A very pleasant and delightful evening was spent with my girlfriend celebrating our 5 year anniversary at Maaemo.

It's my second time dining at the restaurant, but the first time in the new locales, and I must say it's the most exclusive environment I've ever dined in. Classy and luxurious, but never opulent; dark and subdued, with elegant lines and angular structures that gives off a Nordic noir feel.

The acoustics and lighting are perfect. It was so satisfying with all the sliding doors, gliding open without a sound, as if by magic. Not to mention the broad Danish oak flooring, or the big funnel formed columns dividing the main dining hall and the service kitchen, where the dishes get the final touch before serving. The lounge in the basement, where you both start and end the visit, was both stylish and cosy. You get the idea - the attention to detail is spectacular; seamless.

The service was impeccable, attentive without being too much. Maaemo radiates warmth and a natural robustness, and it's an experience in itself to dine here.

And the food? Well, if the environment at Maaemo deserves three Michelin stars, I'm not quite convinced the food does the same. It's nothing I've not tasted before, in one form or another. It might be harsh to expect a restaurant to invent completely new dishes and taste combinations, but I think we should expect a three star restaurant like Maaemo to push the envelope more than they currently do.

Don't get me wrong, the food was mostly delicious with flawless presentation, with some of the highlights being the warm duck liver; the tartar with caramelised onion and horseradish; and of course the classic oyster "tradition".

Other fabulous dishes were Arctic char gently cooked with salted butter; roasted scallop with sauce of juniper, gooseberries and white currant; and maybe the surprise best dish of the evening: Komle with reindeer tongue, fenalår and a 25 layered buttered bread with fermented honey to dip into the broth. Too bad the portion was a bit too small for the size of bread we got.

The wine pairings were mostly good, with the white wines being the best, and my favourite of the evening was the Meursault. The red wines were okay, but didn't pair as well to the dishes this evening.

I sorely missed the classic Maaemo langoustine dish which was my favourite from last time, but maybe the most famous Maaemo dish, the Rømmegrøt (sour cream porridge) with cured reindeer heart, is still on the menu. Personally, I don't get what all the fuss is about. It's okay at best. Another let down from this evening was the desserts - a bit uninspired overall, with the cinnamon buns being outright mediocre, doughy and lacking in crispness.

The in-house roasted coffee was lacklustre as well, and a major let-down for my barista trained girlfriend who is excited about high quality coffee. It had nothing of the Ethiopian bean's potential for complexity. Instead of fruity and flowery notes, the harsh roast was too dark, and left a one-dimensional, watery and bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe Maaemo should let the experts roast their coffee beans next time? Either Tim Wendelboe or Supreme Roastworks would be my choice.

Another nitpick were the small portions; nearly everything was bite sized, even the main dishes. I might be a bit more difficult to satiate than most, but for almost 12 000,- Norwegian kroners for two persons, I shouldn't be so hungry that I have to make myself more food when I get back home from Maaemo.

They should either increase the portion size of their main dishes, or add 4 - 5 smaller dishes to their existing menu.

All in all, we don't regret our dining experience at Maaemo, but at this prize range you get more for your money at places like Palace Grill, Omakase and even Restaurant Rest.

In my opinion, all three of them can give Maaemo a good run for their money.