Review: Fyr Bistronomi (2017) Chef Sebastian Myhre's Modern Oslo Bistro

Located on the corner of Underhaugsveien and Hegdehaugsveien, Fyr Bistronomi is a newly opened restaurant near Majorstua in Oslo. Bistronomy is the concept. Fyr is the name. Fire – get it? The Josper grill is an essential kitchen equipment here. I’ve already found time to visit this place twice, and I think it’s one of the best new restaurants to open in Oslo so far this year. The food reminds me somewhat of Publiko, which is situated just a few hundred meters up the street, but conceptually it’s slightly more refined and elegant. Bistronomy is a culinary direction that started in France, and the word means bistro + gastronomy. Advancing as a reaction to the astronomical prices and church-like atmospheres of high-end Michelin restaurants, younger chefs had the idea to serve gastronomic dishes in a bistro setting with more affordable prices. It sounds like this place will fit nicely into the current Oslo bistro boom.

Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in Norway’s capital? Check out our city map of Oslo!

Head chef and co-owner, Sebastian Myhre.
Head chef and co-owner, Sebastian Myhre.
The dining room of Fyr Bistronomi.
The dining room of Fyr Bistronomi.

Chef Sebastian Myhre’s Modern Oslo Bistro

You may know the head chef and co-owner, Sebastian Myhre, already. At least, I remember him well from the television show Hellstrøms Mesterkokk, which aired on TV3 back in 2012. There, he competed against other young chefs, many of whom have achieved great success since. Karl-Erik Pallesen runs Fisketorget in Stavanger – possibly Norway’s best seafood restaurant. James Ian Maxwell-Stewart is the manager and owner of restaurant Cru (also not far from Fyr). Øyvind Bøe Dale was, until recently, sous chef at Statholdergaarden, and is now aiming for the Bocuse d’Or – a competition in which Myhre himself was a finalist in 2009. Furthermore, Sebastian has experience from the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se in New York, Feinschmecker in Oslo, and Restaurant Re-naa in Stavanger. At last, he now has a place of his own.

The rustic interior design with exposed brick walls creates a very relaxed atmosphere at Fyr. At the same time, the clientele, dominated by ostentatiously dressed people from Oslo West, could almost make you mistake the place for a finer establishment. Fyr is definitely a “see and be seen” kind of place. There’s nothing fake about the food, however. This is honest cooking with focused and well-balanced flavor. On my second visit to Fyr Bistronomi, I specifically asked for the bar seats facing the kitchen. I love to be close to the action in a restaurant. Luckily, the bar stools were comfortable to sit on, even for a lenghty meal.

The bread serving. Amazing whipped butter with browned butter, sherry vinegar & shallots.
The bread serving. Amazing whipped butter with browned butter, sherry vinegar & shallots.

Pick From the À La Carte or Select the Tasting Menus

In true bistronomy style, you can pick and choose from an à la carte menu at Fyr. Snacks are NOK 45-70, starters NOK 115-185 (in addition to the 100g of Wagyu priced at NOK 320), and mains are NOK 175-395. However, they also offer two tasting menus: the smaller one called Litt Fyr at NOK 500 and the bigger named Full Fyr at NOK 695. Drink pairings will double those prices. We decided to go all in with the big set menu. Soon, we had Champagne glasses filled with Lanson Black Label Brut, and a matching plate of oysters with citronette and apple granita.

More snacks followed shortly. Baby radishes and turnips with a Nýr dip, puffed pork rinds with “løyrom” (vendace roe) and sour cream, and Fyr’s very own dry Riesling. Then, the bread arrived. Steaming hot. A crispy crust. Served with a butter that was worth the visit alone. “How did you make this butter?” I asked one of the chefs in front of us. “It’s whipped with browned butter, sherry vinegar, and diced shallots,” he replied. “Did you just reveal our secret!?” chef Myhre yelled at him, laughing. I’m glad he did, because that combo will be tested at home at some point.

Raw, marinated trout, watercress mayo, fennel grass, seaweed & elderflower bouillon.
Raw, marinated trout, watercress mayo, fennel grass, seaweed & elderflower bouillon.

Nordic Flavors & Ingredients

A Norwegian Caprese salad with tomatoes from Brimse Gård outside Stavanger, and mozzarella made at Osteverket in Lillesand, brought back fond memories from our recent trip to Barolo in Italy. With the next dish, a raw marinated trout with watercress mayo and elderflower bouillon, the pairing was a drink: Little Slinger. Turns out, they even do cocktails well at Fyr. Another task they excel at is cooking langoustine to perfection. Simplicity is an art. You don’t want to disrupt the gentle flavors of what is possibly the best crustacean in the world. At Fyr, it’s served simply with warm bread and butter infused with more of that delectable shellfish aroma.

Green and white asparagus were served in the same milk they had been cooked “sous vide.” The sauce was made airy with an espuma, mounted with ramson oil, and topped with bonito flakes. Add a poached egg to that and you got an umami-flavored, salty, creamy, rich, and warming dish that hits all the right culinary chords. It was my favorite dish of the meal.

Langoustine from Frøya, bread, and butter infused with langoustine juice.
Langoustine from Frøya, bread, and butter infused with langoustine juice.
Showcasing the finest Norwegian seafood.
Showcasing the finest Norwegian seafood.
My favorite dish: Green & white asparagus, asparagus milk broth, poached egg, ramson & bonito flakes.
My favorite dish: Green & white asparagus, asparagus milk broth, poached egg, ramson & bonito flakes.

Book a Table Before the Word Gets Out

The rest of the meal was meat-heavy and intense, but very satisfying. Dry age pork neck was followed by wagyu cooked on a Himalayan salt rock, then grilled ox with a smoked corn purée (yum!), and, finally, lamb sausages in a dish Sebastian had chosen to call Brennende Kjærlighet – burning love. It’s a childhood memory and the dish is dedicated to his mom who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, way too early. The dish was deliciously comforting, with onions, beets, pancetta bacon, and a potato purée. A wonderful tribute that should become a classic on the menu.

The last dish, a dessert of raspberries with lemon cream, white chocolate bavaroise, olive oil sorbet, and candied black olives, was the only one I didn’t care too much about. The savory part of the meal easily trumped the sweet one for me, but then again, this is a grill restaurant after all. It didn’t taste bad, but it had too many elements and they all fought for the attention. I prefer simpler desserts. In conclusion, the food at Fyr Bistronomi came close to a full score. This place should be packed soon, so treat yourself to an evening here before the word gets out.

Wagyu cooked on Himalayan salt rock with umami sauce.
Wagyu cooked on Himalayan salt rock with umami sauce.
Sebastian serving our next dish, piping hot, straight from the kitchen.
Sebastian serving our next dish, piping hot, straight from the kitchen.
Grilled ox, smoked corn purée, grilled onions, veal sauce with bone marrow.
Grilled ox, smoked corn purée, grilled onions, veal sauce with bone marrow.
Rosé cider from Egge gård.
Rosé cider from Egge gård.
Raspberries, lemon cream, white chocolate "bavaroise," olive oil sorbet, candied black olives.
Raspberries, lemon cream, white chocolate “bavaroise,” olive oil sorbet, candied black olives.

What’s your favorite bistronomy type restaurant? Please share 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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