Mjolner, Redfern

The prospect of eating at Mjolner, a Thor-inspired, Viking-themed restaurant created by the team behind the amazing Eau de Vie cocktail bar was an exciting one. Entering the basement, I was immediately transformed into another world. The site of a former tobacco factory, the space was dark and moody with exposed brick walls, various Viking themed memorabilia and of course, Thor's hammer (of which the restaurant takes its name from).

We all had a miniature viking horn shot class in front of us. ​Turns out they were for our Skal, a complimentary welcome drink of Mead, honey and vermouth. Sweet and smooth, it was simply delicious!

"Skal" - Mead, honey and vermouth

As soon as the Roasted bone marrow hit the table, I was salivating. The marrow was melt in your mouth delicious and the meat crumb on top was heavenly, packed full of umami flavour - a sprinkle of this would make the blandest food taste amazing.

Roasted bone marrow, meat powder, watercress $20

The Pig's head terrine was delicious and had a crumbly texture, served with a sprinkling of crunchy pistachios. ​

Spiced pig's head terrine, bronzed fennel, pistachio $19

Our waitress returned to our table with a leather pouch, unveiling a range of knives (all different designs) for us to pick our own blade of choice for the main course!

Our knife selection

My knife for the night

We started with the Whole Snapper, which was cooked beautifully and well seasoned, with the flesh flaking away easily. 

Whole snapper, watercress puree $35

The Lamb shank was cooked on the rotisserie for over 7 hours so it was no surprise it was incredibly tender. The smoked eggplant puree together with the macadamias also delivered in terms of flavour.

Lamb shank, pistachio, smoked eggplant puree $35

The Beef short rib was buttery and luscious, falling off the giant bone at the slightest pressure. It was simply one of the best short ribs I've ever had.

Braised short rib, celtuce, juniper $35

The special of the night was the Pork loin with house made BBQ sauce and it tasted as delicious as it looked. Our carving knives came in handy with this dish and biting into the crispy pork crackling was oh so satisfying. Who knew the Vikings had it so good?

Pork loin with house made BBQ sauce

The sides of the Green beans ​with a hazelnut and sourdough crumb and Carrots were very tasty on their own right, perfect complements to the meaty dishes.

Pan roasted green beans with hazelnut sherry and garlic $14

Roasted carrots, carraway, yoghurt $12

Onto desserts, and the combination of Fennel, rhubarb and rice pudding seems strange on paper, but actually worked well together. The rhubarb sorbet was smooth and velvety, offering some sourness to counteract the sweetness of the rice pudding.

Rice pudding, salted caramel, fennel & rhubarb sorbet $15

The Mascarpone parfait was very creamy but lacked flavour and was the only miss of the night.

Marscapone parfait, macadamia, charred lemon & plum $15

Themed restaurants can be gimmicky, but Mojlner has absolutely smashed it out of the park. Everything from the fitout to the food was very impressive. It's a unique dining experience but to get the most out of it, I'd recommend coming with a group so you can try out several of the meaty mains.