Noodle noodle update

On Monday (opening day), we went to this restaurant and I wrote a review here. On Friday, we went there again as we wanted to try even more things from the place. Here is a small update.

This time, I went for Japanese noodles (called "ramen").

Japanese Ramen, 135 NOK

It was served with an egg and two pieces of pork. One piece of pork was nice but the other was too thick.You need thin pieces of pork for this dishes as they should take the flavor from the soup. The noodles and the soup were nice, though. The quantity was also good for the price.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice), 135 NOK

My wife went for Nasi Goreng, which is Indonesian fried rice. It came with an egg, with chicken skewers and shrimps crackers. I was not convinced by the crackers but the rice and the skewers were good. The photo does not show it but the dish was actually quite big (a lot of rice).

The conclusion is not too different from last time: this place is quite nice. For a correct price, you get some original and tasty dishes.

Noodle noodle: a new restaurant in Stavanger

Date: 03/09/2012

There are so many new restaurants in Stavanger that it is difficult to keep track of them. In case you missed them, Stavangourmet reviewed Gådjå and il Piccolo not so long ago. Today, it was the turn to "Noodle noodle" to open its doors.

Where is it?

It is in the shopping mall Magasinblaa, more or less in the centre of Stavanger. As I said in my review of Deja Vu, I am not a big fan of restaurants in shopping malls in general because I find them a bit noisy, having less personality and generally being of lower quality. However, I must admit it is convenient for kids (not a big deal if they are a bit noisy, they can go see the fish if they are bored, ...).

What kind of food?

I am sorry to be honest but I really don't like the name of this place. Not very creative and even a bit misleading. So, yes, "Noodle, noodle" serves noodles, but they also serve other things coming from different Asian countries (Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, ...). I am really happy about this restaurant as these cuisines are not so common in Stavanger (I was happy about Gådjå too).

Decoration

The decoration is simple but nice, I think it fits with the Asian culture. About the chairs: they are really beautiful but unfortunately they are not so comfortable.

Our meal

Today, I ordered the "chicken katsu curry" (you can write "karee" or curry"), which is a Japanese curry dish with fried chicken. It does not look good in the photo but I liked it and it tasted quite authentic (I have eaten this dish several times in Japan, so I knew it from before).

Chicken Katsu Curry, 145 NOK

One small thing about the presentation though: the rice was over the chicken while it should be on the side or under it, so that the chicken is visible.

My wife went for the "gyoza" bento, with "tempura prawns". The issue is that she is a bento specialist, her father and brother working in a bento place in Japan. So, she should probably have gone for something else. Here is a photo of it:

Bento Box, Gyoza with e) tempura prawns, 160 NOK

By the way, what is a bento? It is a food box with compartments, generally enjoyed because of the varied taste of each compartment. Here, 3 pieces of sushi, 3 pieces of gyoza  (Chinese minced pork dumpling, very much appreciated in Japan) and 3 "tempura prawns".

Overall this dish was not bad, but my wife had several critics about it. She thought that the sushi did not fit very well with the prawns+rice compartment (too much rice). She would have liked pickles and a miso soup. As usual for sushi outside Japan, she found the rice too hard (sushi needs a softer, more expensive rice), and she complained that the prawns were not "tempura" prawns. Here a tempura photo from wikipedia:

The difference is that breadcrumbs are used in one case and not in the other. For her, what was served in the bento were "ebi fry" or "fried prawns" but not "tempura prawns". Well, I told you, she is a specialist.

For our son, we ordered udon with ginger and sesame. Udon is a Japanese type of noodles. A small irony about Japan fans is that they generally don't know udon but are experts of ramen, a type of noodles which are also popular in Japan but which are coming from China.

Ginger and sesame chicken udon, 130 NOK

Udon are generally served in a soup. Here, they were served slightly fried without soup (this is called "yaki udon" in Japanese). The udon themselves and the vegetables were good, the chicken was not bad but could have been cooked a little more.

One thing that could surprise non-Japanese people was the ginger. This root has a strong taste and there was plenty of it in the dish (the big pinkish things that look like leaves). It is easy to take the ginger away if you don't like it, or find the taste to be too strong for you (I personally love ginger).

The restaurant also serves Indonesian and Singaporean food but we did not try them this time. Next time, for sure ;)

Verdict:

I liked this place and would be happy to go there again. My wife was not particularly impressed but would like to go there again to try other dishes.

Cafe 24: a Turkish place in Pedersgata

Cafe 24 has been in Stavanger for a while now. It was rennovated not so long ago, increasing the size of the front kitchen but decreasing the number of seats available in the main room. However, there is now an available room in the back of the restaurant.

