Punjab Tandoori

July 1, 2012

On my last full day in Norway, Cindy and I met up with a few of her conference buddies and went on a museum crawl. The national museums are all free on Sundays, so we hit up The National Gallery, The Museum of Contemporary Art and The National Museum of Architecture. The gallery was particularly impressive, but all were worth checking out, particularly free of charge. In the afternoon we wandered back around the harbour to the Oslo Opera House, which opened in 2007 (pictures below). By the time we'd scaled the opera house and wandered back towards our hotel, everyone was footsore, hungry and tired (especially the two of our group who'd flown in that morning). With no real plan lined up for dinner, I turned to the trusty Lonely Planet, which pointed us in the direction of Punjab Tandoori promising us cheap, decent Indian food.

There's nothing flash about Punjab Tandoori, it's a cafeteria-style place, with a big blackboard menu and loads of locals tucking into aromatic curries. We all took the simple option and ordered the veg thali, a silver tray with three curries, some naan bread, rice and a salad, for a ludicrously affordable 70NOK (AU$11.10). This was comfortably the cheapest meal we had in Norway - probably half the price of the next most expensive.

   

And it was pretty good - nothing very complex or spicy, but a chickpea curry, a dahl and a tomatoey mixed-veggie curry. The star of the meal was the naan - toasty and fresh. Punjab Tandoori isn't going to give you a particularly memorable meal but it's fast, tasty and incredibly cheap (relatively at least). Well worth a visit.

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 Punjab Tandoori gets a passing mention by heaps of bloggers noting its affordability. The Slacker's Guide to Oslo and Just a Little Travel Blog provide the most detailed write-ups.

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Punjab Tandoori
Grønland 24, Oslo
+47 22 17 20 86
veg thali plate 70NOK ~ AU$11.10
http://www.muchomas.no/

Accessibility: Mucho Mas has a a single step up to medium-spaced interior tables. Ordering and payment happens at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

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The Oslo Opera House from afar. Its design is inspired by glaciers.

   

   

The interior is beautifully designed as well, all geometry and repetition.

   

   

   

   

Cindy and her buddies posing outside, while I photograph them from inside

   

Den Gode Cafe

June 30, 2012

   

We started our first full day in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Centre, which is well worth a visit - it has rotating exhibits (which included some wonderful photographs and videos from Afghanistan) and a brilliant set of permanent exhibits dedicated to the peace prize winners. There are a few pictures at the end of this post.

The museum was so engaging that we spent longer there than expected, and left very hungry and ready for lunch. I'd tracked down two nearby vegetarian places, Cafe Blitz and Vega Fair Food. I was most excited by Blitz - a cafe in an anarchist-run squat that's been running for 30 years. Sadly, just like the last squat-based place we tried to visit, it turns out that these anarchists were on some sort of holiday. Last time we rely on anarchists to feed us. No problems I thought, Vega is only a few blocks away. Vega Fair Food is, inexplicably, closed on Saturdays (they at least state this on the website, so this one was my fault really).

By this point I was hungry, sick of walking and getting pretty grumpy. And I had no fall-back plan. Cindy pulled out a couple of muesli bars and we walked vaguely in the direction of Grünerløkka, a supposedly hip and cafe-filled suburb. We got about 200m down the road and stumbled onto this place: Den Gode Cafe (literally, The Good Cafe). Given the situation, I would have been happy enough if this place offered a single, barely edible vego dish, so I was doubly thrilled when we discovered a menu with plenty for us to choose from and an English-speaking staff member who was happy to suggest alterations to other dishes for us. Amazing.

   

I ordered the veggie burger (149NOK ~ AU$23.60), which came with delicious chunky chips and a little pot of creamy aoli. The burger patty was a crispy-fried mush of veggies (possibly with egg, flour or some other binders), with a melted piece of cheese on top and greens, tomato and sauce underneath. I dunno if it was just my hunger, but it was pretty damn terrific.

   

Cindy ordered the 'pancake', with spinach, mushrooms and feta (125NOK ~ AU$19.80).

   

The 'pancake' was basically a crepe, and was another success - thin and nicely browned and stuffed with a good mix of cheese and veggies.

We were both so grateful to have stumbled across Den Gode Cafe that we were almost certain to enjoy it. But it went well above our expectations - the staff were superbly helpful, the menu relatively well stocked with veg options and the atmosphere laid-back and comfortable. Vegans will probably struggle to find much to eat but the staff are very helpful and would probably whip something up for you. For these vegetarians though, this place was an oasis on an otherwise frustrating hunt for a Saturday lunch.

