Updated April 2008: This was one of my favorite sushi places in Oslo. I thought it to be one of the best places to eat downtown, but have to say that my latest experiences have not been that good. Usually their ponzu apetizer is really good, and the amount of different types of fish are one of the best in town.
Here you can also sit at the sushi bar, looking at the sushi chef doing his thing. The Chinese sushi chef has years of experience serving Japanese people in Hong Kong, so if you get to have him serve you, then you are in for at treat. But the rest of the crew… I have to say - the past year - I think they have lost it.
What happened to this place I think I can guess - new owners. It is a completely different feel going there now, and their waiters approach to service sucks. Last time we were there, both the food and the service was really bad, and I still don’t know if I will go back. Too bad.
Summary:
This used to be a great sushi place, but I am not so sure if I recommend it anymore. They need to get their act together.
| Overall rating: |    |
| Presentation: |   |
| Fish/rice: |   |
| Service: |    |
| Price level: | A bit expensive |
| Times visited: | 7 |
General information:
Street adress: Tordenskioldsgate 8
Opening hours:
Phone number: +47 22 41 41 07
http://www.nipponart.no/
How did you like Nippon Art - Sentrum, Oslo
23 Responses to “Nippon Art - Sentrum, Oslo”
- 1 Pingback on Apr 19th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Follow Sushi or Death on twitter
Hi!
I visited Nippon Art as a recommendation from this website. I was not disappointed. It’s probably one of the best places I visited in Europe (topped only by Ginger in Zürich… maybe). Some of the delicacies served there made it to The Sushi Eating HOWTO and its photo companion (see link to my name, above). So let’s go over a quick review:
THE GOOD
Very original restaurant. The food presentation is very chic, the quality of the fish is superb, and Gie, the Thai itamae, is a very friendly and creative guy. The sushi preparation was good, and the meal was about the price I’d expect to pay. The available seafood at the bar had a wide range, from oki gai to kujira (whale), including some thing I’d never heard of before like “swallow fish”. The Norwegian seafood was particularly tasty, including crab, salmon (of course!) and whale. I’d certainly recommend this place to anyone living in, or visiting, the wonderful city of Oslo.
THE BAD
Just a few things, probably a result of adaptation to local taste. The rice was quite sweet, very noticeable. It needed more kombu and rice vinegar, and a lot less sugar. The unagi was deep fried in a light tempura batter instead of baked, and the house sashimi also included some tempura asparagus. While these were quite tasty, it’s probably not a good idea to serve them in sashimi or nigiri (i.e. early in the meal) since the oil on them will numb the palate a bit. Last, the sashimi had a (lingon?) berry + ponzu sauce that, while tasty and exotic to my palate, managed to overpower the morsels on the plate (asparagus, salmon, swallow fish, whale, red snapper, and tuna). I’d suggest a traditional sashimi instead, given the excellent quality of the ingredients, and leave the berry sauce for fishier sashimi (it may play well with saba or aji).
Overall I’ll rate this 8/10, mostly because of the concessions to local taste (the berry-rich sauce, the ultra-sweet rice, the miso-with-everything-else-and-a-spoon soup, etc.). Also, the fish in the bar display was a bit in disarray, subtracting from the overall presentation of the restaurant. On the plus side, I had a chance to interact with Gie the itamae, the lady who owns the place, and the waitresses and it’s clear that all of them work with passion to do a great job. Kudos and see you the next time I’m in Oslo!
Cheers,
Eugene
Eugene! Thank you so much for your review!! And I am terribly sorry that we did not meet up. It was all my fault. Your mail is (still) tagged with “must reply” but I completely forgot. It would have been wonderful to have gone to Nippon Art with such an sushi expert! Or just said hi! Please don’t give up on me. We are usually social people… Really.
Dynamite blog post pertaining to Nippon Art - Sentrum, Oslo at Sushi or Death! I enjoy your write ups!
