The story
Crafted with passion, served with love
Where Nordic Pantry Meets Japanese Fermentation
Hrimnir Ramen is the permanent home of an idea that spent years proving itself at popups and events across Oslo and Copenhagen. The restaurant is the creation of microbiologist David Quist, whose background shapes everything about the place — from the house-made garum and koji to the kombucha and shoyu brewed on-site. Bottles of these fermenting liquids line the shelves throughout the tastefully furnished dining room, making the kitchen's philosophy visible before a single bowl arrives at the table.
Emmer Noodles and Maaemo Alumni
The ramen here is built on freshly made emmer noodles — an ancient Nordic grain that grounds the concept firmly in its geography. With alumni of Maaemo working the kitchen, the technical execution matches the ambition of the concept. The result is Nordic ramen that feels neither like a novelty act nor a pale imitation of a Japanese original, but something genuinely its own.
White Guide awarded Hrimnir its Masters level recognition in 2026, singling out the restaurant's use of Nordic ingredients in combination with foreign fermentation techniques as what sets it apart. The judges noted that the quality of execution lives up to the concept — a meaningful distinction for a place that could easily have coasted on its originality alone.
Dishes That Earn Their Place
Starters show the same precision as the bowls. A potato salad arrives with grilled tubers, bonito flakes and crispy chicken skin, rich with mayonnaise and cut through with vivid acidity. A single scallop, grilled in its shell, is served with blackened apple, plum kombucha and browned butter — the kind of dish that belongs in a fine dining room, delivered in an everyday bistro setting.
That balance — serious craft without ceremony — is what makes Hrimnir Ramen worth the trip to Maridalsveien.
Recognition