Strange experience at Troll the other day. I made a reservation several weeks in advance, excited by the idea of a seasonal menu.

Once I arrived in Trondheim, I started looking at Google reviews and saw a few recent ones where guests were served whale. In one case, the guest sent it back due to ethical objection and in the other, the guest mentioned that they weren’t aware it was whale until after they consumed it. It stuck me as a bit strange that neither were aware of what was being served. Like even if the menu changes daily, shouldn’t they tell you what is being served when you are seated?

We sit down and the menu is very vague. Essentially a choice of 3 or 5 courses, and a note that the server could provide more detail about today’s selections. So I asked the server if they could share what the dishes were for both the 3 and 5 course options and they essentially refused to tell me. They said “that would take the fun out of it, so all I need to know is if you have any allergies”. No asking of other dietary restrictions, just allergies. When pressed for more detail, they relented that it would be a combination of meat and fish or “something from the sea” and then dessert. Still not specific enough for my liking but I don’t have any allergies or strict restrictions (although I do have preferences), and I didn’t want to argue with this person so I just ordered the 3 course menu.

Sure enough, the first course was whale. Based on the limited research I had done about the whaling industry, I would have preferred something else but didn’t feel like I had another option so I tried it. It was fine.

We did however really enjoy our main course which was another fish dish. Cod I think, but could have been halibut (a bit of a language barrier). It was very good and the highlight of the meal

Dessert was a brownie, which was pretty good but I’m of the belief that the best brownies come out of a Duncan Hines box mix. For the price we paid, I would have liked something more sophisticated. The peach applesauce it was served with was too tart and not enjoyable.

So all in all, while I loved my main, everything else fell short and I feel like I was ripped off. And more importantly, I would encourage the servers and management staff of Troll to be more transparent about what you are serving your guests. Everyone has a right to know what they are eating, whether that is for health/safety reasons or religious reasons or ethical reasons, especially if they make a point to ask. I’ve been to other restaurants at all price points with daily changing menus and have never experienced this evasiveness about a menu.