The restaurant Bagatelle announces itself as something different for Oslo. Andreas Gursky’s photograph Mayday IV (2000) dominates the dining room. The Michelin-starred spot opened in 1982 but is still the most talked-about restaurant in town. It has something else, too, that is rare in Norway: the sound of boisterous conversation, ta... Morebleware clinking, and people indulging in the pleasures of food. There is also nothing quiet about chef Eyvind Hellstrøm’s cooking. For a first course: a single oyster from Normandy presented in its deep, sculpted shell on a bed of herbed coarse salt, accented with a dash of Japanese shiso sauce and a small pearl of olive oil that perfectly balances the surging brininess of the fleshy shellfish. It is a simple dish, masterfully conceived, that unselfconsciously integrates flavors from Asia and Europe as if they naturally belong in a Norwegian restaurant. I

Address:
3 Bygdøy Alle
Oslo
Norway

Phone:
47-2-212-1440Less

The jazz club is part of a trendy arts district of graffiti-covered warehouses on the banks of the Akerselva River.

Address:
9C Brenneriveien
Oslo
Norway

Phone:
47-4-000-4277

Pleasant, if ordinary, rooms and a great location on one of Oslo’s best shopping streets.

Address:
25 Parkveien
Oslo
Norway

Phone:
47-2-333-2400

Located in a wood-beamed former Hanseatic trading house constructed after the great fire of 1702.

Address:
2A Finnegaarden
Bergen
Norway

Phone:
47-5-530-4800

Inviting café at the lower end of Bergen’s spectacular funicular.

Address:
2 Nedre Fjellsmauet
Bergen
Norway

Phone:
47-5-532-9272

A high-design newcomer offering organic food in its restaurant, iPod docking stations, and Bang & Olufsen televisions.

Address:
5 Kongens Gate
Oslo
Norway

Phone:
47-2-310-7200

A popular café and bakery serving excellent coffee and sandwiches, made with organic ingredients.

Address:
2 Vestre Torvgate
Bergen
Norway

Phone:
47-5-556-3310

The designer shoe mecca is a must-see.

Address:
42 Thorvald Meyers Gate
Oslo
Norway

Phone:
47-2-237-5007