Vino Veritas: the restaurant with a story behind it.
In Vino Veritas. ”In wine there is the truth”. Almost everyone knows this expression. Almost no one remembers that this phrase has a continuation: “in water there is health”. You think you know something and then there it comes….some special twist.
Vino Veritas is a place with the twist. Spanish restaurant in Oslo with the deep story behind it. City Stories team (CST), being a huge foodie, met with Mari Carmen Sánchez Vizcaíno, the manager of the restaurant to talk about food, life, Spain, restaurants and all possible flavours of life.
CST : Mari Carmen, are you a Chef yourself?
Mari Carmen: No-no, I am not. But food has always been important - in Spain food takes quite a central part of life, everyone is so focused on it, everyone talks about it all the time. I love cooking myself, I am good at it with the exception of deserts (smiles). You know, in Spain cooking is really a task for women…
CST: Then…what are men for?
Mari Carmen (laughs): They are in charge of eating! But talking seriously, somehow all of the best Chefs are men …
CST: Every restaurant has a story….What is the story of your restaurant?
Mari Carmen: The restaurant is a family business. We serve organic food which comes from the family farm in Spain, in South Andalucía. There is a reason why my family started with organic food. When I was 12 there was a bad accident. My dad was working at traditional farm back then. He almost died because of the chemicals which were used in traditional farming.
CTS : And the family started with organic farming…Is it more expensive to run organic farm?
Mari Carmen : Actually, it is cheaper. And healthier for both workers and those who will be enjoying organic food afterwards. In our restaurant we serve organic food from our farm in Spain. Even olive oil is from there. The wine comes from our family-owned vineyard.
*City Stories had a pleasure of having dinner at the restaurant and we must say the wine is really something!
Mari Carmen: We got a visit from Vinmonopolet who came here to try our wine. They were very impressed. They thought the wine can be a good fit for the local market, it has full body and very rich taste and such wines are often bestsellers in Norway.
CTS: Sometimes a restaurant has a unique feature, something no other restaurant has. I cannot help but notice that on each table in your restaurant there is a book...
Mari Carmen (smiles): Yes, all of the books here are about Spain in one way or another. You see, I want to introduce Spain and its’ culture to people. I want people to know that Spain is not only tapas, flamenco, Canary Islands, Madrid, etc. Spain is so much more than that. There are islands which look like Caribbean, there are places where they filmed Indiana Jones movies, there is unique food in every region of Spain…
CTS: What does your typical day look like?
Mari Carmen: I actually have another job as a manager in Repsol, from 8 am to 16.00 pm. From 17.00 until 23.00 I am here in the restaurant.
CTS: I hope you still get some time off. Looking back at how it all started…what was the greatest challenge when you were setting up the restaurant?
Mari Carmen: The biggest challenge was to find the venue, the actual place for the restaurant. You may not believe it, but we spent 1,5 years looking for it! It was really the worst in the whole process, as bureaucracy was relatively easy here in Norway.
CTS: If one wants to open a small restaurant in Norway, how much money should this person have?
Mari Carmen: 3 million NOK, I would say.
CTS: Let’s fast-forward a bit. The restaurant opened one year ago. How did it go on the first day?
Mari Carmen (laughs): Now I can laugh about it but back then it was awful! We had a lot of customers, but technology failed us! Everything from the machines taking orders and terminals just would not work. It was stressful, but in the aftermath it was a good experience as we definitely learned a good deal from that.
CTS: And what is the secret of your restaurant being successful?
Mari Carmen : Our restaurant has a story to tell. And what really makes the difference is people. For example, this is our Chef, he used to work in 5 star hotels in Spain. He dropped everything and moved to Norway for this adventure. Or myself - I am a journalist by education and considering taking PHD, yet here we are (smiles). We have a great team working in Vino Veritas and everyone is like a family.
CTS: What do you like most in your job as a manager of the restaurant and what do you hate the most?
Mari Carmen: What I like about my job is that I am a part of the family business, that I am carrying on doing and contributing to what they started long time ago. What my family did in Spain is very courageous I think. What I don’t like about the job….is… that I never seem to have enough time. I miss reading. Especially Spanish literature, philosophy books.
CTS: We already know that your restaurant is not only about the food, it is more about introducing Spanish culture to people. What can we look forward to?
Mari Carmen: Quite a lot actually! We have a cooperation project with a Spanish High Cuisine School, a very respected establishment in Spain, working since 1965. Their students will come to get some experience in our restaurant. We have also arranged a Language Cafe here, where people can meet and learn some Spanish. We are planning cooking courses with our Chef. My family farm is participating in some activities, for example we will take some Norwegian tourists to our farm and vineyards in Spain for a week in September. It is a lot to look forward to! We want our restaurant to be indeed a bridge to Spanish culture.
CTS: I cannot help but ask you one last question. If sky would be your limit …What would your dream restaurant look like?
Mari Carmen: I think this place already exists in the world. The ideal place for me would be the restaurant in the vineyards of my family.
CTS: and if tomorrow is the end of the world….
Mari Carmen : I would spend it in the countryside with my family. Eating paella:)
This is the story about the family, their principles and views on health, their passion for food, and about their adventure. Come by and Vino Veritas restaurant will tell you all about it. You can book a table through Vino Veritas official website http://www.vinoveritasoslo.com/. Enjoy the meal and enjoy the Story!
