Re-Naa

They have 2 stars in the Michelin guide, but do they hold up for our self-proclaimed pitmaster?
Re-Naa, located just outside the very center of Stavanger. Run by master chef Sven Erik Renaa, adorned with 2 stars in the Michelin guide. With a hefty price tag I was ready for some real “Fine Dining”

First impressions and expectations
Although my main interest is grill and BBQ, I am fascinated by “fine dining” and also try to implement this in my own creations. I have visited Re-Naa on a previous occasion, when they “only” had one star. So it is probably almost unnecessary to write that the expectations were not exactly microscopic before I re-visited Re-Naa. New location, new star, new atmosphere and renewed concept (to some extent). When the restaurant is on the ground floor of a luxury hotel, you expect a stiff atmosphere, with modern tight lines and dark walls. The venue and atmosphere live up to expectations, but still have a down to earth feel to it.

When you arrive at the door, you are greeted by a pleasant butler, guided past the bar and to a pleasant little lounge. Here you get greeted by friendly sommeliers, a friendly nod and hello from a concentrated sous-chef and a team of young, and not least very skilled chefs. Then they come pushing one of their new innovations. A wheel cart stacked with fresh champagne, a selection of tasty and sour cider and elderflower soda for those who drive or just want a non-alcoholic alternative.

Jazzy tunes and appetizing smells:
Already from the lounge you get an overview of the restaurant and kitchen with stainless steel surfaces and black details, which are located in the middle of the establishment for a “chefs table experience” for all the tables in the room. At the very back of the kitchen, you can also glimpse a large, open wood-fired grill. With adjustable grill grates and heating shelf. The windows have soft heavy curtains, and concrete columns that give the whole thing a little industrial lift in the otherwise tight lines. Calm tones of jazz fill the ears and delicious scents from the kitchen sharpen the appetite. The wait in the lounge to wait for some delayed souls, for timing the serving is by no means long. Where you get a happy refill of cider and speak with employees how they experienced the recent relocation, the inevitable shutdown due to the corona pandemic, and how it feels to be able to hang another star on the wall. But it is still noticeble.

Wine:
While we wait, I consequently take a look in a relatively thick folder, with the selection from the house’s wine cellar. Here it is alot of exclusive wines such as a “Grand Cru from Romanée-Conti at an equally exclusive price of about $9000. (As the baon pit needs a few more followers on Instagram before he can realize to buy a bottle of such prestime). The choice eventually fell on a “half bottle” with Riesling from one of my favorite wineries “Egon Müller”. In addition to the set wine menu, yes you should enjoy yourself when you first go to a nice restaurant!

Raw quality:
Quality of foods is for me really important. When the whole crayfish I get served from claw to tail is used during the evening, I get the all the right vibes. When in addition the grilled tail portion is on top 2 with some of the best I have ever been served, then you know that the ingredients are treated with respect and passion. Also a whole grilled quail, beautifully deconstructed was a real highlight.

An arsenal of taste experiences:
It smokes from the hot grill, and otherwise in the entire kitchen. You feel the whole menu follows a red silk thread all the way through, tartar from dairy cow, fresh mackerel from Sirevåg, monkfish with winter truffle and akkar/Squid. There is a lot of seafood on the menu, and consequently a lot of white wine and these match the food in every way.

Consept:
Fine dining, use all parts from ingredients, local food treasures, and wheelbarrows. Re-Naa keeps the thread of the concept throughout the whole service, and the experience you get from the complex yet ingenious menu is absolutely magical! One big plus is also that they have developed their very own non-alcoholic “wine package” for the food. With an exciting selection of alternative drinks, such as lingonberry juice, apple juice from local suppliers, among others.

Service:
Service is what separates a Lexus from a Toyota. Yeah, Re-Naa passed my unofficial test for star restaurants. The infamous “Toilet test”, which in short means, when you get up from the table to go to the toilet, your napkin should be folded and laid out nicely when you return. You are even led straight to the toilet by the waiters. On the 13th glass with classic wines, this is absolutely fine. But it is precisely with wine serving that there are some issues. There is no lack of knowledge about wine, but there is a lack of confidence in one of our someliers. This leads to a slightly stressful and slightly confusing experience of the wine package. The dessert wines were suppose to be served at the same time to be able to compare the difference in this producer’s wines. Something that was done on the tables next to us, but not at ours. A very limited selection of wine served per glass is also smaller than the last time I visited Re-Naa, which I would also give a small negative impact for.

Result:
So what is the verdict? Re-Naa offers a fantastic dining experience, good atmosphere, implemented concept and menu. Little things that can be improved makes Re-Naa to achieve the top score for me this time. So it’s a 29 out of 30 “Bacongrins” from me!

But my message is clear: It is definitely worth stopping by this gem of a restaurant in the heart of Stavanger. But remember to book well in advance, as there is a lot of bookings and few tables available!

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