We stopped by Restaurant SÖL with a couple of friends in February 2024 (during Gladmat Food & Fun) and with guest appearance by Czech chef Vojtěch Václavík. As the menu changes seasonally, I will not get too much into the details but try to focus on the concept and ambience – and give a conclusion in the end!
Our evening started with fresh sourdough bread and I’m weak when it comes to this. And served with some whipped butter from Røros meieriet, I was in heaven right away. But we also got some langoustine crackers and chicharrons (puffed pork skin) and there was also a cream-based dip from Stavanger Ysteri. We soon moved on to pieces of langoustine with a pumpkin juice, smoked yogurt from Stavanger ysteri and we were happy to have kept some of the bread to scoop up the juices! Brimse gard supplies lots of good stuff to restaurants in Stavanger and next we got Jerusalem artichoke puree with mushroom and a umami mushroom broth!
The small piece of Norway haddock (Uer) was served grilled and with a beer and miso sauce. I’m not sure what they did to the simple salad on the side but that was also scrumptious. The main was pork from Klostergarden served in three ways – as loin, schnitzel, and a small blood sausage. This came with cabbage and brought back fond memories of Christmas dinners (we usually have pork belly for a Christmas dinner). We rounded off with a poppy seed ice cream in a jasmine tea juice and a small carrot and sea buckthorn bun!
This was a lovely evening with good food in the company of friends. I was curious to see how SÖL had developed with some changes in the staff lineup (e.g. Runa Kvendseth is leaving) but I’m happy to say that they have kept their concept of a “fine dining light” concept with focus on vegetables, a bit of meat/fish, some surprising flavor combinations and still focus on natural wine – without serving wine that is too extreme and funky. Restaurant SÖL is still highly recommended!
Pros: - focus on local ingredients - easy with a set menu - affordable fine dining experience
Cons: - some might find the natural wine challenging - pace could have been a bit slower