Bergen - Norway - page 267

the blue and white room. The starters continue the elegant tone, using high-
quality ingredients transformed into flavor-filled combinations such as tuna
with sesame on a salad of thinly sliced green beans, or carpaccio with spring veg-
etables. Such classic main dishes as pan-fried brill with a creamy sauce of foie
gras would be welcome at a top-rated Parisian bistro. Our salmon tournedos
with capers and a beurre blanc sauce was excellent. The chef is justifiably proud
of his tender and flavorful filet of beef Lucullus, the house specialty, although
you could also opt for a duo of pheasant with a morel-studded butter sauce or
quail with a foie gras risotto. For dessert, it doesn't get much better than white
chocolate mousse cake with marinated cherries.
In the Neptun Hotel, Valkendorfsgate 8. & 55-30-68-20. Reservations recommended. Main courses
305NOK-330NOK ($43-$47); fixed-price menu 645NOK ($92). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 5-11pm. Closed 2
weeks in July. Bus: 20, 21, or 22.
EXPENSIVE
Enhjørningen (The Unicorn) SEAFOOD Part of the charm of this restau-
rant derives from the not-level floors, the low doorways, and the inconvenient
access via narrow staircases to its second-floor dining room. Set within one of
the old wooden buildings of the Bryggen complex, adjacent to the harbor, it
boasts a history and a name that was recorded as early as 1304. (“The Unicorn”
was mentioned in a court trial as the home of a German-born Hanseatic mer-
chant, Herman Skult.) After several fires and the removal of lots of rotted tim-
bers, the inn has been restored to its 1700s condition.
You'll sit in one of several old-fashioned dining rooms set railway-style (end-
to-end), and outfitted like an early-19th-century parlor with framed oil paint-
ings, usually landscapes. It's usually mobbed, as the staff struggles to maintain
order and a sense of gentility amid swarms of diners, especially in midsummer.
Choices include a local and good version of fish soup; savory fresh mussels
steamed in white wine with cream, curry, and saffron; cognac-marinated
salmon; herb-fried medallions of anglerfish with a cream-based pepper sauce;
and catfish with bacon and mushroom sauce. The star offering of the restaurant's
limited supply of meat dishes is a “no fish Olsen,” a bemused way to describe
grilled filet of beef with a pepper-flavored cream sauce.
Bryggen. & 55-32-79-19. Reservations recommended. Main courses 240NOK-275NOK ($34-$39); fixed-
price menus 395NOK-520NOK ($56-$74). AE, DC, MC, V. Dinner daily 4-11pm. Closed 2 weeks at Christmas.
Bus: 5 or 21.
Finnegaardstuene NORWEGIAN/FRENCH The foundations of this
popular restaurant were laid around 1400, when Hanseatic League merchants
used it as a warehouse. Today some of the woodwork dates from the 1700s, and
four small-scale dining rooms create a cozy atmosphere. The chefs have created
magic in sleepy Bergen. The menu is well thought out, with carefully prepared
dishes. It revolves around Norwegian ingredients, especially fresh fish, and clas-
sical French methods of preparation. The menu changes with the season and the
inspiration of the chef. It might include platters of crayfish served with filets of
French foie gras in a cider and foie gras sauce; lime-marinated turbot with caviar
sauce; gratin of monkfish with sea scallops; filets of venison with juniper berry
sauce; and breast of duck with lime-and-fig sauce. Berries from the Norwegian
tundra, especially lingonberries and cloudberries, are an appropriate and satisfy-
ing dessert.
Rosenkrantzgate 6. & 55-55-03-00. Reservations recommended. Main courses 285NOK-295NOK
($40-$42); fixed-price menu 530NOK-795NOK ($75-$113). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 6-11pm. Closed 1 week
at Easter and Dec 22-Jan 8. Bus: 5 or 21.