There are some places you know you are going to love the moment you step in the door. Perla is exactly such a place, with its beautiful wooden interior and retro furniture. It is a relatively new, tiny bar at the far North-East end of Sofienbergparken in Oslo. They have a short list of cocktails, a good selection of wines and beer on tap.
We were there for the Ultimo Domingo event on the last Sunday of July. They served ceviche, oysters and a welcome punch drink based om mezcal with fresh orange and pomegranate. Ceviche can be tricky, even though it seems very simple. The fish shouldn’t be left for too many hours in the lime, nor should it be cooked too short. Perla Bar got it just right in my opinion. Fresh oysters and a tasty punch were soon followed by more wine. We had a Meinklang, Grüner Veltliner white wine from the naked wine importer Non Dos. It’s an organic natural wine, but the taste is very close to a classic white wine. A safe choice that you can’t go wrong with.
Neither the ceviche on the menu nor the mezcal in the punch is a coincidence. The concept at Perla Bar is a clear South-American focus, and they import their own high-quality spirits. Pisco is shipped from Peru and Chile, mezcal from Mexico and Cachaça from Brasil. All cocktails on the regular menu are based around these. In the bar this night we found a familiar face; it was Anders from Morgenstierne and Tranen. Anders currently works in the bar, which is a good sign of quality on its own!
I had brought my good friend and fellow foodie Linn along. She was in town on holiday from her expat job in Brussels. You should also check her wine blog Vinstudinen. Yesterday we bumped into each other at Perla once again after the Øya festival, so obviously it was a new favorite hangout for the both of us! At least in this area of the town. You should check it out after the Øya festival ends today. It was certainly packed yesterday!