BURGER JOINT

Oslo, Norway

Burger Joint is a newly opened restaurant behind Oslo's boardwalk Aker Brygge. It is already well established for selling the city's most expensive burger of £ 30 (excluding fries). I had only one day in the city, and braved the cold and rainy weather to make my way to this little restaurant. After stepping over a construction site, we managed to get inside, and picked one of the few tables. I'm in two minds about the interior, as I think they have managed to achieve a cool and casual night-time atmosphere, but the way it's been done is a bit forced. They have cut up an Airstream trailer and used it to frame the kitchen and bar. This idea is just not practical or logical at all, but I appreciate the effort. The rest of the space is cosy, with brick walls, timber furniture and a decorated tin ceiling. We ordered and paid at the counter, and after some deliberation I decided to go for the Less is More w/Cheese and not the famous pricey number with foie gras. On the side I of course had to try the Fries Royale, served with black truffle oil and parmesan. They have a small, but interesting selection of beers. I had a glass of the wonderfully tasty Amundsen Pale Ale on tap, from a local Oslo brewery. The service was unfriendly and rushed, even though the place was only half full that evening. At least the food arrived swiftly, and we dug into the juicy burger. It was seasoned with way too much pepper, so much so that it was spicy. I haven't really been posed with this problem before, so I found it difficult to judge the taste of the meat and the toppings. I'm pretty sure they were good beneath all the pepper. The consistency was perfectly juicy, and the bun remained intact throughout the meal. Burger Joint has also imprinted their logo as a burnt stamp on the bread; a nice little gimmick. While the burger was good and not amazing, the fries stood out as the winner. Even though you find truffle oiled fries all over London these days, these ones were something else. The fries themselves had the ideal in-between thickness, and were super crispy while still keeping a little bit of soft potato inside. The truffle was blended with mayo to form a heavenly sauce, and the parmesan grated over it. To me, the trip would be worth it for the fries only.

The day after my meal, I saw an article in one of the biggest newspapers in Norway about how Burger Joint had decided to remove their foie gras burger, The Fifth Taste, from the menu. This was due to pressure from online activists, and Burger Joints instagram account is filled with comments asking them to remove it from the burger. Their catchphrase 'Forbidden Taste' might have less relevance now that the foie gras is off the menu, but they will no doubt win over some of their critics for responding to the reproach on social media.  

www.burgerjoint.no

TRANCHER

Trancher is an entrecôte restaurant in Oslo, Norway. It is located in the lively Grünerløkka, the city’s equivalent of Shoreditch in London. There is only one main course on the menu: roasted entrecôte. They also have a small range of starters and sides, which makes choosing easy. I went for the small steak with potato gratin, onions and mushrooms and chips on the side. You cannot choose how well done you want the steak, as it comes from one large piece roasted whole. The trade mark salad that is served in all steak places like this forms the first impression of the restaurant, and it was unfortunately not a very good one. The dressing tasted too strongly of mustard and there was a lot of water in it. It didn’t do the place justice, as the rest of the meal was much better. The food arrived swiftly, after we had a few sips of a decent Côtes du Rhône. To me the beef was a perfect size, although one of my friends regretted not having ordered the large size. It was however a tad too cold by the time I had arranged all the different sides and sauces on my plate. It was very tender however, and I enjoyed it. I tried most of the sauces, and my favourite was the delicious and punchy peppercorn gravy. Another interesting and successful condiment was the foie gras butter. I wasn’t fond of the mushrooms, but both types of potatos were good. Even though there were several things that were far from perfection, I liked Trancher a lot because it felt like a falvoursome, home cooked meal, and the price is also very reasonable.

Thorvald Meyers Gate 78, Grünerløkka, 0550 Oslo, Norway