Basso Social – Bergen

Thirteen courses sounds overwhelming, but at Basso Social on Strandgaten, each serving is a small tasting that builds on the one before. The concept is Danish, the inspiration Italian, but the ingredients are Nordic. This produces combinations you don’t quite expect: homemade stracciatella with pickled tomatoes and smoked salt, beef tartare with salt-baked lemon and crispy pasta, and a dark chocolate mousse with blackcurrant sorbet and balsamic to finish it all off. The dishes arrive close together, and the table shares everything.

The venue sits at the start of Bergen’s oldest pedestrian street, five minutes from Torgallmenningen, and has several rooms with different atmospheres. This gives an intimate feel even though the restaurant seats a hundred guests. The waiters guide you through the menu with genuine enthusiasm, and the wine pairing complements the dishes well. Go for the 13 courses if you want the full journey, and consider visiting on a Saturday when the kitchen opens as early as three o’clock.