Thursday, October 25, 2012

Il Piccolo: update 21/10/2012

This restaurant has been opened for a few months now and I was curious to go there again. You will find the original review here. I went there a bit late with my wife and my son so there were not so many costumers. The menu has changed a bit and I am disappointed not to see the limoncello dessert anymore... I will miss it.

My wife went for Spaghetti Bolognese and it was kind of a surprise that we were served some sort of tagliatelle instead. At least, it was not spaghetti. Otherwise, the sauce was not bad but we would have liked it with more tomato sauce (it was a bit dry). A bit more Parmesan cheese could have been better too but again the dish wasn't bad.

"Spaghetti" Bolognese, 155 NOK

I went for a pizza vegetariana and I liked it. The dough was good, the pizza was well cooked, the vegetables (mainly sliced eggplant/aubergine and diced artichoke) were full of taste. All in all, it was a success.

Pizza Vegetariana, 155 NOK

The service was better than last time we went there. The waiter was really warm and smiling. So all in all, a good experience despite a small deception about the pasta dish.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Phad Thai Hinna: another Sunday buffet reviewed

We know how nice it is to have a nice buffet on a Sunday with the kids and this is why Stavangourmet has reviewed several Sunday buffets including Akropolis and Mikado.



This time, we went up to Hinna, next to the Viking Stadium (the new stadium) to try the Sunday buffet of Phad Thai Hinna. This restaurant is quite popular during the week and of course when there is a football match but this Sunday, it was quiet.

Sushi opening offer: 8 pieces for 120 NOK

Also, this restaurant is now starting to serve sushi and as an opening offer, the prices are quite low. For some reasons, my wife was offered to try two pieces (maybe because she is Japanese or maybe because they guessed we were reviewers) and she liked them which is a very good sign. 

Back on track here are some photos of the buffet:




The buffet costs 300 NOK per person and is free for children under 3. Coffee, tea and dessert are included.


The overall quality of the buffet was good, we particularly liked the thai soup (not on the photo but included in the buffet), which was a chicken soup with cream and Thai vegetables. It was particularly enjoyable as it was freezing outside (Stavanger weather...). The normal white rice was also better than on average in Asian restaurants in Stavanger and the spring rolls seemed home made and were nice too. The red curry was also quite good but beware it was spicy (as any good curry).

The service was good too so the only drawbacks are that this restaurant is a bit isolated (not so much to do in this area on a Sunday) and that the price is a bit high (but again, coffee/tea and desserts are included).

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Great lunch at Renaa Matbaren

I have already reviewed this restaurant here and explained the difference with Renaa Xpress that I reviewed there. This is a new review, for the meal I had with a Norwegian Friend yesterday (Friday 05/10/2012).

Soup of the day (pumpkin with cream and bacon), small portion 89 NOK

My friend was not too hungry, so he went for the soup of the day. It was a pumpkin soup with cream and bacon. My friend liked it a lot and thought the pumpkin taste was quite delicate in this soup. People liking pumpkin a lot could have been a bit disappointed though that the taste was not stronger.

Dish of the day (duck confit with pumpkin puree and Brussels sprouts), 269 NOK

I went for the dish of the day which was duck confit with pumpkin puree and Brussels sprouts. The duck was tender while well cooked and the sauce was exquisite with a subtle mustard taste. I really enjoyed it and wish it was in the regular menu.

Other than that, the service was nice as usual and we had a great lunch.