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
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.
interiorinteriortable set upchampagne to startFrankie checked out the wet cloth for the upcoming finger bitesWarm savory chanterelles cookie. Great!Cornett with roasted yeast and vendace roe. Really savory with tastes of roasted chicken skin. Yum!!!King crab from Finnmark with mead from elderberries. Sweet and delicious crab. Yummy taste explosion.Frankie drinking in the ambiance
Fermented trout with grilled leek and spring lettuce. Amazing! Dill just right and the broth is delicious. Rockfish bits totally velvety.inside
presentation(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!!Frankie looked for the clams
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.
presentationanother angleadd sauceEmulsion 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
white wine frontwine backFrankie thought there was room for her too on the wine stand
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!
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
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
Frankie found another wet clothThe 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. Had a wonderful crispy edge.close up
Frankie found a plant to climb
beginningaddingRømmegrøt – 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
Frankie found a furry seat cushion
James from Coventry UK, serving part 1servingA 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.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 wineFrankie played with the color shadows from the wineFrozen Norwegian blue cheese with pickled black trumpet mushrooms. Really nice combination and terrific with red wine.
kitchen tourkitchen
Jordan Bailey, head chef, met FrankieRob Drennan, chef from Texas and Frankie
“Test Kitchen Table” dining room
Strawberry sodaStrawberries 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 tablesideBrown butter ice cream with molasses and roasted hazelnuts. WOWWWWWW! Creamy, gooey and sweet. Yumified!!!!
Kevin Finch, NYC, with FrankieLiquid waffle, mountain tea made only from wild herbs found in Bøverdalen. A ball of sweet. Delicious!!!!
after dinner drinks, Grappaanother after dinner option
Frankie posed here
Brown cheese tart. Great crust! Nicely sweet with hints of salt. Wonderful but not as good as the strawberry course.Frankie thought the tart was yummyRoasted grains and dried strawberry, served cold.Frankie helped chose drinksMickey with FrankieOur amazing waitress, Stefanie Schneider with Frankie. She made the meal a wonderful experience!