Trondheim - Norway - page 349

Trondheim's freshest oysters are served here, with a choice of fresh lemon or a
savory vinaigrette. We recently discovered another delightful appetizer: poached
sea trout with tsatziki (cucumber-yogurt sauce) and a creamy dollop of cauli-
flower. The chefs proceed to tantalize you with the likes of breast of duck with
a thyme-flavored pancake filled with red cabbage, or else the “French Connec-
tion”: a choice cut of entrecote served with a perfectly made béarnaise sauce with
french fries. You'll think you've been miraculously delivered to a Left Bank bistro
in Paris.
Carl Johansgate 5. & 73-56-89-00. Reservations recommended. Restaurant main courses 180NOK-
220NOK ($26-$31); fixed-price menus 295NOK-650NOK ($42-$92); 8-course surprise menu with wine
1,000NOK ($142). AE, DC, MC, V. Brasserie and restaurant Tues-Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight. Bus:
1 or 4.
Chablis Brasserie & Bar FRENCH A casual and informal dining spot,
this establishment serves excellent food at reasonable prices. A polished choice,
it is a combined brasserie and restaurant, with stylish furnishings and appoint-
ments. Some rugged Vikings meet their blond-haired dates here at night for
some delicately flavored meals. In summer they prefer an outside table to soak
up the fair weather while it lasts. We like their selection of cold appetizers, par-
ticularly the marinated halibut with a basil-flavor mousse. Serrano ham from
Spain comes with a walnut cream sauce with a tomato vinaigrette. The chef 's
signature Chablis salad is tantalizingly made with Manchego cheese, fennel,
salami, pecan nuts, and Kalamata olives. The best main courses, we have found,
are fish based, our favorites being the halibut with a chile-and-carrot purée with
a lime butter sauce. Monkfish is appetizing with a compote made of onions and
apples. Meat courses are also good, notably the tenderloin of beef with an onion
marmalade. Always check to see what the catch of the day is.
Øvre Bakklandet 66. & 73-87-42-50. Reservations required. Main courses 225NOK-450NOK ($32-$64);
fixed-price 3-coruse menu 390NOK ($55). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 3-11pm. Bus: 1, 5, or 9.
Fru Inger SEAFOOD This is one of the two or three most important and
most popular seafood restaurants in Trondheim. It's not as chic, cutting-edge,
and sophisticated as the also-recommended Havfruen (see below), but it serves
an intelligent, imaginative cuisine at somewhat less expensive prices. Named
after a 1950s-era cargo ship ( Fru Inger, or “Miss Inger”) now based in Mexico,
it's housed in a glass-sided pavilion that overlooks the old and new fishing ves-
sels moored beside a canal, a short walk from the railway station. Inside, a navy-
blue color scheme, varnished mahogany, and pin lighting work to enhance the
nautical decor. Our most recently sampled starter was lime- and chile-marinated
scallops served on a salad bed of fresh tomato and sweet peppers. Drawn from
the cold, deep waters of Norway, shark is delectably served with smoked salmon,
a skewer of fresh vegetables, and risotto. The salt-baked filet of cod came with a
savory basil sauce. If you're here on a summer day, opt for the rhubarb soup with
cinnamon ice cream.
Fosenkaia. & 73-51-60-71. Reservations recommended. Main courses 99NOK-299NOK ($14-$42) at
lunch, 225NOK-345NOK ($32-$49) at dinner; fixed-price menus 388NOK-450NOK ($55-$64). AE, DC, MC,
V. May-Sept Mon-Sat noon-midnight, Sun 5pm-midnight; Oct-Apr daily 5-10:30pm. Bus: 1 or 4.
Grenaderen NORWEGIAN The setting of this place is a much-gen-
trified update of what was built more than a century ago as a blacksmith shop.
Today, amid flickering candles and a collection of 19th-century wood- and
metal-working artifacts, you get a sense of rustic, old-fashioned Norway, much
spiffed up from the dingy smoke-filled days when the place would have been a

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