Tromsø - Norway - page 379

containing three different kinds of fish roe; and carpaccio of whale meat. Main
courses include grilled stockfish served with roasted mushrooms and bacon,
pan-fried cod, filet of arctic char with hazelnuts, and grilled arctic shark steak
with pepper sauce, cranberries, and grilled mushrooms.
Strandtorget 1. & 77-60-07-20. Reservations recommended. Main courses 160NOK-250NOK ($23-$36).
AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 4-11pm.
Compagniet NORWEGIAN Set within an old-fashioned wood-
sheathed building, directly across the street from the Comfort Hotel With and
the Clarion Hotel Bryggen, this restaurant is noted as the most charming in
town. That was the opinion of members of Norway's royal family during a trip
they made to Tromsø in August 2002. The cuisine is original and consists of
only the freshest ingredients, usually local. All dishes are prepared with a finely
honed technique, as exemplified by the arctic sea char flavored with fresh chives
and a tantalizing fish roe. From Norwegian meadows comes a tender and fla-
vorful rack of lamb served with a timbale of mushrooms, and from the far north,
filet of reindeer in a blueberry sauce. Menu specialties vary with the arrival of
fresh fish and game from the surrounding waters, tundra, and forests. Fresh fish,
including turbot and wolfish, can be served breaded and fried, perhaps with
either a beurre blanc (white butter) or a mustard sauce, or steamed en papillotte,
according to your wishes and the whims of the chef. A particularly interesting
game dish involves filets of both wild grouse and reindeer, both grilled and driz-
zled with blueberry sauce, on the same platter, and served with root vegetables.
The service is the best in Tromsø, and the wine cellar is wide ranging.
Sjøgata 12. & 77-66-42-22. Reservations required. Main courses 256NOK-298NOK ($36-$42). AE, DC, MC,
V. Mon-Sat 6-11pm.
Emma's Drømmekjøkken (Emma's Dream Kitchen) NOR-
WEGIAN If there's such a thing as a “culinary personality” in Tromsø, it is
Emma (aka Anne Brit), owner of this cozy restaurant across the street from
Tromsø's cathedral. Born on a faraway Norwegian island near the Lofotens, she
specializes in the cuisine of the far north of Norway and is a sort of Paula Deen
of Norway. The restaurant contains only 30 seats, so reservations are important.
We were so enthralled with the appetizers that we hardly made it to the main
course—arctic scallops and scampi fried in a chile-and-garlic oil, a seviche of
trout and halibut with a Japanese wasabi cream, and a cream of oyster soup that
was delectable. We suggest the fish as a main course, such as the poached filet of
trout with Thai lemon grass, tomato concassé, white-wine sauce, and smoked
salmon. For a meat dish, we'd also recommend a grilled filet of veal with raisin
sauce and fresh morels. For dessert, Emma will enchant you with her orange
cheesecake with nuts and a papaya sauce or her blueberry compote with a white-
chocolate mousse. Before dinner you can descend into the wine cellar, site of an
impressive inventory of bottles. If you order champagne, it will be dramatically
uncorked by a saber-wielding sommelier who chops off the neck of the bottle
rather than uncorking it. Emma, with relief, claims there's never been a shattered
bottle.
Kirkegata 8. & 77-63-77-30. Reservations required. Main courses 245NOK-295NOK ($35-$42); fixed-price
menus 520NOK-699NOK ($74-$99). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 6-10:30pm. Closed 1 week at Christmas.
Grillen NORWEGIAN This is the most upscale of the recommended
restaurants within the town's hotels. The interior evokes a baroque dining room
in one of western Norway's 18th-century mansions, thanks to wide-plank floors,
dignified and traditional-looking furniture, dark colors, and enough space

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