Dinner on Hurtigruten boats is usually served in two sittings, typically at 18.30 and 20.15. A set meal of three courses is the norm. The menu is posted early each morning at the entrance to the restaurant. The price for dinner on board is 425 Norwegian kroner, excluding drinks. You can opt for a recommended glass of wine to accompany each course.

The meal reflects the local cuisine of the particular region through which you pass on that day of your journey. It’s a great way of exploring both the cultural as well as the culinary accents of communities along the Norwegian coast. On the downside, a set meal does not offer any choice. The chef will, however, accommodate special dietary requirements if you notify the restaurant staff (or the reception) when booking dinner. Alternatives will be limited, though.

Menus vary from season to season. They do generally apply to all Hurtigruten ships plying the Norwegian coastal voyage.

Here are some sample menus to whet your appetite - they were valid in August and September 2014:

Dinner on the journey from Ålesund to Kristiansund

Starter

Marinated trout with cucumber, crispy rye and apple mayonnaise

Main course

Salted leg of lamb from Geiranger with seasonal vegetables, new potatoes with dill and wild garlic oil, and mustard sauce

Dessert

‘Veiled Farm Girls’: baked apples served with biscuits and caramel sauce

Dinner on the journey from Trondheim to Rørvik

Starter

Hitra crab cocktail with salad, toast and Hurtigruten’s homemade Norwegian-style cocktail sauce

Main course

Halibut with steamed cabbage, pickled ‘Victory Onion’, baked potatoes, carrots and butter sauce

Dessert

‘Tjukkmølkspudding’ from Røros with sea buckthorn and aquavit ice cream from Gangstad Gårdsysteri

Dinner on the journey from Bodø to Svolvær

Starter

Aaland Gård cheese from the Lofoten served with salad and cloudberry syrup

Main course

Beer braised beef served with pearl barley, root vegetables and potatoes

Dessert

‘Nyr’ from Grøndalen Gård with berry compote

Dinner on the journey from Vardø to Berlevåg

Starter

King crab and salmon roe with blini and sour cream

Main course

Vodka-marinated reindeer from Finnmark with pelmeni and celery purée

Dessert

Pavlova served with forest berries

Occasionally, a buffet is offered instead of a set meal. This is always the case when leaving Bergen for the northbound journey along the Norwegian coast. Dinner on the last evening of the northbound voyage is also often a buffet. Southbound journeys tend to offer buffets only exceptionally. Where a buffet is on offer, you will find a wide selection of hot and cold dishes.

The Bergen buffet additionally includes the following local dishes:

• Bergen fish soup with stock from saithe, root vegetables and fish balls from Søstrene Hagelin
• Alder-smoked fjord trout from Fossen (20 km outside Bergen)
• Puspas with young lamb, summer cabbage and pear vinegar

Find out more about life on board Hurtigruten ships in our Norwegian coastal voyage Q&A, read more about the Norwegian coastal voyage in our introductory note on Hurtigruten and get to know the company that manages the Norwegian coastal voyage.