Mussels in Norway

The assaultive snow on a recent night was driving horizontally, stinging my face and eyes, and making a walk to the neighborhood Christmas market feel more like an expedition of heroic lengths. Yes, I'm both overly sensitive to cold and prone to hyperbole.

The surest way to defrost oneself is a cozy table and hot food, preferably at an establishment casual enough that one doesn't feel self-conscious peeling off layers of parkas, scarves, gloves and sweaters and depositing them in a heap on a bench near your table while your face slowly returns to its normal color.

For this purpose, Los v Oslu is perfect, combining comfort and charm with certain special items on the menu that make it worth an arctic expedition. Specifically, seemingly bottomless buckets of mussels that come swimming in fragrant broths in different combinations of dark Belgian beer, garlic, white wine or bacon. To wash it down, the restaurant offers a list of nearly 30 Belgian beers, varying in strength and flavor.

The Belgian influence seems geographically awry for a restaurant whose name translates to "Elk in Oslo," and whose upper floor is decorated with a fishing net, a Nordic nautical theme and, yes, an elk (or perhaps moose?) head. Warm red walls and striped wallpaper accents with burnished wood booths mix coziness and elegance on this floor. Downstairs, the "Belgian beer club," has more tables, is nonsmoking and features slightly lighter decorative touches.

The choice in appetizers is interesting in its variety. Typical Czech dishes like bacon-wrapped plums and garlic soup appear alongside escargot, marinated salmon dishes and Belgian fish soup. The garlic soup was homey and warming, with strands of cheese enriching an already rich stock.

A serving of lamb sausages, served alongside grated fresh horseradish and mustard was generous but seemed a little too processed to be extraordinary.

A Belgian cheese ball was more refined than the name would suggest but veered into Czech territory when it was accompanied by topinky. The firm but crumbly mild cheese was rolled around in crushed nuts, which seemed even more prevalent within the cheese. It spread nicely on the toasts and was a good accompaniment to a Boucanier red 16° beer, a Hoegaarden and Kwak amber 18°, the last of which came in a wooden holding structure for the glass that looked like something out of a science experiment.

I cannot drink beer, so while my dining companions expressed their happiness with their choices, I can't offer my own opinion on them.

The entrees were for the most part disappointing. A Norwegian baked fish dish, with large chunks of white fish and salmon baked in rice and topped with cheese, would have been decent but was ruined by a tomato sauce sweet enough to be ketchup.

Duck breast in orange sauce suffered from the fatal flaws of fat and soggy skin, depriving the diner of one of the best parts of that dish: crisp skin that slightly renders the fat. The meat itself seemed chewy and aged.

Finally, a rump steak was sizeable and well-cooked but was dry and lacked any seasoning whatsoever, thereby having nothing to offer.

So far, this review makes it seem like the evening was a bit of a bust, but Los v Oslu's specialties made it all worthwhile. A pot of mussels in beer and bacon were affordable, and finishing off the fresh, plump bites required the help of all four diners. Fortunately, the restaurant also excels at its Belgian french fries, thick-cut potatoes that seem house-made and are perfectly hot, crisp and fluffy all at once. With this success, the restaurant can offer a perfect and affordable trifecta of Belgian beer, mussels and fries.

The servers at Los v Oslu are friendly, and even teasing, acting aghast when someone tried to order mashed potatoes with their mussels. (Who can blame him?) The restaurant is clearly a neighborhood favorite, and so even with its larger seating capacity, a reservation would be in order. No doubt the restaurant will be especially busy in the next few months, when the bitter cold makes us seek out the cozy and homey confines of a good pub.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com