Radisson Blu Scandinavia in the centre of Oslo is an ultra modern skyscraper with 21 floors. The breakfast restaurant has seats for 350 guests. Breakfast buffets can be excessively lavish. If you look for options for carbo-loading or bright colorful fruits this is not what you get. Here the concept seems to be to offer what one needs in order to provide a good breakfast. Avoid excesses and emphasize health. There is a good selection of gluten free bread and cereals, as well as lactose free milk and yoghurt. Allergens are well marked. Not being a fan of sweets for breakfast I was pleased to note that those were limited to muffins and chocolate croissant.
The hot dishes I tasted – roast potato, grilled tomato, baked beans, scrambled eggs and marinated mushrooms – where very well done. The bread is fresh but here we encounter how the place may have carried it´s minimalism too far. The bread selection is narrow and there is just one sort of cheese. Fresh fruits are limited to melons and not good looking pineapples. In Norway one would expect to be offered salmon. There is, but it was a bit difficult to find. The same goes for the toaster, which was well away from the bread section. I could not understand why some signs where in English and Norwegian while others were only in Norwegian. For some it is important to know whether it is ham or turkey that you put on your plate.
The overall verdict very much depends on how you approve this concept. Even so there is a way to go before the breakfast becomes top notch. I give it 6/10.
(With thanks to Peter Stein for the review)