Cafe 24 is the typical kebab/turkish place people have in mind in Europe with a little twist: they do offer other kind of food. The first time I went to this cafe, I was disappointed with the food but since then, my general impressions of this place have increased. This is the advantage of blogging about restaurants I know and have been to several times. I don't just judge on a one-time experience.

Yesterday (31/08/2012), we went there (my wife, my son, and me). I ordered a "kebab tallerken" ("tallerken" is the Norwegian word for "plate") which is kebab meat with rice and salad (photo above).

My wife went for lamb skewer (photo above). It came with salad, rice and potato chips. It was beautifully presented and the meat was good. Finally, we ordered the dish of the day (eggplants/aubergines, tomatoes and minced meat cooked together for a long time) for our son (photo below). It was served with rice and salad and was quite good. I may not be neutral though as I really like aubergines/eggplants.

Overall, it costs 368 NOK which is a good price for 3 dishes. The food was good and the service was not bad either. The dish of the day was served immediately, while the two other orders took longer (this is not a fast food restaurant, unless you just order the regular kebab).

All in all, I think it is a nice place, especially if you go for the grill options (skewers, grill mix, ...) or for the soup (it is really nice but we did not order it yesterday).

Sting cafe: the highest cafe in Stavanger

The place next to the cafe Sting was once said to be the highest point in Stavanger. Not sure how true this is today but it is anyway a nice place (small garden, no cars, center of Stavanger but a bit quiet), especially when the weather is warm.

(photo: tower on the place next to Sting) 

Concerning Sting itself, it is an old house which was probably not designed to be a restaurant (two separate rooms, narrow stairs, floor not even,...). But it gives the place some authenticity makes it cozy.

When it comes to food/drinks, Sting is more a cafe/bar, even organizing some concerts in its "underground floor" (Sting  being elevated, its underground floor is still above the floor...) but it does serve food. We went there on Thursday (30/08/2012) and we had a small dinner.

My wife went for the Sting special: Shrimp and chicken marinated in salsa, garlic dip, pickles, melted cheese and served with bread (photo above). Price: 169 NOK. My wife liked it but I tasted it and was not so convinced myself. Maybe too many different savor mixed which tasted a bit "messy" to me.

I went for the Creole mix: grill skewers with spicy sausages, tiger prawns with BBQ sauce, potato salad, corn and coleslaw (photo above). Price: 179 NOK. The skewers were nice, the sausages were a bit spicy but not crazy hot, the BBQ sauce was nice and in good proportion (still get the taste of the shrimps/sausages). The corn was not the grill corn you could expect, simply salad corn. The potato salad was a bit boring and the coleslaw salad was a bit too spicy (too much mustard I think) but together it was actually fine.

For our son, we went for a pizza Margarita. The pizza was actually better than expected. The dough was very thin and a bit crispy, the tomato sauce was maybe a bit too tasty but the cheese was good and overall the pizza was nice. Price: 109 NOK

Conclusion: Sting is probably not where you will get the best culinary experience but the food is not bad and the prices are not that expensive either.

Naree Thai: Second review

Date of the meal: 19/08/2012
Number of people: 2 adults
Website of the restaurant:  http://www.nareethairestaurant.no/  (the website is in Norwegian but the menu is in English and Norwegian)

I have already reviewed Naree Thai here but we went there again tonight and I thought I should share our dining experience. If you read the previous review, you know that like this restaurant and I believe it is a great value for the money. Unfortunately, tonight, we were a bit disappointing with the food.

10. Fried Spring rolls, Thai style (home made) - 54 NOK

40. Clear noodles, pork, onion and shrimp with chili and lemon juice - 86 NOK

For the starters, we order some Thai spring rolls and a clear noodle salad. The spring rolls and the sauce for the spring rolls are home made, which is a good thing but we did not find them wonderful. The clear noodle salad was good but I would have liked it with a little more "lemony" taste. 

For the main dishes, my wife had Fried pork with mixed vegetables, I ordered fried Ba-Mi noodles  and we took some fried rice for our son (from the children menu).

62. Fried pork with mixed vegetables - 141 NOK

124. Fried Ba-Mi noodles with chicken, pork or beef (beef in the photo) - 84 NOK

The fried pork with mixed vegetables was not really good. The sauce was too much diluted (water) or had probably not been cooked for long enough.

On the other hand my dish was good. My wife tasted it and liked it too. It was the first time we ordered it but we will probably order it more often. I did not know what Ba Mi noodles were so I had to look it up on Google. Here is the answer if you don't know it either: "In Thailand, wheat noodles are also known as bami (Thai: บะหมี่). It is eaten mainly in noodle soups and in Chinese style stir-fried noodle dishes."

