Everyone who visits the stunning Sognefjords, and in particular the Aurlandsfjorden will see Undredal from the water but very few of them will ever set foot in this tiny little town of 100, which is a shame. Until recently, 1988, it was only accessible by boat but now there is a scenic road that comes down from the E16 just before arriving in Flam. Ten minutes or so down the road you first pass the Undredal Stave Church, the smallest of its kind in Northern Europe seating only 40 people. Continue down the little road and there is an equally little carpark to park your car and then walk around.
We didn’t walk far since across the street we saw the words “Kaffe” and we walked straight that way. Inside, a man wearing a traditional outfit greeted us. They don’t serve food at lunch other than during the summer. But it was our lucky day. A group of tourists that had arrived for lunch and a tour by speedboat had just finished up and because of this the chef was there and could prepare something for us. The owner, apart from running this little restaurant, also owns the camp site and the local store and gives tours to tourists about local Norwegian culture (hence the outfit) as well as cheese tasting. Our choices for lunch: reindeer meatballs with a delicious sauce, mashed potatoes and berry jam and a pasta with goat ragu. We ordered one of each and took a look around while they prepared our food.
In the back the owners have a room where they mature cheese, the famous Undredal cheese. Undredal has one of the best and most famous cheeses in the country, goat chees, made from the milk of the 500 or so goats that live in the town (remember there are only 100 people). Their brown goat cheese is the most popular and still produced the traditional way. It is boiled for over eight hours and almost tastes like caramel….interesting, but a bit of an acquired taste if you ask me. The other fresh goat cheeses were beautiful and we were lucky enough that the owner brought us an extra tasting platter left over from the previous group. Our food was absolutely delicious and yes I did have a hot chocolate – I’m pleased to say it was very nice.
From the terrace of the Kaffe you get views of the Fjords as well as the rest of colourful Undredal. It is ridiculous how stunning the Fjords are, undescribeable really. One just needs to experience them. On our way out back to the main road our journey was slowed down by a group of about 30 goats wandering slowly up the middle of the road. They were in no rush and were not fussed by our car gently moving past them. What a perfect way to end a short trip to Undredal.
Verdict: Undredal and its Kaffe were one of the highlights of our whole trip. It is worth skipping the Norway in a Nutshell deal and doing it on your own terms, as like that you can visit Undredal and have a hot chocolate on the terrace overlooking the stunning fjords. NOK 25. Kaffe Undredal, Undredal, Norway
