Renaa is the only Norwegian restaurant with a Michelin star not located in Oslo. And it is very well deserved! At Renaa you will experience a genuine atmosphere, excellent staff, surprising, beautiful and tasty food, and one of the best wine lists found outside the capital.
Renaa is the name of the chef (and his wife) that runs the restaurant. He used to live and cook in Trondheim, which he did very well, but here, in Stavanger, it is like everything has been perfected! I love how he is present both in the kitchen and while serving and socializing with his guests. That, including the small and cozy restaurant area, with no more than 20 seats, makes all of us feel very welcomed and special.
The food blew me away. Especially the appetizers. Six small dishes were served in just the right tempo. One more gorgeous and delicious than the other. We got oyster, tartar, caviar, saltwater crayfish, Jerusalem artichokes and onion with hazelnut. The best dishes from the main courses were the scallops in miso, the asparagus and the calf brissel (sweetbread). Rhubarb and smoked butter caramel for dessert were also super good!
We started out with a wonderful bottle of Blanc de Noirs by Ulysse Collin. The red grape makes it powerful enough to handle food with lot´s of taste. We had a fresh glass of Puligny Montrachet from P & L Borgeot (2013) with the white fish and two types of red with the meat. The first was a biodynamic Mâcon Cruzille from Clos des vignes du Maynes (2011), which is 100% Gamay. It was very interesting and quite good. The other glass was a wonderful Chambolle-Musigny by Rion Fréres & Soeurs, Passion des Terroirs (2008).
Renaa is definitely worth a (long) trip. The combination of food, wine, service and ambience says it all!