900. Chicken fried rice, Thai style, children menu - 46 NOK

The fried rice for our son was not a success either. Not so much taste, and too sticky in my opinion. My wife agreed on the taste problem but did not think the consistency was worse than usual. We have ordered this dish several times in the past and this was the first time we didn't like it.

Conclusion: today was a small disappointment. The clear noodle salad and the fried Ba-Mi noodles were good, the spring rolls were not bad but the fried pork with mixed vegetables and the fried rice were not good. As we have tried the fried rice several times before (also from the children menu, and every time with chicken) and were never disappointed with it, I suspect there was either some problems in the kitchen (fire not strong enough, for example) or the fact that the chef was on holiday (Sunday, August, ...). Let us hope that the quality of this restaurant will be back very soon.

Bacchus: a good place for light meals

Date of the meal: 22/05/2012
Number of people: 3 adults
Order: Bacchus speciality, Greek salad and Amor salad
Total price: 349 NOK (about 110 for a salad and 130 for other meals)

If you are looking for a small cafe-restaurant where you can eat light meals for less than 150 nok, Bacchus is the place for you. Not too far from harbour, Bacchus is situated in Stavanger city center (sentrum), just next to the "coloured-house-street" (street with houses of different colours).

Bacchus is more a cafe than a restaurant but proposes also salads, sandwiches and light meals. We were there today with my Norwegian friend. He had a meal called Bacchus speciality, with marinated chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, tsatsiki and polar bread (sorry the photo is not so good as the chicken pieces were under the vegetables). The chicken was a bit spicy but my friend liked it (and he does not eat spicy food), and I have also ordered it several times in the past and I like it too.

My wife went for the Greek salad, ie lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, olives, tsatsiki and toasts. She liked it but thought the olives were a bit acid (probably marinated with lemon).

I ordered the amor salad. Potatoes, eggs, tsuna, served on bread. I liked it and found it a bit original. We did not have desserts this time but they also have some nice cakes (at least we like their apple cake).

All in all, bacchus is a good place for light meals because it is ideally situated (not far from the harbour but still in a quieter area), because the prices are reasonables, and because their meals are quite good. The only problem is that in busy hours, it can be quite full; there is not enough space for strollers inside so you will have to leave yours outside if you have one (they have a backyard for that, ask them to open the door for you).

PS: by the way, if you wonder about what/who is Bacchus, he is basically the god of wine, the roman equivalent of Dionysus.

Renå Xpress, a nice place for sandwiches and coffee

Date of the meal: 19/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order: 1 sandwich, the soup of the day and 1 pastry
Total price: 208 NOK (about 70-80 for a sandwich and 65 for the soup)

I have already reviewed Renå Matbaren here. As mentioned there, Renå is actually 3 restaurants:  the gourmet restaurant where you get to eat really refined cuisine, the so-called food-bar ("matbaren" in Norwegian), which is a more "standard" restaurant and finally you have Renå Xpress, the new one which is not formal at all. This is the one we went to today.

First, I would say that Renå Xpress, or Renaa Xpress is more a coffee shop than a restaurant. They are mainly serving sandwiches, the soup of the day, some salads, some pastries, and smoothies/coffee/tea. We also saw some people coming simply to buy some bread.

Today, the soup of the day was an asparagus soup with bacon. My wife generally enjoy their soups and today was no exception. The only thing was that the stringy threads of asparagus fiber were a bit unpleasant in the mouth. I went for the grilled vegetables sandwich, which was quite good. The grilled vegetables were giving plenty of taste to the sandwich and the bread was fitting nicely with them.

Something else I would like to say is that they have a very nice terrace outside Renå Xpress with a part reserved for Renå Xpress customers. This terrace is very nice because of the high roof and the luminosity which make people feel outside, without really being outside (this is a major advantage in Stavanger since it is raining so often). Also, the chairs, tables, ... are good as they are provided by the furniture shop next to it. And finally, in the same court, you can find a flower shop, which gives some really nice smell to the area.

To conclude, Renå is doint it quite well with its 3 restaurants, each in a different range of prices. Gourmet experience, nice restaurant or just a sandwich/soup, the choice is yours.

