2_1_ScanMag_79_August_2015_Text.qxp_Scan Magazine 1 06/08/2015 17:30 Page 82
Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway
Restaurant of the Month, Norway
We’re all invited to Emmas Drømmekjøkken With its midnight sun in the summertime and the enigmatic aurora borealis in the winter months, Tromsø, Paris of the North, is a city which attracts royalty and commoners alike. The restaurant Emmas Drømmekjøkken (Emma’s Dream Kitchen) in Tromsø’s city centre, is another local institution that manages to attract patrons from all layers of society with its homely charm. By Andrea Bærland | Photos: Emmas Drømmekjøkken
The Norwegian royal family has dined at Emmas on several occasions and when Hillary Clinton, the then US Secretary of State, visited Norway she too opted for a hearty meal at Emmas. “They have all dined among regular guests, we would never close off the restaurant for a celebrity, anyone should feel welcome at Emmas,” says general manager Kjetil Henriksen. But who is Emma? This dream woman has many origins – as dreams often do. When restaurateur Anne Brit Andreassen was a little girl she used to imagine she was Emma, a woman who could boil, roast and lay a table. Her mother had a great reputation as a cook. When she opened her restaurant in 1998, Anne Brit’s inner eye
82 | Issue 79 | August 2015
could already see Emma in every detail, as real for her as Winnie the Pooh for Christopher Robin. Emma is a kind, warm and generous woman, who is as considerate and caring as she is classy in the kitchen
have still managed to maintain an intimate and cosy atmosphere. Emmas UNDER has capacity for 40 guests and Emmas Drømmekjøkken can seat 36 diners. However, grandmothers never play favourites and Emmas offer the same menu to guests on all three floors. While the menu is local and has a focus on arctic ingredients, the team in Emmas kitchen also draw inspiration from around the world, the French cuisine in particular. Creative menu with traditional favourites
Room for everyone Seventeen years later Emmas has indeed become an establishment with room to include everyone. The restaurant is divided into three sections. In 2008 Emmas UNDER opened on the ground floor, serving both lunch and dinner, sporting a more casual vibe than the first floor where Emmas Drømmekjøkken, with its white tablecloths, is located. A chambre séparée with room for parties of up to 18 guests is perched as the cherry on top floor. Although Emmas entertain guests across three floors they
While the menu also includes international classics such as a beef burger, as well as Norwegian game, the emphasis at Emmas is on seafood. “With the sea on our doorstep we naturally have a strong focus on what the sea has to offer, it is important to us to showcase local produce,” says Henriksen. The menu at Emmas changes at least six times a year, but there are two dishes that will never be taken off the menu. “Our fish au gratin has become quite a signature