This is an adventure for environmentalists, the curious, fans of art, gastronomy and challenges. It brings unexpected, uplifting rewards. On arriving at Bergen airport, your expedition starts with a drive or ferry cruise of less than 2 hours to the village of Rosendal, then a short e-boat ride calling at Chef Anika’s boathouse for a welcoming snack on the island of Snilstveitøy. Heading for the awesome Salmon Eye, a floating “experience centre” signed Kvorning Design, the setting for your getaway is comprised of the Hardanger fjord, snow-capped mountains, and the natural elements. Once on board the gleaming, orb-like Salmon Eye clad in 9,000 steel plates like fish scales, a multisensory experience awaits you in the world’s largest floating art centre, on the theme of planet-friendly seafood production.

The 4-floor Salmon Eye is the brainchild of the family behind Eide Fjordbruk, the world’s only salmon producer to have won CarbonNeutral® certification. Its concerns about threats to the global food system and innovations which need to be introduced are shared by Anika Madsen. This accomplished Danish chef, who joined the restaurant industry when aged 17, focuses on sourcing, sustainability, quality, and thus the use of seasonal and local ingredients. Once seated in the Iris restaurant, hosting 24 guests at most, you will be mesmerised by 18 exceptional tasting courses, conjured up by Anika. Telling their stories and those of farmers, fishermen and other suppliers, they are all made of top-notch Norwegian produce, nutritious, flavoursome, with the accent on wild ingredients from mountains and forests and, of course, rare gems of the bounty of the sea. In the centre of the Salmon Eye, its “Iris”, inaugurated in June 2023 and already awarded a Michelin star, is stark, refined, in minimalist Scandinavian style, with smooth dark wood, huge, curved windows offering views of the mountains, and a laid-back atmosphere with no formal dress code.

The friendly service is orchestrated by Nico Danielsen, Anika’s husband, and wine plays a judicious part in several pairings (one non-alcoholic). They complement 18 refined dishes in all, on a pre-set menu marked by technical expertise in the kitchen, innovative and captivating presentation. This unique form of gastronomy – which, however, cannot accommodate certain dietary restrictions –, is a lesson in what we are missing in terms of flavours, delicacy, the diversity and generosity of Mother Nature, who deserves our protection. At the end of the evening, another boat ride takes you back to Rosendal. An immersive experience lasting 5 to 6 hours, leaving indelible memories of landscapes, discoveries, participation, but also of mussels, cuttlefish, small salmon, reindeer, rhubarb, caviar, berries…