À L'aise

Oslo, Norway

In an age of culinary rebellion, Copenhagen-born chef Ulrik Jepsen has taken a different tack. His Oslo restaurant is a vision of unruffled elegance, where tablecloths are perfectly pressed, a champagne trolley does the rounds and the kitchen applies classic French techniques to exemplary local produce, from fjord-fished langoustines to forest mushrooms and berries. The results are quietly spectacular: poached skate wing from Ålesund, say, in a velvety bouillabaisse sauce, or beef tartare with smoked egg-yolk cream and a quenelle of cress ice-cream. The bread is suitably indulgent (a buttery, precision-baked brioche), while the cheese course – an optional extra – brings another trolley, this time laden with the finest French cheeses. For maximum theatrics, order the canard a la presse, where the duck’s carved tableside and a gleaming silver press extracts an extraordinary jus.

Key Information

• Tasting menu from $154
• Dinner: Weds– Sat
• 47 21 05 57 00
• Visit À L'aise's Website

Location

Essendrops gate 6, Majorstuen, Oslo, 368