Foodie paradise

Mathallen, which is Norwegian for Food Hall, fulfils the very definition of a posh upmarket setting where you can sample and buy well-sourced, fresh, delicious grocery foods (albeit expensive, but then again everything's expensive in Norway).

And boy oh boy do the Norwegians know and love their food.





Those cheese samples are just asking to be eaten. (I did have one, or a few, samples - and they're every bit as delicious as they look!)

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this, but fruits and vegetables in little wooden crates like this? Wouldn't look out of place on an episode of Heston Blumenthal at all. Every single fruit and vegetable polished, ripened and shined to perfection.


The Vulkan Oslo Mathallen is really new - it only opened in October, but already it was really crowded when I went there.



Of course, this being Norway you can't go to a food hall and not try their seafood. It is, after all, what the Norwegians are known for.

I love that even though this is just a market, essentially, it's so upmarket and posh that everything looks pretty much perfect - even the way the seaweed is carefully stranded on top of the fish that lays on beds of ice! It really struck me how proud everyone was of the food they were selling, everything carefully done up to display only the best.



Plus it made all my pictures come out really pretty :p







I tried a salmon platter, and it was amazing. Three different ways of prepared salmon and a variety of sauces. It's a really simple dish if you think about it, but who knew that food that simple could taste that good?

Vulkan Mathallen Oslo
Tram: Trams 11, 12 or 13 stop at Schouss Place. From here it's a short walk to the North Gate and over the bridge to Vulkan.
Bus: Buses 54 and 34 stop at Møllerveien. Then go down Mills Road and turn into the Dance House.
T-bane: Mathallen is a 15 minute stroll from Jernbanetorget.