STATHOLDERGAARDEN

Radhusgate, 11; tel.: 22 41 8800; fax: 22 41 2224 Chef/proprietor Bent Stiansen has a great reputation in Norway as one of the country's best chefs. He was the first Scandinavian chef to win the gold medal in the famous Bocuse d'Or cookery competition in 1993. The restaurant is in one of the oldest houses in Oslo, beautifully decorated in 18th century style with many fine ornate stucco ceilings. Meals are served in 5 small dining rooms. The menu changes often, depending on the season. Stiansen uses mainly Norwegian produce for his French/European cooking. I would like to recommend dishes such as shellfish consomme with grilled scallops and wild mushrooms, spicy duck liver on a bed of caramelised onions. An excellent fish course is grilled turbot served with dill sauce, spinach and garlic cauliflower.

SPISESTEDET FEINSCHMECKER

Balchensgate, 5; tel.: 22 44 1777; fax: 22 56 1139 Spisestedet is Norwegian lor «eating-place» and Feinschmecker is German for gourmet; the two certainly come together here — this is a restaurant for gourmets who enjoy the masterly cooking of Lars Erik Underthun — an internationally renowned chef. Lars Erik has represented Norway in the «cooking Olympics». So come on in and sit down in this tastefully decorated grey and red dining room, with antique Norwegian furniture and shelves filled with silver and old glass. As always, Norway being so close to the sea, fish and shellfish is a very good choice but there are also many excellent meat dishes.

ORO

Tordenskiolds Gate, 6A; tel.: 23 01 0240; fax: 23 01 0248 Norwegian chefs have scored extremely well in the famous international cookery competition «Bocuse d'Or». Terje Ness, the chef at Oro, won a gold medal in the 1999 competition which is a great achievement considering that Norway's gastronomic scene is fairly small. So hurry to Oro to taste the food. Here the kitchen is open so that the guests can look directly at the chefs preparing their dinner. The starters are particularly good, among them oysters and scallops. A main course I recommend is carre of lamb with coriander and lime. An unusual dessert is chocolate sorbet with eucalyptus.

LE CANARD

President Harbitz Gate, 4; tel.: 22 54 3400; fax: 22 54 3410 An attractive, spacious villa from 1899 is the home of Le Canard. It is surrounded by a nice garden and a private car park. The interior is rather unusual but quite appealing with a mixture of furniture in different styles. The cooking by chef Trond Andresen is more traditional with several dishes based on duck. Try, for example canard roti aux olives. A recommended fish course is roast turbot with truffles. Those readers who like souffles, as I do, must try the after eight chocolate and mint souffle. The wine cellar has over twenty thousand bottles so there is a wide choice. Dinner only.

BAGATELLE

Bygdoy Alle, 3; tel.: 22 12 1440; fax: 22 43 6420 Chef/patron Eyvind Hellstrom has a formidable reputation in Norway. He creates classic French cuisine using the finest raw materials, especially fish and shellfish, but he also serves reindeer meat. Hellstrom trained with the great Fredy Girardet in Switzerland before starting in Oslo in the early eighties. Bagatelle is stylish, with rose coloured carpets and pale yellow walls hung with striking modern paintings from local galleries, which change every month. The china is in unusually strong colours and service is also of a high standard. Now that you are seated comfortably what do you consider eating? May I suggest ordering either the five or the seven course tasting menu which will include shellfish dishes such as perhaps grilled crayfish or carpaccio of scallops. A good fish to choose is cod roasted in its skin with truffle butter. I have enjoyed several superb meals here.

ANNEN ETAGE

Hotel Continental, Stortingsgaten, 24-26; tel.: 22 82 4000; fax: 22 42 9689 Annen Etage means second floor and that is where you will find this classic hotel restaurant. The cuisine is French but with many Norwegian specialities. Chef Morten Hallan proposes fricassee of mussels and fennel with pickled ginger and mussel sauce, pan-fried dorade with sweetbread and glazed parsley or carre of red deer. General manager Nicolas Facchin Blomgren is in charge of one of the most attractive and stylish hotel dining rooms in the whole of Scandinavia.