Naree Thai, a cheap restaurant in Stavanger

Date of the meal: 13/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order (number in parenthesis is the number in the menu): Chicken soup with lemon and chili (21), Fried chicken with cashew nut - lunch portion (450), Fried chicken with ginger - dinner portion (58), Beef fried rice thai style from the children menu (920)
Total price: 372 NOK (about 80 nok for a lunch meal, 140 for a dinner meal)

I was introduced to this restaurant by a Tunisian friend. He told me this was his favorite restaurant in Stavanger and I have to admit that Naree Thai is a good option, especially for people on budget.

The principle of this restaurant is to propose meals in two ways: the lunch portion for people who are not too hungry and the dinner portion more expensive but more voluminous. It is in my opinion a very good idea as it reduces the food waste and makes prices attractive if you are not too hungry. 2 comments about lunch/dinner. First, to avoid any confusion for people speaking abit of German, Latin or whatever language close to Norwegian. Dinner in Norwegian is "middag". This may be confusing for people thinking "mid-dag = mid-day = meal in the middle of the day = lunch" but that's the way it is. So "Lunsj" (pronounced the same way as in English) is lunch, and "middag" (pronounced as it is written) is dinner. The second comment is that normally, the restaurant only offers lunch potion for lunch (ie until 18 o'clock form Monday to Saturday and not available on Sunday) BUT my experience has shown me that they are flexible (could see many people order lunch even outside lunch time).

What I particularly like in this restaurant are the soups. Thai soups have incredible rich flavours and aromas due to the many ingredients used to make them. Notice that not all these ingredients are eatable (some roots, leaves or vegetables are too hard to be eaten). But again, these ingredients (even though not eatable) are essential to give the soups a good taste. Today, I went for the "Chicken soup with lemon and chili". For soups too, you have the choice between small and large portion. I would recommend the small portion if you are having it as a starter and large portion if you have it as a main or want to share it (1 large portion should be enough for 2 maybe even 3 people). This soup is really nice. Lots of flavour, a hint of lemon, a bit of chili, ... It was just a little bit spicy and I think most people could handle this level of spice.

My wife had the "Fried chicken with cashew nut", in lunch portion. She likes this dish and has it quite often. I am generally not a big fan of nuts in meals but I have to admit that in this dish, the cashew nuts fit pretty well with the sauce. Today, the dish was a bit more spicy than usual and for people not used to hot dishes, or who cannot eat spicy food, it would have been a bit too spicy (still I would not say it was impossible to eat).

I went for the "Fried chicken with ginger" in dinner portion (as you can see in the pictures, the dinner portion is more voluminous than the lunch portion). This dish was said to be a bit spicy on the menu and it was. The meat, the onions and the sauce was just a tiny bit spicy but the ginger bits were quite spicy. If you don't like spicy food, you would still have been able to eat it by just leaving the ginger. Other than that this dish was pretty good but not exceptional.
We ordered fried rice for our son. It was quite good and the portion was in my opinion just what we needed (not too much to avoid wasting food, and not too little so that my son had enough to eat).

All in all, I think Naree Thai is a very good option for people on budget. For low prices, you will be able to eat pretty good food, especially when it comes to soups. If you don't like or cannot eat spicy food, you should precise it when you order your meals.
Here is the link to the restaurant: http://www.nareethairestaurant.no/ and here is the google map of it: http://maps.google.no/maps?q=naree+thai+stavanger

Feel free to use the google +1 button, it makes this article easier to find on the internet. You can also leave a comment, whether you agree or disagree with this review (or would like some more information). Thanks!

Torino Pizzeria

Eating out in Stavanger is generally expensive... What if I told you that you can eat a nice pizza for about 100 NOK in a newly-renovated place with nice and warm waiters ? Well, you would probably not believe me and yet this place exists, it is called Torino pizzeria and is close to the harbour.

We have been there the day they opened the restaurant (it was then called Oliven and you can still see that the theme of the restaurant is the olive) and have been there many times since then.

The first impression was that they had a beautiful kitchen. New, clean, with a stone oven for the pizzas... Good food, good service, good price.

A pizza for 1 person costs around 100 NOK and you can ask extra toppings for a small additional fee or big pizza for two persons. We can also see many people coming to fetch pizzas as it is possible to order them on the internet:

http://olivenristorante.no/side/takeaway

Below another pizza and their Calzone Torino. I was surprised at first by the association minced meat/calzone but I think it works out very well.

When it comes to pasta, they have quite good cannelloni that use the same dough as the pizzas. Quantity-wise this dish is a bit small but it comes with nice bread.

Torino pizzeria has also a menu for children: pasta, pizza... Our son liked both (ordered each at different occasions, not the same time) and I can say the quantity was more than enough for him (especially the pizza).

All in all, Torino Pizzeria is a good restaurant, very central in Stavanger, serving good food for small prices and deserves more customers.