Maaemo, Oslo, 6/24/16

building
building

Maaemo opened in Dec. 2010 and was awarded its third Michelin star this year,  the first Norwegian restaurant to achieve this honor and one of only 2 Nordic restaurants to have 3 stars.  Its name means “Mother Earth” and they focus their tasting menu on the tastes of Norway.  It is located on the second and third floors of a modern building and has only 8 tables on the main dining floor and one larger table in the “Test Kitchen Table” (must be requested when making the reservation and your participation has to be confirmed) which is upstairs, adjacent to the kitchen. They offer every guest only one tasting menu and have optional wine pairings or a large wine list which the sommelier will help you navigate.

sign at entrance
sign at entrance

We ordered our own bottles of white wine and glasses of red, as the menu mostly prefers white. The tables are widely spaced in the modern room with a lovely view. Service is excellent, as friendly as you want it to be and pacing is perfect. About 2/3 of the way through the meal your table is offered a tour of the kitchen and don’t miss it. The clean, modern kitchen runs with total efficiency and it seemed like there were more service and kitchen staff than guests, but all so happy to greet you and explain anything. I was also happy to note a number of women filling some of the chef positions. It was an exceptional meal and experience, honestly I need to get out the thesaurus to find more words to use  to describe the meal we had, as delicious will get worn out in the descriptions for it.

interior
interior
interior
interior
table set up
table set up
champagne to start
champagne to start
Frankie checked out the wet cloth
Frankie checked out the wet cloth for the upcoming finger bites
Warm savory chanterelles cookie
Warm savory chanterelles cookie. Great!
Cornett with roasted yeast and vendace roe
Cornett with roasted yeast and vendace roe. Really savory with tastes of roasted chicken skin. Yum!!!
King crab from Finnmark with mead from elderberries
King crab from Finnmark with mead from elderberries. Sweet and delicious crab. Yummy taste explosion.
Frankie drinking in the ambiance
Frankie drinking in the ambiance

 

 

Fermented trout with grilled leek and spring lettuce
Fermented trout with grilled leek and spring lettuce. Amazing! Dill just right and the broth is delicious. Rockfish bits totally velvety.
inside
inside

 

 

presentation
presentation
IMG_7628
(add broth) Mahogany clam from Nordskot with seaweed and Norwegian shiitake mushroom. These clams are up to 600 years old. The lines on the shell indicate the years. Excellent!!
Frnakie looked for the clams
Frankie looked for the clams

 

Live scallops
Live scallops. When his finger touched the scallop you could see it move. These were just for demonstration and a show of what is to come.

 

 

presentation
presentation
another angle
another angle
add sauce
add sauce
IMG_7666
Emulsion of raw Norwegian oysters from Bømlo with warm sauce made from mussels and dill. Creamy and amazing tastes. Sauce was perfect with it. It had a slightly fishy smell but didn’t taste of it at all. This dish has been on the menu since they opened and you can see why. Delicious!
close up
close up

 

white wine front
white wine front
wine back
wine back
Frankie thought there was room for her too on the wine stand
Frankie thought there was room for her too on the wine stand

 

IMG_7701
Scallop from the coast of Trondheim – tender raw slices with smoked cream, white currant and heather.  Smokey tastes with a bit of cream. An amazing broth. Nice texture contrasts and flavors. Outstanding!

 

IMG_7722
Scallop from the coast of Trondheim grilled in the shell over buring embers with apples and celeriac. Sauce is apple and brown butter. Very, very good but I might have liked the previous one slightly more.  Everything here leaves a great taste in your mouth!
as plated
as plated

 

 

Lightly pickled mackerel from the Oslo fjord with ramson and summer offerings
Lightly pickled mackerel from the Oslo fjord with ramson and summer offerings. This one has tastes of grilled onion and served slightly warm. No nasty mackerel here. Just the right amount of ramson oil to give contrast to this beautiful dish.
closer
closer

 

Frankie found another wet cloth
Frankie found another wet cloth
IMG_7752
The fat from salted sheep and whipped pork fat with pork belly cooked for a long time. Both spread nice but overshadowed the subtle taste of the bread.
"Lompe" - warm flatbread made of potatoes and freshly milled wheat
“Lompe” – warm flatbread made of potatoes and freshly milled wheat. Had a wonderful crispy edge.
close up
close up

 

Frankie found a plant to climb
Frankie found a plant to climb

 

beginning
beginning
adding
adding
IMG_7796
Rømmegrøt – a traditional Norwegian porridge of very sour cream, dried and smoked reindeer heart with plum vinegar.  Good tasting but a lesser offering, it was very good but not sure it sang like the previous ones.
inside
inside

 

Frankie found a furry seat cushion
Frankie found a furry seat cushion

 

James from Coventry UK, serving part 2
James from Coventry UK, serving part 1
serving
serving
IMG_7828
A biodynamic ox from Bergsmyrene, Part 1 – grilled and served with black garlic, chives and elderflower.  Cooked perfectly and nicely tender. Ox is a bit lean and helped by the flower oil.
IMG_7849
A biodynamic ox from Bergsmyrene, Part 2: tender greens, from the same field as the ox graised, in the ox fat. Greens cooked in ox fat and nicely dressed. A delicious interlude.

 

red wine
red wine
Frankie played with the color shadows from the wine
Frankie played with the color shadows from the wine
Frozen blue cheese with pickled black trumpet mushrooms
Frozen Norwegian blue cheese with pickled black trumpet mushrooms. Really nice combination and terrific with red wine.

 

kitchen
kitchen tour
kitchen
kitchen

IMG_7897

Jordan Bailey, head chef, met Frankie
Jordan Bailey, head chef, met Frankie
Rob Drennan, chef from Texas and Frankie
Rob Drennan, chef from Texas and Frankie

 

second dining room
“Test Kitchen Table” dining room

 

Strawberries and roses
Strawberry soda
Strawberries and roses
Strawberries and roses. Strawberries 3 ways: as a soda, with grilled rose leaves and with cream. Loved the charred leaves with the strong strawberry taste.  With cream was yummy. All excellent!

 

brown butter ice cream dished tableside
brown butter ice cream dished tableside
Brown butter ice cream with molasses and roasted hazelnuts
Brown butter ice cream with molasses and roasted hazelnuts. WOWWWWWW! Creamy, gooey and sweet. Yumified!!!!

 

Kevin Finch, NYC,  with Frankie
Kevin Finch, NYC, with Frankie
Liquid waffle, mountain tea made only from wild herbs found in Bøverdalen
Liquid waffle, mountain tea made only from wild herbs found in Bøverdalen.  A ball of sweet. Delicious!!!!

 

after dinner drinks
after dinner drinks, Grappa
another after dinner option
another after dinner option

 

Frankie posed here
Frankie posed here

 

Brown cheese tart
Brown cheese tart. Great crust! Nicely sweet with hints of salt. Wonderful but not as good as the strawberry course.
Frankie thougt the tart was yummy
Frankie thought the tart was yummy
Roasted grains and dried strawberry
Roasted grains and dried strawberry, served cold.
Frankie helped chose drinks
Frankie helped chose drinks
Mickey with Frankie
Mickey with Frankie
Our amazing waitress, Stefanie Schneider with Frankie
Our amazing waitress, Stefanie Schneider with Frankie. She made the meal a wonderful experience!

 

 

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