PjoltergeistMy Favorite Restaurant in Oslo (Closed Permanently)
Pjoltergeist is my favorite restaurant in Oslo, without comparison, and has been since the very first day they opened. Icelandic ingredients combined with Asian flavors and style of presentation in a lovely fusion, designed by star chef Atly Mar Yngvason. Former sous chef at one Michelin star restaurant Ylajali in Oslo, he now does exactly what he wants in the kitchen. The food is apparently slapped on the plate haphazardly, and yet it looks f*cking delicious. Almost every dish rolled out from this kitchen is a treat for your senses; smell, taste & looks. This is my no. 1 favorite restaurant in Oslo, and also a top choice for chef’s late night hangout.
Note: This restaurant has closed permanently.
Welcome to Pjoltergeist. No kids, no dogs, no flash, no credit cards. Yippee ki-yay, m*therf*cker!
I love Pjoltergeist because of the food, but also the people who run it. The owners Sverre and Susanne, or their trusted comrade Tore Kristian, behind the bar will always serve you excellent wines, and if you visit often enough they remember your preferences too. The atmosphere at Pjoltergeist is unique. I know of no other places like it. Originally a Hell’s Angels bar, the interior has only slightly changed. Dimmed light, dark wooden furniture, leather cushions, non-stop hip-hop playing over the speakers. I consider it my second home.
Atli to the right is the head chef. His trusted partner in crime Lars to the rightPét nat de Conti – funky natural bubbles! Click on the picture to read more on this wine at Vinstudinen’s blog.
The name Pjoltergeist is a mix of the words pjolter and poltergeist. A pjolter is a weird Norwegian word for a cheap drink – originally whiskey and soda water. You’ll find a separate menu for their upgraded pjolters in the bar. Poltergeist is a noisy kind of ghost or supernatural spirit, which sort of fits the ambiance here. The reason why I keep returning to Pjoltergeist, as often as I can, is because the menu changes and the doors are always open. There are some classics on the menu, of course, but almost every day you will find something new. The kitchen, as well as the wine serving, is open until 00.30 every Tuesday to Saturday. Despite a rising popularity, and a limited amount of seats, I have yet to experience not finding a space to sit at Pjoltergeist.
A typical pjolter at PjoltergeistThe legendary Moomin platesThe floor decorations between the restaurant and kitchen
If you book a table you commit to the tasting menu. It is a non-existing menu – you get what the kitchen wants to serve you. Typically it will be a 10-course meal with one or two snacks, four to five starters, one or two main dishes and a dessert. As for wine, I always ask them to serve me what they want. You’ll get to taste the wine first to see if you like it, but it’s always high quality. Alternatively, you just drop by and sit by the bar (or at an available table). That is what I usually do. Remarkably enough, there seems to always be a vacant seat.
The Bar Menu
Pjoltergeist is closed for two months during summer. Inhumane, in my opinion, and thus; once they opened again I couldn’t help myself to go here every night. Post-summer 2015 I went to Pjoltergeist four out of five days the opening week. The results are as follows.
Pimientos de Padron! A classic on the Pjoltergeist snack menuTakoyaki! A Japanese snack made minced octopus which is battered and fried into small balls. Topped with bonito flakes, which are shavings of dried, fermented, and smoked tuna. The heat from the takoyaki balls makes the waffer thin bonito flakes move like they’re alive.“Pil Pil” shrimps in oil and herbs, with steambuns to dip in. F*ck that’s delicious!2013 Intellego ‘Elementis’ Skin Contact, Swartland, South Africa. A floral and fruity white wine with hints of spicy gingerLightly seared whale with spinach, lettuce stalks, sour cream, soy sauce and sesame seeds. The best whale I’ve ever hadA classic on the bar menu since day one; steambuns with kimchi and a fried “burger” of shifting meats.Deep fried sardines with a salad of fennel, coriander and chili. Chili mayo. Squeeze some lemon over and dig in!Ribs are best eaten with glovesThe Kobe beef in the kitchen, before processing. Check that fat marbling!Kobe beef, lightly seared. So soft that it melts in your mouth and at the same time punches you with a rich umami flavor. Served with sticky rice, sugar snaps, soy sauce and salt.Mussels with chanterelles and spring onions, so simple and incredibly tastyGut Oggau, Mechthild Weiss, Neusiedlersee, Austria. Crispy and fruity, taste of plum and applesCroquetttes of ox tail, with a chili mayo dip and a salad infused with Västerbotten cheese, peanuts and insane amounts of flavor and yumminess!“Poor man’s crayfish”, aka lobster… in a butter garlic & tarragon sauce with chives and steambuns and lime on the side. Shut up and take my money!Julian Haart, Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2013. I love this wine. Perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. Subtle taste of lemon and pineappleA dessert of milk chocolate cream, blueberry sorbet, strawberries, raspberries, black currants, wood sorrel and tiny crispy financier cakes with blueberry. A fresh, acidic and very well balanced dessert. The chocolate gives it the fat and creaminess it needsA homemade liqueur of black currants, sugar and vodka
The Tasting Menu
Booking a table means that you want the full treatment. The price tag is ridcioulously low, though, with a lousy 750 NOK per person. The amount of food you get, and the quality of each dish, makes it the best value for money tasting menu in Oslo, in my opinion. Just sit back and relax, while Atli brings out one pungent dish after the other.
Snack to start the meal; puffed crispy pork cracklings with a bacon mayo dipKeller Riesling “Limestone” 2014. Intense tropical fruit flavors, high acidity and nice residual sweetness that I loveBaked pickled onion with shaved reindeer heart, Røros sour cream and chivesGrilled tomatoes from Brimse gård with red onion and avruga & sölCold fermented vegetable soup. A classic that has been on the menu since opening day.Lobster with shrimp salsa, grilled celeriac and padron peppersSweetbread with chanterelles! Looks a bit dull on the plate, but super rich in flavors!Breast of duck with cauliflower and broccoli in a schezuan pepper sauceAn insanely flavor rich dessert with white chocolate cream with lemon zest, white chocolate nemesis, caramelized white chocolate, forest berry sorbet, blueberries and raspberriesCoffee from Supreme Roastworks. Also served in Moomin cups
Have you been to Pjoltergeist? What is your favorite restaurant in Oslo? Please leave a comment below.
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Went there with a party of 4 on friday and went for the tasting menu and whatever wine they chose for us. Absolutely mind blowing. Pjoltergeist is on the top of my list together with Hitchhiker in Oslo. Have you been to Egget in Stavanger yet? If not, that should be on your to do list 🙂
Not been to Egget. What kind of a restaurant is it?
It´s a trust the chef kind of place. No real menu, just whats available. A french chef with an asian take on the food and amazing wines 🙂
all I can say is “wow”!
Have you been here?
Went there with a party of 4 on friday and went for the tasting menu and whatever wine they chose for us. Absolutely mind blowing. Pjoltergeist is on the top of my list together with Hitchhiker in Oslo. Have you been to Egget in Stavanger yet? If not, that should be on your to do list 🙂
Not been to Egget. What kind of a restaurant is it?
It´s a trust the chef kind of place. No real menu, just whats available. A french chef with an asian take on the food and amazing wines 🙂
I will check it out 🙂
Thanks for the tip 🙂
My father used to drink “pjolters”. I rekende it to be brandy and selters
Yep, pretty much. Cheap brandy and sodawater. They serve it as Pjoltergeist too.
Hello! Are they closed in July? How do you make a reservation?? Just by phone? Looks amazing.
Hey. They are indeed closed in July. Last day is June 2nd. Only bookable by SMS.