2012: My Ten Dishes of the Year

Another year draws to a close and yet again I'm left wondering where all the time has gone (probably spent in restaurants judging by this post I'm sure you're thinking). Anyway, I thought I'd continue my tradition of looking back at the most memorable restaurant dishes I had over the year. I've been really lucky enough to have indulged in some epic meals this year, the highlights of which have undoubtedly been experiencing the truly magical Fäviken for the first time, a return to Noma and The Ledbury, and of course Oslo's sublime Maaemo.

So, in reverse order here is a list of the ten best things I ate in a restaurant in 2012:

Fäviken Magasinet, Järpen – Restaurant Review

It's not often you find a restaurant that truly stuns you with its brilliance and reaffirms just how good it is to be alive. Fäviken Magasinet, run Magnus Nilsson, is one such place. Trained in Paris under Pascal Barbot at the three Michelin-starred L'Astrance, Nilsson returned to his native Sweden and almost gave up cooking altogether to become a wine writer. Luckily for us he didn't, and in the relatively short time he's been at Fäviken, he's succeeded in turning it into one of the most remarkable restaurants on the planet.

Von Porat, Oslo – Restaurant Review

Typical, isn't it? You wait ages in the freezing cold for a bus and then two come along at once. And so seems to be the case for the Oslo food scene. Restaurant von Porat and Oslo's shiny new food hall, Mathallen, where it is located are two such examples. Already, in the two short months the restaurant has been open I can see it (and the food hall) becoming an established favourite for the capital's food lovers.