I have been to Renaa Matbaren a few times and it is always a treat. I was actually there at the opening of the restaurant (back in 2009) and over the years they have fine-tuned the concept and moved towards a French bistro, hence the official name “Matbaren Bistro by Renaa”. On my last visit I was happy to see that the neon sign behind the Anthony Gormley sculpture had been fixed, it sort of sets the mood when you enter. The menu contains “snack” like snails, oysters, caviar and they have many starters that are very tempting. The crab salad with avocado and curry is good, the salad with balsamic vinegar and parmesan is great, the squid with nduja has a bit of a kick etc.
This evening I started with the snails in parsley and garlic butter – and a lovely sourdough bread from Sirkus Renaa to get all those juices! I had the tomatoes from Brimse gård with a cured ham and burrata and as many of the wonderful starters, they are made with a few, clean ingredients. I continued with a turbot (or piggvar in Norwegian) with a Vin Jaune sauce that gives you all those wonderful flavors from this Jura wine. And for dessert: a delicious, creamy Basque cheesecake with a few berries. I could also see people ordering cote de boeuf and it seemed like they were grilled to perfection.
They also have one of the best wine lists in the country (see Star wine list) and some of the best sommeliers (congratulations to Thomas Myklebust , Kristoffer Aga and Sander Johnsson) so you will find wine that goes well with your food. And if you fancy some cocktails, you can order that from their cocktail bar Lou-Lou . If you get a chance, go to Matbaren Bistro by Renaa and enjoy the flavors. Well done Sven Erik Renaa and Torill Renaa – “You made me love you” 😉
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