Hi, I'm Jo. And I live to eat.

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, food wasn't just something you ate. It was the architecture of every conversation, every celebration, and the remedy to every heartbreak and ailment. Mamak stalls open 24/7. Char kway teow from the same uncle for twenty years. Laksas that make you realize why food is almost a religion to my people. I didn't know it then, but Malaysia was calibrating my palate to expect a lot from food.

After moving to Norway, I yearned for what I had back home. So much.

I missed the variety of seafood you could find in warmer waters. I missed eating out without it costing half a liver. I missed having access to different cuisines besides the usual suspects of Thai, pizza, and very bad Chinese.

But over the past decade, the food scene has gradually developed - a labor of love from innovative local chefs, and surprisingly also thanks to an influx of foreigners who moved in and made Stavanger their home.

Many of the most talked-about places in town are opened by outsiders. Korean, South American, Chinese, British. People bringing a bit of their flavor to the city of Stavanger and beyond.

Stavanger was never really a tourist town, so the food that exists here exists for the locals. There are no tourist traps, just honest food, some of it boring, some of it inspiring. With Gladmat on the calendar and Pedersgata slowly becoming the food street of Stavanger, the city is gaining a reputation as the food capital of Norway.

I'm glad to be a witness to this food revolution.

There is one other food blog out there with good information, and the newspapers cover things here and there. But I always found myself searching. Always looking for places to eat, things to do, somewhere worth going on a Saturday night, and never finding it all in one place.

The Stavanger List is the resource I wished existed. A curated list I can refer back to myself, a place to relive my own experiences, and hopefully something useful for everyone else out there doing the same search I was doing. Locals, expats, visitors — anyone trying to figure out where to eat and have fun in this city.

In English. Because that's what was missing.

Welcome to my very messy list of food and experiences I enjoy.

Honest restaurant reviews — Every place on this list I've actually eaten at, paid for, and formed a real opinion on. If I ever get any free food out of this endeavor, I’ll let you know (and still give my real two cents).

Curated top lists — The best spots for pigging out or having a good time.

More to come — Experiences, things to do, and hidden gems that don't make the usual lists.