To recap, I clearly received a bump to the head and decided it would be a good idea to get on a plane at silly am and fly off on a day trip from London to Oslo. No hotels, no overnight stay – just the miniest of mini-breaks. Is that even possible? Well we’ve made it as far as lunchtime (see part 1), now we get to the good stuff.
Backing up just a little, the idea of me taking a day trip from London to Oslo actually came to me back in October 2018. The Worlds 50 Best Bars List 2018 had just been published and I came up with the characteristically mental idea of combining my love of travel with my love of bars by attempting to visit as many of the top 50 as I can...before they announce the next list. Generally being cash and time poor, I thought taking advantage of low-cost intra-Europe flights and skipping overnight stays could be key to maximising my success. So how are my 12 hours in Oslo working out so far?
13:28 CET
It’s the afternoon, we’ve had a little bit culture and a little bit of food. The natural next step on this day trip from London to Oslo is a little bit of booze. Enter Bar Boca. Billed as Oslo’s smallest bar with a history dating back 60 years, all that experience clearly counted when they didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow at me ordering a mezcal-based cocktail at lunchtime. I sat at a retro 50’s table, sipping my Jupiter (raspberries, mezcal, chili, lemon and a blend of vermouths – 126NOK) chatting to the very lovely day staff and plotting my next move. The Jupiter was a little bit fruity with just enough spicy kick to cut through the bitter cold of the afternoon. Good skills, guys.
14:20 – 12 hours on Oslo, the half-way point
A quick tram ride (also included in my 24 hour all-zone pass) later, I was at bar #2, Andre Til Hoyre. Now, the main objective of my trip (aside from the whole London to Oslo day trip thing) was to tick off another of the World’s 50 Best Bars. Hang on, not there yet… However, what a visit to bar #2 proved was that if you get too caught up in lists created by and for industry and don’t look beyond what else a city has to offer bar-wise, you run a real risk of missing out on some absolute gems. Andre Til Høyre? Definitely one of those.
I held a bit of a love-in for them on Instagram, declaring them “the prettiest bar in Oslo”. I loved the elegant loungey set-up, the relaxed vibe and the fabulous staff – especially Alex, who’s signature creation The Most Powerful Position is on Your Knees (naughty) I sampled. She kindly indulged my noseyness, letting me hang out in the back bar where they do all their in-house ingredients prep for their extensive menu. There was something going on with a vat of kaffir lime leaves while I was there. I could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you…
I would love to come back and check out the vibe of an evening, when the lights are low, the candles are lit and there is more of a buzzy crowd. Loved this spot, definitely one to watch. Are you listening, 50 Best Bars?
15:30
It was pretty much across the road from bar #2, but it still took me an age to find (hint: look for the hairdressers to find the approximate location, then look for the blue light). Andre Til Høyre was pretty spectacular, but this is why I was here – and it didn’t disappoint. Himkok, #19 in the 2018 World’s 50 Best Bar list (UPDATE: for 2019 it’s moved up 2 places to #17), is an OPERATION. The hidden doorway opens up to reveal a veritable complex: a distillery where they produce their own vodka, gin and aquavit (80% of the spirits used on the premises), the main cocktail bar on the ground floor, a second upstairs with a selection of cocktails on tap, a courtyard bar serving a selection of local ciders and beers, a barbershop (because why not?)…
The focus is on embodying Norwegian culture through cocktails, and the use of sustainable ingredients. I was treated to a complimentary shot of house-distilled Aquavit (Himkok roughly translates as moonshine – sounds appropriate) while barman Adam walked me through the menu. My Negroni-like Tindved featured gin (again, distilled on-site) as well as seabuckthorn, a Norwegian shrub foraged on one of their regular trips to their remote cabin.
They take their drinks – and their ethos – seriously, and though there is a touch of humour (the whole barbershop thing), my 100mph drive-by did not do the place justice. Would love to come back in the summer and chill in the courtyard, explore the menu a little further. I will not be letting them cut my hair.
17:00
As I headed via bus to the final stop on my Oslo epic, the temperature was again starting to dip and fatigue was setting in. Doing 12 hours in Oslo is tougher than it looks. But I wasn’t about to bail, oh no.
Aker Brygge is located in central Oslo, down on the waterfront by the Oslofjord, and to be honest, its my kind of town. The Docklands/Canary Wharf-like location, the mix of old industrial and contemporary construction, the ultra-spotless paths and plazas and slightly…sterile(?) aesthetic really appeal to me. Even in sub-zero temperatures, I could appreciate the high-end (window) shopping, the swanky galleries and drool over the top-spec apartments (from afar). I could get how the creatives and office peeps could spill out of their workspaces and straight onto the terraces of the waterside bars and restaurants that you know would just be popping in the summer. Enough already, you get it. I’d totally live here (if I could afford it).
My actual destination was the Tjuvholmen peninsula. Located just across a footbridge from Aker Brygge, it’s home to a sculpture park, the Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and my ultimate destination, The Thief.
The Thief is a very sexy design-led boutique hotel on Tjuvholmen (literally ‘thief islet’ – it used to be a haven for “smugglers, thieves and scoundrels”), and I was headed to the bar. It was a gorgeous, cosy space off the lobby, all padded armchairs and statement fireplaces – what is it about all these bars in Oslo that I can totally live in? The menu was an homage to their neighbour, the Astrup Fearnley Museum, with each cocktail inspired by a work of art.
This cocktail program does not aim to create a visual imitation of the artwork. Instead, we intend to interpret the underlying definition of the art through our cocktails just like how the artists would want to communicate through their art
Thief Bar
I went for Untitled Film Still #10 (Ambiguity of a woman) featuring Boodles, Mancino Sakura, citrus, hibiscus reduction, grapes, thyme foam, all served in black stiletto-shaped glass (168 NOK). The atmosphere was fantastic, the staff friendly and knowledgeable. The cocktail? Meh… Not an enjoyable experience to drink, tasted like a random mix of ingredients. Very style over substance. Maybe I chose wrong? I’d love to come back here in the summer, maybe check out the roof bar. I’d order a gin and tonic.
18:20
And…we’re done. I’m racing back through the snow, back to the bus, back to the train. I spent a little longer than I probably should have in Aker Brygge, so had to dash back to the airport via the closest station to pick up the regular airport train , Nationaltheatret. And I was HANGRY. Can you remember the last thing I ate? You’ve been following. It was ice cream. At lunchtime. Once through security, I used my last coins to buy a slice of pizza and a diet coke (no. more. booze) from a fake food truck in departures.
22:40 – 12 hours in Oslo DONE
Back in London Stansted, exhausted but happy. I accomplished a lot – I visited some fantastic bars, had some great experiences, even had a bit of time to get in a little touristy sightseeing in. And I stayed on budget (even had enough left over for duty free chocolate for the office). It was full-on, however (rest assured, the next day I did not – could not – get out of bed), though I’d probably be persuaded to do it again. Much as I love hotels, not having to pay for an overnight in a city that expensive was a bonus, though I feel I did miss out on seeing the bars at their buzzy best.
I grabbed the last free seat on the National Express. “How was your day?”, asked the lady next to me. WTF???!! “We saw you this morning at check-in. We called you ‘the lady with the cool hat’!”.
Turns out I’m not the only one down for an international day trip.
