Cordial – from Bon Lío to a new chapter in Oslo
Opening night at Cordial. Just days after unlocking the doors, it already felt like a worthy successor in the Bon Lío journey – from Fredensborg to Grünerløkka to Storgata, and now here, Frogner. A Friday evening table, new beginnings, and high expectations.
We started with drinks: a Bareksten gin and tonic for Thomas, Riesling for Nina and Cremant for Jeanette. By the time the menus were on the table, the discussion with the sommelier had already begun. Jeanette knew him from before – sometimes agreeing, sometimes not. That’s the thing about wine professionals: tasting is an art, not science. Not every match feels perfect.
This time the choice landed on a Mâcon La Roche-Vineuse “Le Clos” 2022, Vignobles de Nancelle. The goal was to find a wine that could stretch from delicate seafood to the richness of porcini with foie gras – no easy task. The verdict? Almost perfect. Nina wondered if another bottle Roux Saint-Aubin Vielles Vignes might have hit the bullseye instead. We´ll never know…
Our server, Najera (or was it Nallera?), born in Pamplona but raised in Zaragoza, brought both charm and good vibes. Between pouring wine and guiding us through the menu, she revealed her Bask roots – and a sparkle that made the evening even warmer.
Jeanette went for the pulpo taco. Bite-sized, gone in a mouthful – but oh, what a mouthful. She was delighted.
Squid taco
Nina’s scallops arrived in a thick, creamy, white sauce – tangy, smooth, mysterious. Perhaps a root vegetable hidden inside, maybe some crunch from hazelnuts or capers. On the side, a simple salad of tomato and onion, glossy with olive oil. Generous enough to share, and worth every spoonful.
Cordial scallops
Thomas hit the jackpot with porcini and foie gras. Rich, delicate, crowned with crispy kale. Everyone got a taste, everyone agreed – the dish of the night. Sometimes, it isn’t complicated: fat equals flavor.
Porcini & Foie Gras - it tastes better than it looks.
Both Nina and Jeanette chose turbot, elegant and perfectly cooked. Thomas once again stole the spotlight with skate wing. The presentation itself was striking: the flesh peeled into thick flakes, like eating two fish in one – firm and structured out by the wing, softer and more tender closer in.
It came in a buttery reduction made, according to Najera, from “skate bones.”
– A nerdy note from the biologist: Skates don’t have bones – they’re cartilaginous fish, like sharks.
➡ But when a sauce tastes this good, even Thomas must let science yield.
Sauces so good we wiped every drop with bread. (Sorry, Rørossmør, but you didn’t stand a chance.) The bite-sized taco, the mystery sauce around the scallops, the rich marriage of porcini and foie gras. And above all: porcini, wine, and each other. That’s really all you need.
We left smiling, already plotting our return before the short mushroom season slips away.
