We visited Ti Spiseri & Bar on a Saturday night in January and we had expectations as the word on the street had been quite good after the opening in late 2019. Located in Langgata (main pedestrian street in Sandnes), the location is quite good, and we got a table in the middle of the restaurant. The table setup was quite similar to Renaa Matbaren in Stavanger and there was a small menu underneath the glasses and cutlery. The evening menu is not extensive (and it was different from what was shown on the homepage) as it had a burger, meat / fish of the day, meat and mussels – and a long list of pizzas. As this is a bar and restaurant, the music was turned up already at 7.30 PM and the waitress had some problems addressing our table (a group of 4) as she was reading up the special of the day. Two of us decided to have charcuterie to share and the two others decided to have a kids mini pizza each as a starter but with one of the toppings from the menu. It didn’t take long before the waitress came back to inform us that it was not possible to get a kids mini pizza with a different topping. With a bit of creativity, she could have e.g. suggested that the two shared a regular pizza as a starter, but they decided to have charcuterie as well.
We ordered a bottle of Chianti and I was pleased to see that it was not totally overpriced. It had been multiplied by 2.5 compared to the wine store price and that is not bad as some restaurants in Stavanger multiply it by 3 to 4! It didn’t take long before the starter was served, and it was Comté cheese (always a treat) together with some Parma ham, two salami sausages, foie gras terrine and served with olives, bread, butter and aioli. Both the cheese and cold cuts were good but the portion that you see on the photo was for two and cost 385 kroner (42 USD). I know that good ingredients are expensive, but I think this was a bit much. It was great that the waitress took the time to introduce the various elements of the starter but I’m not sure why she referred to the Parma ham as “Italian Parma ham”. I think Parma ham production has strict geographical boundaries and the producers must be in the hills around the city of Parma in Italy.
The ladies decided to have the catch of the day which was skrei (arctic cod - a seasonal treat) and they seemed quite pleased with that. Stereotypically, the guys decided to have the meat of the day - entrecote with bone for two served with guacamole, béarnaise sauce, romaine lettuce and French fries (a bit too salty). When we ordered the meat, I was a bit puzzled that the waitress did not ask us how we wanted the meat. But I got a hold her afterwards and specified how we wanted it. The meat was served pre-cut and it was grilled to perfection and the meat was both tender and tasty. The waitress had specified this as a huge chunk of meat and I’m not sure that I would agree to that. But together with the sides, there was enough food for the two of us.
The volume of the music kept on changing and at certain points it was difficult to talk across our table and then the volume was turned down again so maybe people started complaining. The lights were also adjusted from time to time later in the evening - maybe because it was nearing closing time?
The dessert menu did not quite appeal to us, so we ended up with a mojito as dessert instead.
We certainly had a great time at Ti Spiseri and the food was as good as expected but there are a few things that lead me to think that this is more of a bar/lounge with a good food menu and not a restaurant with a good bar option. The steak was undoubtedly good quality, which it should be as they claim to serve “Jærens beste biff” (best steaks in Jæren). However, I would also have expected to be asked how we wanted the meat prepared.
I’m sure that we will stop by Ti Spiseri again and it is reassuring to see that Sandnes has a solid new dining option.
Facts:
Homepage: see https://www.ti-spiseri.no/
Location: Langgata 10 in Sandnes - see this Google map
Cost: 2200 Kroner (starter and main for 4) - 240 USD
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