Bula Neobistro

Bula Neobistro opened in 2014 and was the kitchen that arguably announced the modern Trondheim food scene. The room is small — perhaps thirty covers — with a long counter facing the open kitchen and a regular wine bar at the front for walk-ins. The format is a four-course set menu that changes every few weeks, plus a short à la carte for those who only want one or two courses.

The cooking is New Nordic in the casual register: foraged ingredients, fermented and pickled accents, plenty of raw and aged seafood, and an emphasis on producers within an hour's drive of Trondheim. The chefs themselves serve most of the dishes from the counter, which gives the evening a directness most fine-dining rooms have lost.

The wine list is largely natural and unfailingly interesting — small producers from Jura, Sicily, Slovenia, and the increasing number of Norwegian fruit-wine and cider producers. The sommelier is happy to recommend by the glass, which suits a solo diner perfectly.

For a solo dinner that wants character rather than ceremony, a first date that should feel current rather than corporate, or a Tuesday with a glass of natural wine and a counter seat, Bula is the obvious choice.

The chef's counter is one of the friendliest places in Trondheim for a solo diner — chefs serving directly, a glass of natural wine, and a four-course menu that does not require company to enjoy. The tempo suits eating alone.