Opened since March 2019, Under Restaurant located under five meters below sea level. It is the first underwater restaurant in Europe and the largest in the world in Lindesnes, Northern Europe. “Under” in Norway carries a double meaning, meaning both under and wonder. To reach Baly, where Under is located, it takes 5 hours from Oslo, Norway.
The concept and form of architecture of Under restaurants is designed by the award-winning architect firm Snøhetta who designed the iconic Oslo opera house, the Bibliotheca in Egypt, and the September 11 National Memorial Monument in New York. Uniquely, Snøhetta collaborated with oil industry experts with the experience of the North Sea oil rig to make the framework of a restaurant building slightly convex in order to be safe in resisting the strongest waves of seawater.
The idea for the restaurant was created by the Brothers Stig and Gaute Ubostad. The project became official in autumn 2016. The restaurant opened the 20th of March 2019. The total price for the project was the Norwegian 70 million kroner, equal to 7 million Euros or around 8.5 million USD. With the concept of a unique underwater restaurant, it is expected that Under can invite world tourist and food lovers to come here. Under the atmosphere of the restaurant looks more unique and attractive with minimalist furniture bathed in green light from a large glass window, approximately 36 feet high, and 1 foot thick.
As one of the architectural gems in Norway, Under building forms, are reminiscent of the formation of seaside rocks that are similar to art installations where some buildings sink (half sunken) to the seabed. Entering the restaurant door, guests will enter the gate which is lined with oak wood, down the stairs until it leads to the bar. From the outside, Under looks small, but once inside, the restaurant looks more spacious than imagined from the outside. In the restaurant area, there are a dozen minimalist tables and furniture bathed in aquamarine light coming from large glass windows that make the atmosphere of the room look exotic. Behind the large window, also seen the sandy sea floor with several large rocks and strands of seaweed waving in the ocean currents.
You will get to watch all kinds of swim species, depending on the time of year. The normal area is pollack and cod, colourful wrasses, urchins, crabs, lobsters in gladiator battles, spiny dogfish (ie, mini sharks) and distinctive seaweed and kelp in the changing seasons, and you can see a live performance of the roaring, stormy sea when nature is in turmoil.
Also from the large window, guests who come can enjoy marine life and see a collection of cod and pollock in winter, summer wrasse and mackerel, sea urchins, strange lobsters and stone crabs, seals or eider ducks around them. The seals have also been observed outside the window, but the marine researcher Trond Rafoss hopes to visit very often, as it scares the other fishes away. Sometimes, to draw more fish into the window, Under also uses artificial lights, sound signals, or food to draw the attention of the sea plankton closer to the window.
The head chef at Under is named Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen, and that is the food is something to look forward to. Pedersen was the head chef at the acclaimed gourmet restaurant “Måltid” in Kristiansand city centre, and he has worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant Henne Kirkeby Kro in Denmark. Let’s watch and subscribe the YouTube video below to see the atmosphere of Under Restaurant and food philosophy from chef Ellitsgaard.
Regarding the food menu, the gastronomy choices presented under are quite unique and interesting to eat with a maximum service of up to 40 guests. There is an 18-course meal that lasts three to four hours. Nicolai Ellitsgaard, Under head chef, uses seafood served local flavours. He and his kitchen staff will look for food in the forest to find mushrooms, wild garlic, spices and berries, and along the coast to find edible shells, algae and seaweed. Chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard has spent the last year working on the dining concept. “Fresh ingredients and pure, naked flavours are of the utmost importance to us. At the same time, we want to provide a unique dining experience that ushers our guests beyond their current comfort zone “, he says.
The uniqueness of the menu presented under can be seen from the crispy “limpet” shell made of potatoes and seaweed, filled with shells and limpet cream and served on a smooth stone. The other is the throat and ling egg served with fermented butter and preserved on a small circle of Norwegian flatbread placed on a stretch of the shell. For one dinner here, per person costs 2,250 crones (£ 200) and adds 1,500 Krones or more for the wine installation menu.
Of course, the restaurant experience is not just about the fish that swim by outside. The fish and seafood that is served on your plate is a very important ingredient. Naturally, there was an excellent selection of seafood at Under. But you also have the option of tasting seabirds and wild sheep that have grazed in the archipelago nearby. Guests are required to make online reservations if they want to taste the Under-food culinary experience. At present, more than 7,000 people have made reservations for a meal “Under,” which can cost up to $ 430 (€ 376). Ubostad said they hope 12,000 people will eat dinner each year in the restaurant, with half of them staying in their nearby hotels.
Under Restaurant Direction Map
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