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There's not many reviews of the food at Den Gode Cafe, just this positive mention on Ingvildtelle.

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Den Gode Cafe
Fredensborgveien 13, Oslo
+47 22203455
veggie mains 125-149 NOK ~ AU$20-$25
http://dengodecafe.no/

Accessibility: There's just a small step on entry, and the exterior is spacious and flat. There's full table service.

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The Nobel Peace Centre

   

The peace forest - 
each little monitor has the details of one of the Peace Prize winners

   

Mucho Mas

June 29, 2012

   

On our first evening in Oslo, we sought out Spisestedet. It's a decades-old vegetarian restaurant within a squat and we were only a little surprised when it didn't look open - why expect a bunch of anarchists to keep capitalist habits like predictable opening hours? Thankfully during our wander we'd noticed Mucho Mas - Michael had their Grünerløkka branch on his list but now this one in Majorstuen looked worth a shot instead.

The restaurant was busy but the staff were happy for us to perch at the bar until a table freed up, chatting as they mixed drinks and recognising our accent. Later another waiter offered to translate the menu for us verbally, but we'd pieced together almost everything we needed from Mexican menus past and the Norwegian we'd been navigating all week.

   

The one mystery word we needed translated was 'aromasopp' - mushrooms! Sautéed, they're an optional extra (35NOK ~ AU$5.50) on the mains. I ordered them atop my nachos (115NOK ~ AU$18.20 without) and though they were tasty, there was more than enough chips, cheese, beans, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream to stuff me silly as it was. Michael's burrito (115NOK ~ AU$18.20) was filled with the same basics and rice besides. Both had a welcome hint of chilli heat.

The Mucho Mas menu harks back to the Mexican food we Aussies expected pre-Mamasita - your choice of chicken, beef or beans served as nachos, quesadillas or a burrito (though their specials menu might have something more novel for omnivores). Servings are big, flavours are dependable, staff are cheerful - it's all satisfying if not stimulating.

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The two Mucho Mas branches are also recommended on blogs Mine glutenfrie oppdagelsar (in Norwegian and gluten-free), En svensk tiger i Oslo (in Swedish), food is my religion! (in Norwegian) and Bakgård.

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Mucho Mas
Bogstadveien 8, Oslo
+47 23 20 10 20
veg mains from 115NOK ~ AU$18.20
http://www.muchomas.no/

Accessibility: Mucho Mas has a couple of outdoor tables (see pic up top), a single step up to more medium-spaced interior tables and a half-flight of stairs up to another area with medium-spaced tables plus a few stools at the bar. We received full table service in excellent English. We didn't visit the toilets.

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I walked past Mucho Mas again a couple of days later on my way to Vigeland Sculpture Park - it's very popular with tourists and definitely worth a visit in good weather.

   

   

   

Bambus Marken

June 27, 2012

   

After spending our first day in Bergen hanging out in the historical old town, we decided to cash in on the glorious weather and head up to Fløyen on day 2. You can walk (or run!) up the hill, but we went for the lazy option and took the funicular to the top. Once you're up, you're rewarded with glorious views over the city and kilometres of beautiful walking tracks heading off into the forest (see the pictures below this post).

Our original dinner plans at the veg-friendly tapas place Escalon were undone by its popularity (booked out from 6 onwards), leaving us wandering a little aimlessly around the city in search of something else. Luckily, Cindy remembered the Vietnamese place near Cafe Aura and we wandered over to check it out. They had a spare table for us and a menu with about half a dozen vegetarian mains to choose from, so we settled in for a quick meal. The atmosphere is pleasant and casual, and the staff (who had limited English) were friendly and keen to make sure we had everything we needed.

Cindy ordered a tofu and noodle dish (145kr ~ AU$23).

   

This was just what we were after - loads of fresh veggies, delicious fried cubes of tofu and a mild but interesting sauce. Kind of like a simple pad thai. 

I went for something a bit more unusual, a bitter melon and tofu soup, drowning in coriander, chilli and lemongrass (145kr ~ AU$23).

   

This had a real kick and I needed to cut it with rice (hidden in the pot at the back of the picture above). Once I had the balance between rice and spice down, this was a gem - packed with flavour, fresh and loaded up with tofu.

