Who Wants To Join Me For Dinner Here?
In my quest to eat in the world’s most unique restaurants, this one may top them all: you are looking at the restaurant “Iris” in an area known as Salmon Eye in Rosendal, Norway.
I first found this story in The Washington Post, including directions for how to get to Iris:
“Fly to Oslo, then take a quick jet or a long train over the mountains to Bergen. Then it’s either a long ferry from Norway’s charming second city or a winding fjordside drive, plus a short ferry or two…the picturesque village of Rosendal (population 839).”
Once there, get ready for “The Expedition” — “a six-hour dinner of the highest quality and invention, complete with subterranean videos about global warming and lectures about sustainable aquaculture.”
Here’s how the restaurant describes the experience:
“Our location guides every step we take at Iris, and we want our guests to experience the fiord, the mountains, and the ever-changing elements in the same all-encompassing way that we do every day. Here, we have the great privilege of bringing our guests to the ingredients, instead of the other way around.”
“The experience at Iris is, quite literally, a journey. It starts with a boat trip from the picturesque town of Rosendal, with a pit stop and welcoming snack at chef Anika Madsen’s boathouse on the island of Snilstveitøy. Via the jetty of the floating art installation Salmon Eye, the evening kicks off with a multisensory underwater experience, to culminate in the dining room where stunning views of the fjord and mountain ranges create the backdrop for our set tasting menu.”
The Post describes their experience:
“We’re met by five uniformed staff, standing guard like adorable henchmen. And in we go, 10 feet underwater into the belly of the beast. At the bottom of the curving staircase, our coats and bags are removed. “You won’t be needing this, sir,” says someone in the dark.
Then, suddenly, we’re trapped … in experimental theater. After being instructed not to touch anything that might resemble food, we’re ushered into a windowless round room. We’re assaulted by the sounds of thunder and crashing waves as a movie starts playing on the curved wall. “Most of the food we eat is produced on land, but most of the world is covered in water — the balance is off,” the chef’s voice intones over slow-motion shots of seaside foraging and drone video of whales.”
On cue, the henchmen reappear with bowls of a sea urchin mousse, molded in the shape of the seafloor-dwelling invasive species. I grab a kelp chip dangling from a string and tuck into what tastes like a faintly aquatic buttermilk ranch.
The menu is incredible…here are a few the article describes:
‘Colorblind’: White salmon, birch sap, gooseberries.
‘Next-level neighbors’: Porridge blini, shrimp, caviar, pickled black currant leaves.
‘From zero to hero’: Lumpsucker, beurre blanc, oyster mushroom, peas.
‘500 meters’: Juniper-smoked blue mussels, beach crab bouillon, ‘peas of the ocean.’
‘Weeds of the sea’: Norwegian cuttlefish, kelp, unripe strawberries, lovage.
Talk about a wild culinary adventure!
The meal costs around $300. And of course, you can see it all by going to the restaurant’s website here as well:
Does this remind anyone else of this terrific foodie horror film from a few years ago?
This is a great film for foodies – check it out here:
If you don’t have time to go to Norway, the Chef who worked on this film has an amazing 3 Michelin star restaurant in San Francisco – and my wife and I met her!
Chef Dominique Crenn’s restaurant is a foodie’s dream come true!
Click here to see what we ate!
Back to more adventurous dining: who would eat here?
Yep, your dinner table is on the side of a cliff!
I’d do it, would you? See more details here!
I am fine with expansive views that overlook things – like this incredible view in Athens:
This is the very top of Athens Greece, and you can see all the way to the Saronic Gulf, part of the Mediterranean Sea!
Oh, and here’s the fun way to get there!
I will take a funicular to the top of any town I can!
Click here to see more of the view and the incredible food as well!
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Leave a comment to let me know which of these dining experiences interests you most and if you like the story, please share on social media!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I’m surprised this didn’t sweep you into outer space!
I would eat at Iris. It would be fascinating, but my taste buds are so simple, I suspect the sophistication would go over me. Looks amazing though. I would do the eating on the cliff too. Why not? Ha, ha. Which begs the question John, what’s the most out-of-the-norm place that you’ve eaten? You’ve documented quite a few interesting places. I suspect you could have a top ten list. Ha, ha.
‘Oh’ is all I can say followed by ‘I wish’! Love Bergen but was there on quite a few occasions way before this. This would be an absolutely unreal experience. The food sounds fabulous tho’ obviously an ‘overkill’ coming during a single meal . . . well, my heritage is showing I guess! Love the rest of your ‘my Sunday’ post also – thanks !
Thanks for the note!
I think you would have to be quite wealthy indeed to travel so far and so long to this floating restaurant, arrange accommodation, and then obviously pay the bill after eating. It does sound like a fascinating experience, but I would probably have to win the lottery to make it happen. 😊 Shared on Twitter, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
Agree Pete…such a long travel for what looks fairly pretentious…I am all for exploratory food but I worry it would be a bit too “precious” for me….
I have to say, as soon as I saw the picture and began reading, all I could think of was that movie! the more I read, the more it was confirmed, including the description of the staff.) looks like an amazing meal though, and you clearly lived to tell )