Esben Holmboe Bang X Brutus One-Night-Only Maaemo Pop-up

It was a one night only Maaemo pop-up at Brutus. The event sold out in 20 minutes. One Instagram post to advertise is all it took. That’s more a testament to the status of Esben Holmboe Bang – Norway’s best chef – than the power of social media, though. As the founder and owner of the country’s only three-Michelin-starred restaurant (of which there are currently only one other in the Nordics), he has a unique brand. I was on the waiting list myself, at first, but was lucky to get a seat in the end.

Chefs at work in a busy bar Brutus.
Chefs at work in a busy bar Brutus.

Five Dishes, Served in 50 minutes, Priced at NOK 500

In all honesty, it’s pretty pointless to review a pop-up dinner. Especially when it’s a one-off event. You’re never going to experience it anyway, so who cares? Yet, here we go… Since Esben managed to showcase some of the most iconic flavors of the Norwegian food culture in such a short menu, I think it’s interesting to have a closer look.

This was a 5-course dinner priced at NOK 500 (food only), that took the guys only 50 minutes to serve us from start to finish. It was clear from the moment we sat down, that time was of the essence. With three full seatings ahead, they had to get people seated, served, and out the door – fast! At this point, I also understood how we had gotten a spot despite being on the waiting list. Tables and chairs were crammed in everywhere, and people were even seated in the windows. Add some 80s and 90s hit songs blasting over the speakers, and waiters trying to squeeze in-between to serve food, and you have a great Sunday evening ambiance.

Esben Holmboe Bang did not meet up alone. Accompanying him was a handful of his most trusted chefs and waiters. I spotted his sous chef, Peder Støylen, head of R&D, Rob Jacob Drennan, and sommelier Petter Svanæs. If you showed up this evening with expectations to be served a Maaemo-level meal at a fraction of the cost – you might have been disappointed. However, if you enjoyed the food as casual interpretations of some of Esben Holmboe Bang’s classics, you may have left as happy as me. And full. Oh-so-full.

Scene of the event: Bar Brutus.
Scene of the event: Bar Brutus.
The Maaemo X Brutus menu.
The Maaemo X Brutus menu.

First Course – Waffles & Løyrom

Literally placed on the table the moment I sat down on my chair, was the first serving of waffles with “løyrom” (vendace roe). Presumably, made with dry-aged beef fat and the same waffle recipe as the petits fours at Maaemo. However, they were not as good as the originals. Clearly, they had been pre-made so they could be served quickly, but that also meant they were not as warm, light, and crispy as I have learned to love them.

At Maaemo, your fingers are coated in the beef fat when you eat these waffles, but that was not the case here. Still, with a bowl filled with cream and løyrom to dip in – how bad can it be? I enjoyed the first snack, but five waffle hearts per person was already too much. We could sense that gluten allergics were not welcome this evening.

A Maaemo classic – waffles & løyrom
A Maaemo classic – waffles & løyrom
Sous chef at Maaemo – Peder Støylen
Sous chef at Maaemo – Peder Støylen

Second Course – Potato & Herring

Potato and herring is a good example of how Holmboe Bang manages to take two of Norway’s most typical, but also simplest products, and turn them into a magnificent dish. This was the winning dish from the pop-up, in my opinion, with a great balance of flavors. It was salty and sweet with a nice acidity, and warm and creamy textures.

Potato & herring.
Potato & herring.

Third Course – Fermented Trout & Potato Pancake

I was surprised to see another stack of wheat cakes arrive at our table. No one was leaving hungry tonight, for sure! This time, it was the potato pancake that we call “lompe.” On the side, was a rillette of “rakfisk” (fermented trout) with horseradish shavings. At Maaemo, you get a more elaborate version of this served as a small snack. Check my recent post if you are curious about how it looks like. I loved this rustic presentation as well, but, compared to the original, the dish was missing acidity.

Fermented trout with potato pancakes.
Fermented trout with potato pancakes.
"Rakfisk" in "lompe."
“Rakfisk” in “lompe.”

Fourth Course – Sour Cream Porridge & Brown Butter

The fourth course was a warm sour cream porridge drizzled with hearty amounts of brown butter. Served with cured meat and flatbreads on the side, it was a weird but wonderful main course. Wonderful because I’m a sucker for brown butter, and I love Esben’s take on a sour cream porridge. Weird because it didn’t look much like an entrée. Yet, it sort of worked. I’d like to get my hands on more of that cured ham, but I forgot to ask where it was from. Maybe it was from Indre Oslo Matforedling?

Sour cream porridge with browned butter. Flatbread and cured ham on the side
Sour cream porridge with browned butter. Flatbread and cured ham on the side
Cidrerie du Vulcain, Cidre Doux "Premiers Emois"
Cidrerie du Vulcain, Cidre Doux “Premiers Emois”

Fifth course – Fastlavnsbolle

Fastelavnsbolle, misspelled Fastelavensbolle both on the menu and in my Instagram story (shame on me, at least), is a traditional Norwegian sweet roll. Yes… more gluten! We eat them during Shrovetide, and they are equally common in Sweden and Denmark. Esben’s version of the bun was glazed with ox fat, and stuffed with marzipan and raspberry jam. On top was a cream with freeze-dried raspberry dust. Delicious, but oh-so-filling!

Eating a variety of wheat bread in four out of five courses was a bit of a killer. That’s the risk you run with a one-off pop-up dinner where the menu is untested. However, when the biggest complaint about a meal is that you got too full, it’s a true first-world problem. We had juicy natural wines and sparkling ciders in our glasses and could not have been happier. The evening ended with more wine at Brutus’ weird cousin bar next door – Gurken Gurken Gurke Gurken.

"Fastelavnsbolle" – sweet bun with marzipan and raspberry jam filling and cream topping
“Fastelavnsbolle” – sweet bun with marzipan and raspberry jam filling and cream topping
The two head chefs. Esben the tall and Arnar Jakob Gudmundsson
The two head chefs. Esben the tall and Arnar Jakob Gudmundsson
Oslo's no. 1 natural wine bar
Oslo’s no. 1 natural wine bar

Did you attend the pop-up? Feel free to share your experience in a comment below.

Anders Husa

Anders Husa and Kaitlin Orr are food & travel bloggers and creative content creators. From their base in Copenhagen, they operate the largest and most influential restaurant-focused travel blog in Scandinavia.

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