Stepping off the plane for the Dark Season Blues festival in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, is a literal TRIP. You are standing at 78° North, and in late October, the sun has checked out for the winter. It’s 24-hour polar darkness. The Arctic wind hits your face at sub-zero temperatures, but inside the venues, the crowd energy is pure fire.

Playing a high-energy blues set up here burns serious calories. To get us fueled up and ready to perform, our festival hosts knew exactly how to treat the band. Before we hit the stage, they hooked us up with a table at Restaurant Kroa, a legendary local spot right in the heart of town.

Walking into Kroa feels like stepping into an old polar expedition cabin. The interior is built entirely from rugged, weather-beaten driftwood. Animal hides hang on the walls, the lighting is low and warm, and a roaring fireplace instantly thaws your frozen hands. It is the ultimate musician sanctuary—cozy, deeply relaxing, and the perfect place to mentally prepare before hitting the stage.

I started the night with something completely outside the usual roadside diner options: the smoked minke whale carpaccio. It arrived beautifully plated with cool sour cream, crisp red onion with sweet and tangy lingonberries, fresh salad, and traditional flatbread.

If you've never had it, whale is fascinating. It doesn’t taste like fish at all; it’s a deep, dark red meat that eats closer to a very lean, tender beef roast with a subtle, smoky richness. Paired with the bite of the raw onion and the tang of the sour cream, it was a killer opening act for the meal.

For the main course, I went with a true Scandinavian classic: the baked Clipfish. This dried and salted cod was rehydrated and baked until it flakes perfectly at the touch of a fork.

Kroa serves it over a mountain of velvety potato puree with just the right hit of garlic, alongside tender baked root vegetables. But the real magic is the finish: the whole plate is drenched in rich melted butter and topped with a generous handful of crispy, salty bacon. It is heavy, savory comfort food designed to keep you alive in an Arctic winter. Eating this was like a warm hug, though I did wonder how I was going to jump around on stage after consuming that much glorious butter and bacon.

 

To wrap things up, I ordered the cheesecake topped with a bright mango jelly. I have absolutely zero photographic evidence to prove it, though. The truth is, it looked so incredibly good when it hit the table that my "grumblin' belly" completely won. I forgot all about my phone, grabbed my fork, and demolished the creamy, tropical tasting dessert before the thought of taking a picture even crossed my mind. Just trust me on this one: when you are at 78° North, you do not skip dessert, even if you have to play a high energy set immediately after.

What is the most unusual dish you have ever eaten while traveling? Would you try whale or stick to the cheesecake? Let me know in the comments below!