Bambus Marken greatly exceeded our expectations - we were hoping that they could put together something tolerable and vegetarian for us and they turned out to have a range of excellent veggie dishes. In a town like Bergen, this puts them high on the list of places to visit for veg*n travellers - you could certainly do far worse. Prices are ludicrous, but no more so than the rest of Norway. 

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Bambus Marken
Marken 33, Bergen
+47 55560060
veggie mains 145 NOK ~ AU$23

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bambus-Marken/124108804340059

Accessibility: There's a small step as you enter, and things are fairly crowded inside. They have full table service.

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The view from Fløyen

   

   

   

Beautiful mountain pond in the woods behind Floyen

   

A great tit about to enter its nesting box

   

Reindyrka

June 26, 2012

   

Bergen's old town, where we rented an apartment, is very pretty and very steep. It's a quick downhill walk to the even older Bryggen and then mercifully flat as you approach the more modern quarter of the city.

   

Here we found Reindyrka, an organic supermarket. It's not totally vego (you'll find organic meats in the fridge) yet I suspect it's the best source of veg*n groceries in Bergen. We picked up some hot dogs, knekkebrød, Tartex, fair trade chocolate and scented soap, and regretfully passed over the organic ice cream. Food prices don't convert favourably to Australian dollars, but a little self-catering with Reindyrka saved us hundreds of kroner on eating out.

 

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Reindyrka
Christian Michelsensgt. 1, Bergen
+47 53 69 50 01
http://www.reindyrka.no/

Accessibility: Reindyrka is located down a flight of stairs and we didn't notice any alternative means of entry. As grocery shops go, it's reasonably spaced inside and payment happens at a low counter.

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Strolling round Bergen...

   

   

   

   

   

Bryggen, Bergen's centuries-old wharf

Its historic buildings are hilariously wonky

   

 

 

Cafe Aura

June 26, 2012

   

Like Iceland before it, Norway came with a fairly mediocre reputation for vegetarian food. Still, there's more to travel than food, right? Our first proper stop was in Bergen, via a stunning trip across the country on the 'Norway in a Nutshell' tour. Sure it sounds like a bit of a touristy cliche, but it's hard to imagine a single day trip anywhere else in the world packing in as much stunning scenery (see photos below this post for just a tiny sample).

Bergen is entirely free of vegetarian-only restaurants, so we knew we weren't going to come back with loads of blog material. We scarfed a quick Indian meal on the night of our arrival and set out on Tuesday having done a bit more planning. Stop one was Cafe Aura, the first place listed on Happy Cow's Bergen page and a nice central starting point for some exploring.

   

Cafe Aura is a fairly plain looking cafe - it's pleasant enough, but probably isn't going to win too many points for style. Similarly, the menu is pretty straightforward: vegans can have soup and maybe chilli, while vegetarians also get to choose from a veggie lasagne and a 'pie' (which turns out to be more like a quiche). Cindy took care of the ordering - the staff were completely comfortable in English (as was everyone we spoke to in Norway) and were super friendly and helpful.

   

I went for the lasagne (129kr, which if you foolishly convert back to Australian dollars is a breathtaking $20.30!). It comes with delicious bread and a simple salad, and is a reasonably good rendition - cheesy and stuffed with a good range of roasted veggies. It's hearty and tasty enough but nothing to write home about - indeed, at home we've come up with some far more impressive versions.

   

Cindy had the veggie pie (89kr ~ AU$14), which was basically a slice of quiche. It had a decent amount of spinach mixed into the eggy filling and a nicely cooked pastry crust. Again though, this is vegetarian dining from the 1970s - basic and unadventurous.

We headed off into the city sated but not particularly excited - vegetarians in Bergen will probably find themselves at Cafe Aura at some stage, just because there are so few places that offer even this much variety.

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There aren't any real reviews of Cafe Aura out there, just a couple of positive mentions on some Norwegian foodblogs.

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Cafe Aura
Marken 9, Bergen
+47 55365970
veggie lunches 65-129 NOK ~ AU$10.30 - 20.30
http://www.cafeaura.no/

Accessibility: You have to go up four steps to enter the cafe (see photo). The interior is relatively well spaced out. Ordering and payment takes place at a medium-low counter.

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Out the window of the Oslo-Myrdal train

   

   

   

   

The platform at Myrdal, about to hop onto the Flåm train

   

Trying to get a picture of Kjosfossen

   

Out the window of the Flåm train, on the way down the mountain

   

   

   

The Flåm train

   

On the ferry down Aurlandsfjord

   

Seagulls shadowing the ferry

   

Spectacular fjord views

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Norwegian toy town!