Inside new wine bar Norse that's bringing a taste of Sweden to heart of Durham

The newest addition to Durham is bringing a smorgasbord of flavour to the heart of the historic city.

With its bold yellow and blue aesthetic in homage to the Swedish flag, Norse has opened its doors in a prime location overlooking Market Place.

It’s seen a total transformation of the unit which was most recently a travel agents, but has had many guises over the years, from a jewellers to an ice cream shop.

Norse is a sister site to the established Crush wine bar in North Road and, as the name would suggest, it’s flying the flag for Swedish small plates, as well as wines from across the globe, including varieties you won’t find on the supermarket shelves.

Sommelier Daniel Jonberger, whose CV includes some of the area’s most prestigious venues including Rockliffe Hall near Darlington and the former two Michelin Star Raby Hunt, set up Crush two years ago to offer some more unusual wine choices for palates in Durham.

It’s proved popular, especially with its wine tasting nights - so much so, they have to turn people away at weekends.

Now, he’s teamed up with wife and business partner Donna for their second venture, which is inspired by Daniel’s home country of Sweden.

Daniel said: “Crush has been so great. It’s at the point now where almost nobody looks at the menu, they just ask me what I would suggest.

“We have a great clientele there. It’s so popular on Friday and Saturday nights that we have to turn people away, which gave us the kernel of an idea to do something else different in the city.

“When this unit became available, it seemed perfect. But it’s not Crush 2.0, it’s something different. Crush has more of a speakeasy, autumn feel. But Norse is light and summery.”

While Crush serves cheeseboards, Norse has a more extensive menu of Swedish small plates, such as Rabiff - sirloin steak tartar with Dijon mustard on toasted sourdough with shallots, beetroot and pickled cucumber and Rökt Hjort - a smoked venison on dark toast with beetroot salad and harissa.

Vegetarian dishes, all designed to share, are also available.

Drinks-wise, there’s a wide range of wines, with ten red, ten white and seven sparkling options available by the glass. In total, there’s more than 100 different types of wine, with bottles available for sit in or take away.

“We went to Stockholm for three days, eating at some great wine bars, to give us the vision for what we could do here. It’s not hot food, it’s cold Swedish small plates, like Swedish tapas,” explained Daniel.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into the menu. Unfortunately, we don’t have moose available here, but we have a venison version, which has been smoked especially for us, to give the taste we wanted.”

A central bar means people can see the dishes being made, which is a core part of the Norse ethos. There’s also tables both inside and outside the venue.

“It’s exactly what a wine bar is in Sweden,” explained Daniel. “Where people like to sit and natter with the staff and see their food being made.”

Norse has already held its first winemakers dinner and there will be a series of future such events, where people can listen to winemakers and their journeys while enjoying wine and small plates.

Moving forward, the cellar will also be transformed into a space for private dining and and tasting menu events.

*Norse is open 10.30am to 7pm Tuesday to Thursday, 10.30am to late Friday and Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays.