants. That is not my experience – even if the portions are small, you do get many portions! We continued our meal with morels in a great Asian inspired broth, eel and beets and a BBQ cod! As we were enjoying the various dishes, we also got to see the quails that were in the process of getting prepared for us. The quails come from the area and we got it served by the chef himself, Sven Erik Renaa.
We were nearing the end of the meal but there was still time for some dessert of course. We started with some yogurt from Stavanger Ysteri, continued with a small buckwheat cake and then a Sea buckthorn (tindved in Norwegian) sorbet on an Italian meringue. We ended the whole thing with some fruit and sweets! I have not gone into too much details as you can see but I hope that the photos will give you an impression of the experience.
The wine pairing was great, and it seems like they have taken this to the next level with some excellent wines. The wine servings seemed to be a bit smaller than usual, but I think this is great – rather good quality and less quantity. As a dessert we e.g. got a 1975 Rivesaltes.
Conclusion: a meal at RE-NAA will cost you quite a bit! But in my opinion, it is worth the money. We spent the whole night there; we enjoyed some amazing food and it was a feast both for the eyes and for the taste buds. The service was outstanding and a special thank to the master himself, Sven Erik Renaa for opening such a great restaurant in Stavanger. And also, a thank to Torill Renaa for being such a great hostess and for making everyone feel welcome when they walk in the door. I have not been to all the restaurants in Stavanger, but I still think RE-NAA is the best restaurant in town. So if you want to celebrate a special occasion or just life, head to RE-NAA for an amazing experience.
Facts:
Homepage: http://www.restaurantrenaa.no/renaa/
Location: Nordbøgata 8 (Eilert Smith hotel). See this Google map
Price of food: 1600 Kroner for the set menu (180 USD)
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