I have worked there for 2 months. I have a background experience of 11 years as well as working with morimoto in NYC .. and many other places. If your looking for traditional, this is not the place. As mentioned before it is SUPER sweet.. that ponzu berry sauce contains a chicken stock bullion. By EU laws they have to freeze all fish for at least 36 hours which they don’t. Salmon is particular dangerous and susceptible to salmonella and other parasites since they are fresh water fish at one part of their lives. NO it is not safe to eat when you are pregnant if the sushi head chef doesn’t know how to keep fish safe, which i hear the servers say otherwise. The rice is kept outside overnight in white containers behind the table for tomorrow’s use. Sometimes they even make an extra night batch to use for next morning. Can anybody say botulism, a fatal disease?? They try to pass off scrap pieces as sushi… Take the pieces off your nigiri sushi and you will find them all in different shapes and sizes. If you watch closely they never wash their hands with soap as well as they touch everything… including raw shrimp… and the rag is used over and over. You will not always get what you order since the amount on the menu doesn’t equate the amount in the case. If you order the rarer whitefish you will find them substitute and try to pass over for that fish. As well as the nippon roll, spicy TUNA, cucumber, and scampi??? its usually made with laks.. or salmon to save cost. The chinese itmae quit. Almost all japanese chefs who worked quit due to the CEO or EXEC. chef. who doesn’t know cr@p about sushi and just puts things on balls of rice. He even tried to put raw ostrich (poultry) on rice. Nobody has worked there more than a year. I took pictures of all the cross contamination.. cutting all on one board … and sent them to the health department. I was hired and argued with the boss, atalla all the time about certain things as well as sanitation, I then got fed up and quit, for i won’t at any cost have a guest of mine getting sick off my food. It is not if your going to get sick, its when you are going to get sick.
t.
The owners are still the same, and probably the root of the problem. Ever since he got good reviews as well as the title with the most selection. Its gone to his head. Having the most quantity, almost never insures the best quality.
Hey, is that you the vietnamese guy. I heard from the hot food chef that you have escaped from Norway, and that the police was looking for you, cause you have been stealing from the restaurant. He told me that you was very dirty, and had no experience, you just needed a vacation, that is why you apply as sushi chef, but you are not.
Sorry for this message at your sushi or death plogg, but it was funny to read about that person
Wow. There is really a war going on here. Don’t feel like getting in the middle…
Despite conflicts, Nippon Art does really have to get their act together!
We need good sushi restaurants in town!
Jeg tror at dette er bare tull, nippon leverer kvalitet, i all fall de gangene jeg har besøkt restauranten. Du merker det om en restaurant har hyggiene problemer. Det hadde vært fint om denne siden ikke blir misbrukt av tullinger.
Jeg har besøkt “Nippon Art” tre ganger gjennom en periode på halvannet år, og er nå i ferd med å booke bord til bursdagsmiddag for en venn. Dette har vært entydig gode opplevelser både matmessig og betjeningsmessig. Hygieneforholdene ser ut til å være meget bra som gjest kan man se både råvarer og behandling av maten. Det eneste som ser ut til å ha et forbedringspotensiale er sushikokkens arbeidsforhold. Han må ha en uvanlig lav arbeidsposisjon for å kunne skjære, noe som kommer av en lav arbeidsbenk i kjøkkendele av lokalet.
Sushivariantene er mange og svært smakfulle - er man heldig har de også “white tuna” (buklist på menyen og “balck cod”.
Jeg har også vært der endel ganger, og synes matem er himmelsk.
Jeg tror arbeidsbenken er lav for å tilpasse alle kokker
Hi again!
Just letting you know… I’ll be in Oslo 16 - 21 September for the JavaZone conference. Sushi? Care to share your secrets with me? My g/f may be with me as well, so we could have a good sushi outing with a bunch of people.
I can’t find your email — but you have mine. Please let me know so that we can plan.
Cheers!
Eugene
This has been taken over by Eastern Europeans who dont know how to cook sushi !!!
The owner openly argued with a fish seller over the price of fish: he wanted it cheaper, for the maki rolls !!! In front of the guests.
Also, I got cold green tea, which they heated in a microwave (!) when I said it was too cold.
Seems like all the japanese left Oslo (Nippon Art and Fuji) and nasty opportunists who make rotten sushi took over !!!
