Dear Coast, from Huset

Huset, simply meaning “The House”, stands on the edge of Longyearbyen, to the side of the sweeping curve of Longyear Valley on Spitsbergen’s west coast. To get to the beloved “Old Lady”, it’s a short two-and-a-half kilometres inland from the stoney shores of the Adventfjord and the port where we dock on our summer Signature voyage, The Svalbard Line.

Along the way to Huset, you can see the low red, yellow, blue, and green buildings of Gamle Longyearbyen, the modest spire and flagpole of Svalbard Church nudging up the valley’s western side, and the cheerful Funken Lodge. Almost directly across the river from Huset, the weathered remains of an old coal mine hunker halfway up the valley’s eastern flank.

Huset is one of Longyearbyen’s few buildings constructed from bricks and concrete. Picture its white boxy presence, with windows glowing with a warm and welcoming yellow light, a constant beacon above the town through the long winter night. It’s easy to understand why this place has played – and still plays – a vital role in the town’s community, and why those connected with it take pride in playing a part in its story.

Huset opened in 1951, when life in Longyearbyen centred on coal mining. It was built by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani, a mining company, as Longyearbyen’s communal meeting house, a neutral place that cut through class divides to welcome both the miners and the company officials.

Since then, Huset has played many roles within the community. It has stood in as the school, the church, the local shop, the post office, the airport terminal building, the hospital, and the cinema. The latter is especially fitting as Huset was designed by Jacob Hansen, one of the architects behind Oslo’s celebrated Colloseum cinema.

For decades, people have gathered here to play bridge, to sing, and, of course, to eat.

“I think that those of us who live on Svalbard need some degree of normality. The options are limited, but to gather together is vital,” says Alberto Lozano, Huset Restaurant’s Head Chef. “You won’t sit down in a park here because the climate is unpredictable even in summer, so the role of restaurants in helping people to gather is important.” His words are as true now as they were at the beginning of Huset’s story.

As part of the service, Huset’s first proprietors served coffee and pastries three days a week and sandwiches and casseroles on Saturdays. Guests could buy one bottle of beer at a time, returning the glass bottle each time.

In 1977, Huset opened a restaurant. In keeping with the food trends of the times, guests could order dishes like toast melba and prawn cocktail, while the alcohol allowance increased to one bottle of wine per person with a meal.

Wine moved centre stage in the 1980s, when Huset’s now renowned wine collection was started by Hroar Holm. In the 1990s, Huset opened its wine cellar; at one point, the cellar housed over 25,000 bottles.

Imagine the stories that have been shared over those vintages across the decades, between everyone from coal-covered miners and climate change scientists to movie producers and cruise travellers wide-eyed at the view.

Food still brings visitors and locals together at Huset. In keeping with tradition, Huset Bistro and Huset Café & Bakery open on Saturday afternoons, and there are convention facilities, but it’s Huset Restaurant that really makes people here proud.

Today, Huset is one of Norway’s finest restaurants and its cellar – one of Scandinavia’s most distinguished, with a two-wine glass rating by Wine Spectator – has more than 6,000 bottles. It’s an impressive collection anywhere, but especially at 78 degrees north.

“I believe that I am part of Huset’s heritage. No chef is bigger than the story of Huset. I'm just playing my part with as much respect as possible for the history of the building,” says Alberto, as he considers how he is taking Huset into its next chapter.

Giving Svalbard’s produce a bigger role in Huset’s story is key. “We are forward thinking in terms of sustainability,” he says. “We are not claiming to be fully sustainable – obviously we can’t be; lemons cannot be grown here, for example – but every menu [we create] moves more towards that.”

Alberto and his team source as much produce as possible from Svalbard and Norway. This includes working with local and over-wintering hunters to bring local Svalbard Reindeer, ptarmigan, and bearded seals to Huset Restaurant’s impressive menu. His team have also started a greenhouse project where they grow sprouts and herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

In the summer, when the Midnight Sun shines for 24 hours a day, they forage in the mountains around the restaurant for mountain sorrel, which they have a special licence to collect, and mushrooms. “When you are hyperactive like me, from July, you can spend the whole night, which is light, collecting mushrooms!” laughs Alberto.

As you’d expect in a fine dining establishment, Huset’s presentation of the food is as exquisite as the flavour. The pride, passion, and drive towards greater sustainability can be seen in the remarkable presentation too. Even the plates are foraged. They’re made of fossils dug from the mountainside, of stones from the beach, and of wood washed up by the Atlantic current on nearby shores.

There’s a tale behind every mouthful, to be shared with friends. Certainly, Huset’s latest role is a fitting next chapter in the story of Svalbard’s most beloved building.