Good Neighborhood Restaurant
Bergen, known as the cultural capital of Norway, is a lovely historic city with a small center surrounded by fjords. There are many places to eat by the waterfront and the Brygge District. However, I was staying about a 15 minute walk from there and wanted something closer but still good. The Cafe Opera, recommended by my Airbnb hosts, fit the bill. It was very busy, with locals, not tourists. It had locally sourced food on the menu. Although one can dine outside, it was a bit chilly so I sat indoors. You seat yourself and go to a counter to order your food. I had a nice reindeer steak with lingonberries and potatoes. Lingonberries accompany every meal it seems in Scandinavia. I had eaten a reindeer hot dog for lunch earlier in the day which was quite interesting, more spicy than a traditional hot dog. I expected the reindeer steak to taste like venison, but it was more like pot roast. I’m not a beef fan so that was a little disappointing, but that was not the restaurant’s fault! I should not have been surprised as I had eaten elk before and found the same thing. The cafe seemed to be a happening place as many people entered to go to some event upstairs, which I later found out to be Trivia Night. I love Trivia, but it was held in Norwegian of course, so I couldn’t participate. I really like the local and casual feel of the place, and I’m sure the reindeer was made very well. I’ll just try some other game meat next time or fish. That must be amazing there.