spot check: olivia's

olivia's is a great italian cafe/restaurant.  they have two locations, one in majorstuen and the other in aker brygge, and both have great outdoor areas.

the pizza is also delicious.  my favorite, which is an idea i had thought of before but never seen executed, is carpaccio pizza.  that's right, carpaccio pizza.  the pizza is cooked first, then the thinly-sliced raw beef is added right before it is served.  the pecorino and lemon wedge -- two staples of carpaccio consumption -- bring the pizza to a whole new level.

half & half: picante chicken on the left/carpaccio on the right

the morning after...

...a night at la belle sole... that looked like this...

....

john waiting to be summoned into vip

...was made much better by this...

chili burger at the beach club in aker brygge.  the best burger i've had so far in oslo (that i didn't make).

found a wine from my friend valentina's parents' vineyard, marchesi di barolo, at druen.

this is the craziest butter i have seen at a restaurant.  went to one of trygve's favorite places to find some white bordeaux... i don't remember the name, but you could pick your own live lobster so i'm going back to eat as well. 

a closeup.  yes, it's butter, not butter cream.

spot check: skaugum

"skaugum is the official residence of crown prince haakon of norway and of his wife crown princess mette-marit." (Wikipedia)


... but it is also one of the dopest bars in oslo.  it is the bar attached to the palace grill and is located in the posh solliplas neighborhood.  

under the neon palace grill sign reads: "rhythm & booze" :)

sambuca for three

the best part of skaugum, however, is the multi-level, enclosed courtyard in the back with terraces and an extra bar.  they always have a dj playing loungy-but-not-too-loungy house music.

ceramic bowls cover the wall across from the highest terrace.

... just watch out - there may be one or two douchebags lurking, or, in this case, fully exposed...

Loner Dancing on Bar, Skaugum from Maxwell on Vimeo.