Tid Bakeri

Never heard of Skullerud in southeast Oslo? Now you have a reason to. Thirty minutes away from Oslo Central Station by subway, the neighbourhood is home to Oslo Klatresenter, one of Norway’s largest climbing gyms.

Located in the climbing gym’s foyer is Tid Bakeri, which translates into “Time Bakery” in English. The bakery started out as some sort of climbing boys’ club with its three jaunty male bakers scurrying behind the counter. A few years ago, they brought in Katerina Soukupova, a veteran baker from arguably Oslo’s best-renowned sourdough bakery Ille Brød, who has lent the place a somewhat female and delicate touch.

Reasons abound to like this place. Ever since its foundation, Tid Bakeri insisted on using local ingredients to produce 100% sourdough bread. On our lastest visit, we tried their Pain Suisse and their seasonal strawberry Danish—I mean, who could resist such a treat in the height of the Norwegian strawberry season? Meticulously crafted and perfectly laminated, the Pain Suisse was one of the best we have encountered in Oslo, with a crispy crust that snaps at the slightest touch. Their strawberry Danish was equally impressive. Its custard-based topping, together with sliced fresh strawberries, created a light and refreshing flavour, unleashing a burst of natural fruity aroma, without any aftertaste of overpowering sweetness.

We also tried two of their seasonal drinks. “Fri Solo” was a rooibos cold brew sweetened with honey and served with lemon slices. The combustion of the natural sweetness and sourness, on the basis of rooibos’ distinctive aroma, resulted in a glass of herbal tea with several layers of flavours. The espresso tonic was also quite good.

Thanks to its location, prices of pastries at Tid Bakeri (both pastries we tried cost 51 kr) are roughly 15% lower than specialty cafés in the city. The climbing gym is usually more chill and relaxed during the weekdays, but much busier during the weekends. As a result, you can expect more variety of pastries at the café in the weekends as well. The gym boasts a spacious foyer, so there are absolutely no worries about seating space, even if you decide to drop by on their busy days. With the climbing centre located only 200 meters away from the subway station, equipped with a large and spacious parking lot and superbly child-friendly, you should seriously consider putting Tid Bakeri on the map as an additional motivation to plan a family climbing day at Skullerud.