Some dishes are blessed with star power.

Just look at Freyja’s trout roe waffle, which in a few short weeks has become one of the breakout winners of 2022. The lowdown: a plate-sized buttermilk waffle, golden and crimped in all the right places, and a caviar tin sitting on ice. The lid is popped at the table to reveal fish egg jewels bedazzling a thick layer of smoked sour cream. A dainty thicket of aromatic herbs – dill, tarragon and chives – lurks at the bottom. It’s pure Instagram-bait. It’s also delicious – like the perfect party canape upsized into dinner.

It’s a great opening salvo for a newcomer, but the even better news is that Freyja has the goods to follow it up. Opened in Collins Street’s extravagantly gothic Olderfleet building in early June, it has lured to Melbourne the impressive talents of chef Jae Bang, formerly head chef at Norway’s two-Michelin-gonged Re-Naa.

Freyja’s “new Nordic” calling card might conjure a throwback to the late noughties, when Rene Redzepi’s Noma was the big cheese in global cuisine. A planned lunchtime service in the near future will introduce a range of smorrebrod – traditional, open-faced sandwiches – to the finance district’s office workers. But visit for dinner and it’s translated into a subtle nod to the preserving techniques that have gone from ancient to à la mode – the fermenting, curing, smoking and pickling that are now staples of sustainably-minded restaurants everywhere.

Related story: This fire-fuelled Filipino restaurant in Melbourne is seriously hot stuff 

This is new Nordic with a distinctly Australian sensibility. Buttermilk-sluiced smoked oysters arrive under a cloche that releases a heady aroma of juniper and Geraldton waxflower. The intoxicating effect on the room inspires numerous cases of “I’ll have what they’re having”. Beef tartare dabbed with an elegant tarragon cream is punctuated with the tickle of Tasmanian mountain pepper and rounded with the tangy sweetness of native quandong.

The dining room reflects the Nordic-Oz theme. Behind the ecclesiastical windows is a cocoon of exposed red brick, raw timber and metallic wall sconces. It’s tactile and inviting in that oh-so-Scandi way. The service is the weakest link – friendly as anything but loose on the fine detail – but there’s no dimming the star power of this kitchen that can elevate the humble cauliflower into a main course via various cooking methods and a drinkable sauce infused with the toasty funk of koji. It’s equally handy with a luxe wodge of Murray cod, the super-crunchy skin playing off against the velvety-sharp sherry cream sauce.

It pays to arrive early for a cocktail fit for a Viking in Freyja’s moody sibling basement bar Valhalla. Or stick to a wine list celebrating the local and the global. Sure, you can shell out some serious coin, but there’s also plenty for those on Ikea budgets.

We’ll be honest: Freyja had us at the trout roe waffle. But it’s keeping our affections thanks to the whole-package effort that has started strong and promises a northward trajectory. 

Melbourne’s newly Nordic heart is filled with happy expectation.