Ken Adams
Google
Honest review of our recent visit to Rest - we were extremely excited to dine here having read the overwhelmingly positive reviews. However, while they did a lot of things right, we left the night pretty disappointed hence the 2 star review.
But lets start with the positives:
- We loved the concept of sustainable dining and using ingredients which are commonly unwanted.
- Service was excellent, with the wait staff always quick to clear your table after each course and refill your drinks.
- The chefs took turns to come out and explain how each dish was prepared and how it fits with the concept, which was a nice personal touch.
- The desserts were delicious and probably their strength in the menu.
However, despite these there were many negatives:
- There were about 20 dishes on the menu (13 savoury and 7 sweet). We found all except one or two of the savoury dishes to be overbearingly salty.
- The savoury dishes ALL left a fatty, creamy, oily and salty aftertaste in your mouth and while this isn’t a bad thing in itself, after your 5th dish like this you start to feel quite disgusted. My partner and I were praying for a change up or some sort of palette cleanser (which never came) and we resorted to taking turns to take long toilet breaks to slow down the dinner just to get some respite.
- The music they played was like a rowdy rock and roll playlist which wasn’t befitting of fine dining and really killed the vibe of an otherwise nice and ambient restaurant.
- Extremely expensive, the menu was NOK 1,950 each (not including wine pairing) which is comparable or more expensive than many Michelin star restaurants however that is the only thing Rest has in common with a Michelin starred restaurant at this point.
Overall, it is a restaurant with a strong, noble concept with loads of potential, and maybe even a Michelin star down the track if they really work on balancing the flavours and the menu as a whole (feedback I gave to them afterwards which I hope they take seriously). But for now, I could not recommend dining here - for the amount you are paying your money will be much better spent elsewhere.