Home > Detroit Restaurants > Editorial Review > First Taste: Oslo

Sushi and techno are not traditionally associated with one another, but at Oslo -- in the heart of downtown Detroit -- they have been complementing each other for some time now. 

As of January 26 of this year, Oslo -- a sushi bar and restaurant on the main floor and a dance club downstairs -- has been open at the helm of three owners: Katalina Lemos, a former employee at Oslo, her husband Roberto Lemos and his mother Lumpai Rossbach.  Rossbach, who used to own the Royal Thai Café in Ferndale for more than 20 years, now serves authentic Thai cuisine at Oslo.

The Thai menu is large, and spans into other areas of Asian cuisine with dishes like mandarin and almond chicken. Curry lovers will be delighted to know that there are seven different curries on the menu: red, green, yellow, coconut, panang, masaman and peanut. Be sure to check out the nice assortment of soups. The Tom Kaa, a rich chicken broth with lemon grass, coconut milk, mushroom, tomatoes and cilantro, was a sensation. Definitely a soup packed with flavor.        

Noodle dishes like Pad Thai are made with fresh rice noodles that possess a nice sticky firmness. Speaking of Pad Thai, Oslo has more of a reddish color and pronounced flavor than the usual Pad Thai,   

The other side of Oslo’s culinary pursuits is the sushi bar, run by head sushi chef, John Riney. The new owners moved the sushi bar next to the window where Riney’s talents could be displayed from onlookers on Woodward.       

Riney describes himself as a traditionalist of Japanese cuisine who likes to play around with fusion and improvisational techniques. While sitting at Oslo one evening at about 10 p.m. I visited with a few regular customers who disregarded the menu and just ordered whatever Riney wanted them to try. 

That night I tried a few of his latest creations, like the Summer Refresh, a rice-less roll of spicy tuna, sweet egg, avocado and crab wrapped in a cucumber ribbon. The name fit the dish, as the spiciness of the tuna was nicely balanced by the sweet egg and then the cucumber wrapping left my palate totally refreshed. 

Also ordered up was the Cherry Blossom, a roll of raw tuna and salmon topped with a slice of lemon with the rind still attached and flying fish roe. This dish was subtle and delicate, using the acidity from the lemon to showcase the salty, fat flavor of the tuna, salmon and flying fish roe.

Behind the bar, Katalina reigns supreme, coming up with exotic drink combinations that do not confine her to just the usual bar ingredients. Like the Stumbelina, in which Thai sweet basil and cucumber are muddled together then shaken with Grey Goose, Midori and pineapple juice. Or the bloody mary made with wasabi instead of horseradish. She also keeps a stock of good beer around like Hitachino White and Bell’s from Kalamazoo.     

Oslo’s success as a restaurant is a combination of culinary passion and sheer staff presence. What I mean by that is that anytime I’ve been to Oslo I see the owners there as well as chef Riney, which gives me an assurance of quality.