Norway: Dinner at K2 in Stavanger

Stavanger has an impressive restaurant scene, especially considering the city’s modest size, and K2 had been on my radar for a while. The restaurant holds a Michelin star and a green Michelin star, recognizing its commitment to sustainability. With a philosophy built on local ingredients, minimal food waste, and a creative take on Nordic cuisine, K2 stands out in a city already known for good food. The night before my early morning flight to Amsterdam and onward to New York, I therefore decided to treat myself to a dinner at K2.

Since I was driving, I started the evening with a mocktail. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I think it had pine needles. Anyway, it was a little too sweet for my liking, so I switched to a non-alcoholic Radler, which paired much better with the meal.

Dinner kicked off with three small bites:

A delicate bite of raw marinated shrimp on top of another kind of raw fish (can’t remember which one), finished with a small piece of apple – fresh and refined.

A large crab cracker with a shellfish emulsion and edible flowers – beautifully presented and perfectly crispy.

A crunchy sourdough rye bread crisp topped with chicken liver cream. The crisp was made from leftover rye bread, which was later served with the meal – a nice touch in terms of sustainability.

The first course was scallops with fermented rhubarb, gooseberries, and a green, citrusy jus. A beautifully balanced plate, with just the right amount of acidity to complement the sweetness of the scallop.

Next, the Danish-style sourdough rye bread arrived, served with butter sprinkled with seaweed salt. The waiter suggested serving the tartare, which was the next course, at the same time, as it paired well with the warm bread. Yes, please! The tartare was made from Finnish venison and topped with mushrooms. It was a fantastic combination, especially with the rye bread. The story behind the Finnish venison? Something about a Finnish chef and friend of K2 who had some extra deer meat, and K2 put it to good use.

Then came the Norwegian skrei, pan-fried in a cast-iron pot, giving it a perfect crust on one side. It was served with a foamy butter sauce. A beautifully executed dish, simple yet packed with flavor.

The vegetarian course with grilled sunchoke was amazing. After grilling, the sunchoke was pan-fried and caramelized. Came with a cheese sauce that was so good I was so close to start licking the plate.

The dish that followed was quite a surprise: pan-fried beef liver with onions. The small piece of liver was tucked away under some green leaves (can’t remember what they were), but there was no need for camouflage on my behalf—I love liver.

The highlight of the evening was the duck, which had been dry-aged for three weeks, smoked, and then grilled. It was served with beets, and while it wasn’t the most photogenic dish of the evening, it was out of this world in terms of flavor. The aging, smoking, and grilling process had resulted in an incredible depth of taste and it’s one of the best duck dishes I’ve ever had.

Since I had an early flight the next morning, I asked to have dessert and petit fours served at the same time. The dessert was Norwegian pancakes with pickled plums and vanilla ice cream, which is a classic that rarely disappoints.

The petit fours included the following three morsels: a vegan marshmallow topped with cloudberry, a financier with whipped crème fraîche, and K2’s Norwegian style canelé made with aquavit and goat’s milk, and filled with brunost (brown cheese) caramel. Apparently, K2 has been serving their signature brunost canelé since they opened. I’m usually not a fan of brunost, but in this context, the sweet flavor actually worked surprisingly well.

The dinner at K2 was an amazing experience with innovative flavor combinations and a clear passion for local ingredients. The atmosphere was relaxed in that effortlessly cool Nordic way, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.

While the food at K2 was fantastic, the pacing was slow. I saw it coming early on, so I asked if they could speed things up a bit since I had to be up at 4 AM. They said they’d try, but it was still a very long meal. I ended up spending 3.5 hours there, finishing around the same time as the other tables that had arrived with me. For a restaurant of this caliber, I would have expected them to be a little more accommodating with timing requests. A minor inconvenience in an otherwise amazing evening.

K2 has held a Michelin star since 2023 and also has a green Michelin star for its sustainability efforts. Definitely a place worth visiting if you’re in Stavanger and appreciate creative Nordic cuisine.

K2, Pedersgata 69, 4013 Stavanger, Norway