One of the greatest gastronomic discoveries of my life happened at some point in 2008 when I was offered a beer – a Belgian beer – and I liked it.  Having known only beers like Budweiser up to that point in my life, this came as quite a revelation to a woman who had categorized beer as “a guy thing” not to be understood by women.  But I not only liked this Belgian beer, I loved it!   And I soon developed an affinity for this beverage which as been brewed in Belgium since the Middle Ages.

Late last year a colleague and fellow fan of Belgian beer told me about some of his favorite places to sample this heady brew.  He mentioned some bars in Brussels, Belgium, his home town, and even a restaurant featuring typical Belgian dishes cooked with beer.  High on his list was Restobières, a small, bustling yet cozy restaurant on a charming and very cobbled street where the chef was a master of cuisine à la biére, a style of Belgian and French cooking using beer as a marinade, sauce base or flavoring for food.  I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.  Most of all I wanted to try it!

Half a year later and Restobières has become one of our favorite places to go for a great selection of Belgian beers and cuisine à la biére.  Restobières’ proprietor and chef, Alain Fayt is certainly an expert in both.  The food is good, hearty Belgian fare prepared with as much love and affection as talent and biére.  Typical items which should not be missed:  (First course) Raclette au Troufleur; Foie gras poêlé au sirop de Liége et Kriek; Cassolette de moules à la Saint-Feuillien; (Main course) Blanquette de veau à la Dulle Teve; Carbonnades de boeur à la Rodenbach; Carré d’agneau à la Moinette.  Desserts include Mousse au chocolat à la Hercule and Sabayon à la Kriek Lindemans – a must-try cousin of the traditional Italian zabaglione.

To accompany these gastronomical delights, there is, of course, an impressive selection of Belgian beer.  In addition to the 60+ beers on the regular list, Chef Alain often features different or hard-to-find beers to complement his daily menus.  As frequently as not, Chef Alain can be found advising patrons on which selections – both of food and beer – he recommends on a particular day.  When in doubt about what to order, just ask the master for a recommendation.  Our favorites beers include Tripel Rulles, Slaapmutske Tripel, Boerinneke and Dulle Teve, but there are plenty of others – some standard, some not – to choose from.  We are still working our way through the list…

Important tip:  always make a reservation if you are planning a trip to Restobières – and make sure to ask for a table on the ground floor.  Chef Alain will be more readily available for all the recommendations you will want to ask for!

While visiting Oslo for in early December, we had the luck of getting a table for two at the last minute on a Saturday evening.  What luck!  On the phone, the staff were very pleasant and accommodating.  Once we arrived we were treated very well, seated in a quiet and spacious room at a lovely table; we enjoyed excellent service by a knowledgeable and professional service staff.

The menu is gorgeous and there is even a 10+ course tasting menu which is very popular.  To start, we both ordered the Scallops A La Plancha which were divine and have spoiled me for scallops at any other restaurant!  For the main course, Cosimo and I both had the Reindeer (the Game in Season, market price).  Gorgeous, large portions and prepared exquisitely.  For dessert, Cosimo had Belgian Waffles with a White Chocolate sauce and I naturally went for their Chocolate dessert.  Divine!

Of special note was the wine.  The sommelier was friendly, well versed and was able to make excellent pairing suggestions.

If you are ever in Oslo, I would not miss the opportunity to visit this exceptional restaurant.  The Michelin Guide has bestowed two of its highly coveted stars on this lovely restaurant.  In the humble of opinion of this diner, it is worth each of its stars (and every euro spent).