Fish & Cow: a new tasting menu breathes fresh life into an old favourite

As always: food and drinks in this review are paid by us in EatingutInStavanger ! This review is not sponsored by the restaurant and this is not an add for the establishment.

It had been a while since our last visit to Fish & Cow, so on a Saturday evening in August, we finally stopped back in. The menu had always felt a touch safe — reliable, but not especially exciting. That's changed: they've introduced a tasting menu, and even better, every dish on it can also be ordered individually. A genuinely great move.

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  Entrance

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  Lounge

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  Interior

The restaurant had a good crowd in and a lovely atmosphere this particular evening — no small thanks to Jonathan, who looked after our table and radiates a kind of wine enthusiasm that's simply infectious. We decided to work our way through a good portion of the tasting menu and started with scallops. This was a lovely opener as the: scallop served with fennel and a beautifully balanced consommé, walking the line between sweetness and acidity with real precision. With this we got a lovely, light and slightly sweet Spätlese from Weingut Horst Sauer.

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  Scallop

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  Wine with a view

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  Squid

A small hiccup: the table was oddly sticky all evening but we didn't let it slow us down and continued with squid in a creamy black garlic sauce. Not the most photogenic dish on the table, admittedly, but the pairing of squid and black garlic sauce was a genuine winner in flavour terms. Looks aren't everything. With this we got a great Riesling from Weingut Meierer.

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  Langoustine

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  Turbot

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  Pork belly

Next up was a locally sourced langoustine from Boknafjorden (the fjord outside Stavanger). This was served on a skewer with a bright citrus aioli. Paired with a Chablis from Seguinot-Bordet, this was one of the true high points of the evening.

We stayed with seafood and the turbot dish did not disappoint. The turbot came in a glorious Champagne butter sauce. It's hard to imagine a more decadent way to eat fish.

My closing dish: pork belly in a bold sauce seasoned with five spice, alongside a small green salad that brought welcome balance, plus a bit of bread on the side. The Pinot Noir from Au Bon Climat poured with this course was genuinely excellent.

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  Spatlese

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  Riesling

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  Chablis

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  Pinot Noir

As you can see from the photos, these are small plates — but that suited us perfectly. Jonathan's enthusiasm for wine matched our own appreciation for it exactly, and there's always something special about tasting new bottles alongside genuinely good food. In our view, this new tasting menu is a serious step up for the restaurant, and the fact that every dish can also be ordered individually only makes it better. Thanks for having us Fish & Cow. We look forward to stopping by soon!

Highlights:

• Brand new tasting menu

• Wine poured with real enthusiasm

• Dishes available individually too

• That langoustine — a genuine standout

Watch out for:

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