Restaurant of the Month, Norway
Pure taste The name Paleo might have its origins in a prehistoric era, yet there is nothing primeval about Brasserie Paleo. Since last year, it has been serving exquisite, locally sourced natural dishes in the heart of the Norwegian capital. If you thought that delicious food can never be healthy, expect Brasserie Paleo to prove you wrong. By Stine Wannebo | Photos: Brasserie Paleo
Every day, more Scandinavians discover the Palaeolithic way of life, usually referred to as the paleo diet. Contrary to popular belief, this lifestyle has little to do with living like a caveman but more to do with eating like one. Pure, organic ingredients are key, excluding sugars and fast carbohydrates in favour of protein and natural, saturated fats. Brasserie Paleo’s chef, Andreas Andersson, is intent that everything that enters his kitchen is locally sourced and alternates both his meats and vegetables according to season. “We cook a lot of asparagus in the early summer while, in the autumn, we serve mushrooms in all shapes and forms,” he says. “That way, we use all Scandinavian produce at its best.” 104 | Issue 82 | November 2015
Skill and creativity Brasserie Paleo was the first restaurant of its kind to start up in the Norwegian capital and last month the already favoured establishment celebrated one year in business. In a country where everything, even pasta, can be eaten with a few boiled potatoes on the side, the paleo concept might seem particularly foreign to some. “In the very beginning, we did have to explain why there wasn’t any bread, potatoes or rice on the side,” manager Ola Larsson laughs. “Now, a year later, it seems most people know what they’re in for.” Neither sugar nor gluten were common in the hunter-gatherer societies over two
and a half million years ago. Such foods are marked as ‘extra carbohydrates’ on the Brasserie Paleo menu. There simply is no need for those when skilfully prepared meats, colourful berries, crisp vegetables and sweet fruits are bursting with their own natural flavours. All natural ingredients There is a wide range of innovative yet timeless flavours to be discovered when entering the modern, glossy venue on Oslo’s Rosenkranzgate 1. The atmosphere is calm, and the wonderful cuisine and anticipating guests are the centre of attention. One magnificent dish after another is being carried out from the kitchen, accompanied by luscious wines and juicy cocktails. With an excellent bar manager, there is no reason why the drinks should not be just as enticing as the food. A new menu of fresh, creative cocktails is put together several times a year to both complement and enhance a meal’s natural flavours.