Statholdergaarden is a large place with dining areas spread over several rooms in an historic home. The house dates from 1640 when the Denmark appointed provincial governor lived there. Some of the interior had to be replaced because of fire but most is a reproduction of the original design. They offer an a la carte menu, a today’s menu tasting of 4-6 courses, or an extended tasting menu of 15+ courses. The same chef/owner has run the place for 20 years but he was not in the house the evening we visited.
cool entry
The main dining room where we sat was beautiful but it was also pretty warm that summer evening and the only ventilation I observed was via windows and most of the guests near them did not chose to open them. Overall it was a nice but unremarkable meal and the pacing was uneven. We expected to be there a couple hours but the pauses between courses seemed to get even longer after we told them we didn’t need so much time in between. Many of the courses are sauced at the table but the fryer was a bit over-used for a restaurant of this caliber. My particular food comments are included in the captions.
flat bread with ham. Tasty. Ball is made of sweetbreads. OK mostly fryer taste
Frankie liked the platesAsparagus soup. Tasty with lots of cream but not a strong asparagus flavor
Traditional Norwegian fish cake (underneath). Little dry but ok flavor.
pan fried quail eggNice, yolk still runny
wine
Breads: brioche, fennel and seed
Crisp langoustine croquette and salmon with cabbage and mango relish. All nice but not sure it was good to serve another fried ball. The salmon is cut into neat little pieces that are wedged together into a circle. Good but not a memorable course.plated
Frankie wondered about the purpose of the bowl on the table
Scallop, artichoke and pomegranate with smoked elderflower-apple bouillon. Scallop is nice but artichoke seemed pre-frozen as it had no taste. The smoked broth is good.as plated
Mackerel with horseradish, dill and passe pier. Served with sea beans and potato chips which added a nice crispness. Dill taste mild with little impact. The snow was room temperature not cold.as plated
Norwegian potatoes from Reddal farm with red onion, salsify and butter sauce. Potatoes were cooked perfectly and the salsify had been roasted with fried red onion strings which provided a nice textural contrast. The butter sauce was rich and blended nicely with everything. A good course.as platedthe candle was way taller than Frankie
Monkfish with carrot, kale, capers and onionadd parsley sauce. Nice ingredients that blended well but not outstanding. It was plenty good just unremarkable.Frankie gives the rolls a sniff
Ling with asparagus, cauliflower and bok choy in chicken consommé. Another mild dish. If you mix all the ingredients you can get a nice flavor but not mind blowing.as platedanther room
A little break: Cucumber and yoghurt. Now this was packed with flavor! Mix the cream and ice and it’s a real winner. One knock was that the cucumber strings were too long and awkward to eat with a spoon.another angle
red wine frontwine back
Duck liver and heart with beet roots and peas. The liver in the pastry was quite nice and the heart cooked perfectly but this rated a good not great.as platedinside duck liver
after dinner choices
Suckling lamb with celeriac, spinach and garlic sauce. There was also a lamb sausage and a fried portion. It was an excellent sauce and great tastes.as plated
Frankie found the cookbooks
Norwegian cheeses with hazelnuts, quince and radish. One was a mild fried cow cheese from southern Norway. The blue cheese was from northern Norway. Served with frisée and crunchy hazelnuts. Nice tastes and textures but wouldn’t have served another fried thing even though it is supposed to be traditional.
Frankie found more souvenirs
startSorrel and apple sorbet with green tea and carbonated apple cider. Really good, fresh and tasty, but when the cider was poured on it just wasn’t so attractive.
Frankie posed with the foods
Strawberry and milk chocolate with Nyr, vanilla and almond. This was strawberry in numerous forms – plain with cream, purée/gel (in center) and sorbet. Nyr is a chocolate with sour cream type ingredient from Iceland. A great dessert! Yum!
Frankie found more items for sale
final treats: chocolate salted caramel, lemon tart, passion fruit macaroonclose up
