FROM ZERO TO HERO
Two humble species with unite in this dish. The lumpsucker is used in salmon farms as a means to reduce the amount of salmon louse. Salmon louse pose a threat to wild salmon and can cause a welfare problem for the farmed salmon. The use of lumpsucker is heavily debated in the farming industry amongst other things because the fish goes to waste after it has completed it's mission of eating salmon lice. In this serving the lumpsucker is matched with another hero, the oyster mushroom that has an amazing ability to clean contaminated soil and dissolve harmful toxins. The lumpsucker is smoked and paired with beurre blanc, oyster mushrooms grown in coffee grinds, served with local vegetables.
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An incredible dinner last week at @iristherestaurant Iris in Rosendal, Norway, which is about 2.5 hours from Bergen driving including one or two (depending on your route) short car ferries. What I will say is that if you removed all the surrounding grandeur of the location and the experience, and just focused on the food that we ate, this was one of the most delicious and well structured menus that I’ve ever eaten. Of the 20 or so servings there was only one slightly weak dish (IMO) and even that was pretty good. They have only been open for three months and I must thank Hayley for discovering this restaurant that had not yet popped up on my radar. While there are clearly comparisons to be made between here and Alchemist in Copenhagen, we didn’t find the experience preachy in any way, but rather informative and thought provoking as I believe is the intent of both restaurants. Very highly recommended.
In their own words:
“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 @ani.kamadsen Anika Madsen’s boathouse on the island of Snilstveitøy.“