Onboard Stena Saga sailing between the Norwegian capital Oslo and Frederikshavn in Denmark, the a la carte restaurant is serving a special 3 course Arne Brimi meal with matching wine. Last year travelling on the route I tried the meat menu and this year just a couple of weeks ago I tried the fish menu.
It was really nice to see Metropolitan, as the a la carte restaurant is called on Stena Saga, to be almost full. Last time there was only three of us eating there. Obviously a Thursday night in late May is a lot better day to travel than a Tuesday in early April.

A glass of Hugel Riesling is the perfect match, even though I have to bite my tongue not tell the waiter off when he pours the wine and put the bottle on the rim of the glass. He doesn't just do it once, but for all five of us in the party. In the end I'm just speechless watching what he's doing. I'm sure it might be difficult to pour wine sometimes in a crowded restaurant out on sea, but this is an a la carte restaurant and a waiter working there should know better. Putting the bottle neck on the rim of the glass when pouring is a big no-no.
The waiter then goes on to astonish me again with serving the wine to the main course at the same time as he serves the Riesling. The wine menu calls for two glasses of wine for the main course, and since I'm the only one having fish and Bonaterra Chardonnay I get a large glass filled more or less all the way up. When I ask the waiter what he's doing he tells me that the wine is too cold and need to warm up since the glass has been in the fridge. Again I'm speechless.

Despite having a not very knowingly waiter the main course Ovnsbakt breiflabb med fløtekokt sjalottløk smaksatt med vermouth. Serveres med vårgrønnsaker or Oven baked monk-fish with vermouth and butter sauce served with spring vegetable is plain delicious. As usual the monk-fish comes apart in perfect slices and is very tender. Way to go Chef!

Just like last time the Brimi menu is very nice and it's an easy choice to spend the evening in the Metropolitan restaurant. Some of the waiters need to brush up on their service skills and learn a bit of first class style though.
2 comments:
Yum! We had monkfish last night but yours has me wanting to eat it again now!
The service has such an impact on the experience, so it's definitely an important aspect... most likely the waiter just needs more training, but you're certainly right in saying these things shouldn't happen.
The menu sounds & looks delicious, beautiful presentation. Hungry now!
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