The day after our snus and night club experience, we decide to fortify ourselves at the renowned Mathallen Oslo, literally "Oslo Food Hall." Much like the Ferry Building in SF, Mathallen contains gourmet eats from lots of different vendors under one roof, and also small restaurants scattered around the courtyard area. Lots of trendy Oslo folks milled around, checking out local butchers, chocolatiers, coffee shops and other artisans.
For lunch, Ivan quickly went to what he knew and liked best; salmon. This time, it was a teriyaki bento box from the Japanese place. I ventured out to one of the small restaurants and ordered a "crepe complete" from a cool looking place, where it turned out the woman making the crepes was staight from Bretagne, home of the crepe. It was delcious when washed down with a locallly brewed kombucha, but not quite enough food. So, we supplemented and split a quiche with goat cheese and salmon, because in Oslo, real mean eat quiche (I made this up). I will say without any shame that it was the lightest, fluffiest most delicious quiche with a flaky crust that I have ever had in my life. No joke.
On our way out of the Matthallen, we ("I") couldn't resist stopping at the hipster coffee kiosk to see what was brewing. Our attendants were hipster no doubt, but unlike some that you might find in certain hipster coffee shops in SF, these two were all smiles, as we had found to be the case with pretty much everyone we had met during our stay in Oslo.
They were eager to explain the scientific brewing process of their cofee and why it was really that good. Uh huh. Let's see how it tastes. To be fair, I was really in the mood for a cold brew, and all they had was iced coffee. Yes, there is in fact a big difference. Iced coffee can be (and was) bitter to the taste, whereas cold brew steeped overnight, if done correctly, is aromatic and flavorful, but all of the bitterness is gone, like a seder plate with no maror.
After grabbing my iced coffee, we headed out to check out some of the outdoor parts of the Matthallen. I was really just looking for a trash can to dump the bitter brew, but was careful to make sure the two who were so kind to serve us didn't see. I successfully spotted a receptacle, and we were on our way downtown, back to the Nobel Peace Center and pier to get a bit of sun and see what was going on. On the way there, we passed by several cafes and restaurants with outdoor dining areas. Evidently, the 75 degree weather was a rarity for Oslo, even in the summer, and people were taking advantage.
That evening, Ivan and I were headed to a party with some young Norwegians we had met out the previous night. Turns out, we didn't realize just how young. Sigurd and his girlfriend Vilde, had invited us to their apartment for a few drinks before heading out for the evening. One of Sigurd's friends asked me how old I was, and when I responded, he said (in very good English), "Dude, you are twice my age." We had a nice time chatting with the group of college students, and were on our way out shortly, but not before getting a snap of Ivan, wearing Sigurd's Che Guevara hat. One might even say that he looks like the rebel himself, with a significantly more capitalist bent :).
For dinner that night, we decided to check out a well-rated Indian restaurant in the Grunerlokka neighborhood.
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