There are no longer ANY authentic japanese places in Oslo.
THe best places with the most experienced chefs, however, are Alex, Nodee, Jonoe. The others? Not good.
Hmm. Nippon Art is not what it used to be. Too bad.
Ello to all of you, i have visited Nippon Art 3 times the last 4 weeks, and i love this place.
They have the most exiting selection i of fish i have ever seen in a sushi restaurant.
Forget about all this wanna be places, they serve the same fish all of them.
What do you get at Alex or Nodee or what ever you recommand.
I think you only had a bad dream.
I know one thing: people who don’t know better are going to say that bad places are good places.
Nippon has become one of the fake sushi places with no real japanese cooks. It’s sad that all the new people in town don’t know better and say that it’s good. It’s really bad, fish was not fresh and the manager isn’t very nice.
Mr. Truls
You are realy dry brained. You cannot say that everybody who doesnt agree with you, are stupid wanna be sushi experts.
Just read your comments and you may understand. Are you looking for japanese chef? then dont eat anymore in Oslo, or i tell you what , there is a japanese chef in sushi Tokyo, kirkeveien majourstua. In your mind he is an expert because he is japanese.
I can write allot , but who care, It is realy wasting time explaining to mr. expert
i have to say that was the big mistake for me to bring a date to Nippon Art.. I saw on the newspaper and read about the Nippon Art and it sound very nice . So i settle to take my date over there because she told me she love sushi. When we came in to the restaurant come a young and nice dressing english talking woman to hang our jacket. and i think to my self this place is really exclusive . after we tog our jacket off came another guy whit suit and led us to the table but i ask him if we can sit on the sushi bar instead . anyway we order or sushi at the same time we looking at the chef making it. we both was so impress of it. after 20 minutes we get our sushi and just before am going to take my sweet first bit of sushi , then i hear someone shouted ” hurry up faster you have to make it faster he have very much to do” i put down my sushi and saw a big fat guy shouted to the young lady on other side behind the the sushi bar . my date looking at me and asking me who the hell is he
and why he behave him self like a clown . suddenly from our romantic chat become about that fat guy. so we decide to move to the other sit , while we waiting at the waiter to help us we can still see that fat guy walking around in the restaurant whit the chef coat and talking on the self phone. is was so annoy.. finely we get a new table and we start to enjoy our meal. and when the waiter pass by me so i could hold it inside of my self so i told to the waiter ” can you please go tell to your boss to take that big guy in to the kitchen there he belong and tell your boss too the way he shouted to that young woman in front of guest is not nice . and the waiter answer me that was the boss , she own this place . me and my date was so shock and we promise our self how much we enjoy our sushi we will never come back to this place. the service we got was great the sushi we eat was lovely the restaurant was good but the owner was A BIG GERK!! no respect for hes own crew and for the guest who want to enjoy they night out. it say they have five star restaurant but if you have a owner who behave like that he can have hundreds of star they will fall down as the guest leave hes place ……..
So we say sorry Nippon Art my company cooperate whit many other big company and 90% of my business meeting take place on the restaurant and i have to say No More Mister Fat Guy Or Nippon Art….
Hmm
It sounds normal for me. May be that is why they got 5 stars, and you got delicious food and good/faster service
Sorry i dont see any thing wrong with his behaviour if it is ment to learn them take care of us and you.
Have a nice day
Its just a shit place now, like the others. It used to be good.
Used to be a good place. The owners name is Atalla Shafik, he is the one who is arguing openly about getting the cheapest bad fish for his maki rolls. He only cares about the former reputation of this place, and seeling cheap nasty sushi.
Went to Nippon Art yesterday after a recommendation. I must say I was disappointed. The service was lacking and the food was bad. I would not recommend this place to anyone.
They have redeemed themselves!
I had the pleasure to invite a Finish colleague to business lunch at Nippon Art last Wednesday, and it was exquisite. The Miso soup was to die for and the scallops did exiting things to my mouth I have longed for since way back when…
Something has changed, and I like it!
Going back this week as well
P