Danish Dining
Press Information
September 2007
The Delights of Danish Dining
Though not as well known as many other European cuisines, the cooking of Denmark and the Nordic region as a whole is growing in stature internationally.
Danish cooking has undergone something of a revolution in the last decade or so. These days the restaurant menus of Copenhagen don't simply look overseas for influences and ingredients, instead their chefs have learned to exploit the wonderful natural resources of the Nordic larder. Fresh, seasonal vegetables; wild game; locally caught fish; and cured or smoked fish and meats are some of the hallmark ingredients that have helped shape a modern local cuisine with international appeal.
The capital's restaurants lead the way
Copenhagen's restaurants have been lauded in publications as diverse as the Michelin Guide, Condé Nast Traveller and Wallpaper. At last, the rest of the world is waking up to new interpretations of the wonderful dishes that Danes have known and loved for years.
Many of Copenhagen's top chefs have learned their trade in some of the finest restaurants in the world. The head chef of the recently opened restaurant Noma, in a converted 19th century warehouse in Christianhavn, is a great example of this. René Redzepi, has in some of the very greatest kitchens in the world, including the fabled French Laundry in California, and the experimental El Bulli, in Spain. He has brought all this knowledge to bear on Noma's menu, which fuses contemporary styles and techniques with the best quality traditional Nordic dishes and ingredients, sourced from as far as Greenland, The Faroe Islands and Iceland.
Danish sushi and other Nordic treats
An important part of the Danish food tradition is the herring. As a speciality, herring is often marinated and served raw, accompanied by a delicious sauce made from fresh cream, butter, egg yolks and a variety of herbs including fresh chives, dill, watercress and wood sorrel. The smoothness of the sauce is the perfect contrast with the sharp flavour of the herring. Some have even gone as far as to call this the Danish equivalent of sushi!
There are plenty of other types of fish on a typical Copenhagen menu too; cod, turbot and anglerfish, as well as a wide variety of meats. For meat lovers, nothing beats roast pork served with red cabbage and rich gravy, or meatballs with new potatoes.
Aamanns opened recently in the district of Østerbro with thoroughly genuine Danish open-faced sandwiches on organic home baked rye bread. Sausages, patés, smoked eel and pickled red beets - everything is home made. You can also order take-away and enjoy your meal in the nearby park. The interior is minimalistic with Arne Jacobsens chairs and Royal Copenhagen porcelain. In this mostly take-away place there is is room only for a mere 18 guests at two large tables.
Restaurants in green surroundings
In Kongens Have Chef Rasmus Kofoed who in 2005 won bronze and in 2007 won silver in the Bocuse D’Or (the Biannual Chefs World Championship in Lyon) has opened his own luxury restaurant. Together with Søren Ledet, a friend and colleague known from Noma. The restaurant will serve lunch as well as evening meals and will be named after the plant: Geranium. This plant is known for its special scent and for its use as a spice in the kitchen. Everything, including the wine is organic.
Tivoli is always worth a visit as it has wide variety of very high quality restaurants, one of which is the Fregatten, which serves a fine representation of today's Danish cuisine.
In the Frederiksberg Have Park a romantic choice is Restaurant Mielcke & Hurtigkarl opening in May 2008. Located in orange painted buildings from the 1700's you take a step back a couple of centuries, the interior has stucco ceilings and a covered terrace overlooking the park, where, weather permitting, meals are now served. The two owners are Jakob Mielcke and Jan Hurtigkarl who take their inspiration from their travels, bringing back ingredients and ideas from around the world. Each year's cuisine takes on different theme, which ensures a stimulating and inspiring experience for the many regular diners. The restaurant is open from May to January.
Another is Frederiks Have with a delightful small outdoor courtyard. The atmosphere is light and airy with dark, modern furniture and the kitchen is based on French country cuisine with a Spanish/Italian touch.
Lunchtime, Danish style
But for those wishing to taste a truly unique Danish food experience, the best time is at lunch when the unique smørrebrød (literally 'butter bread', or open sandwich), is served. Smørrebrød is a daily staple for many Danes, and a truly classic taste of the nation's traditional cuisine. Invariably based on rye bread (although smoked salmon should always be served on white bread), smørrebrød can have an almost limitless number of different toppings, from herring, to raw beef, seafood and egg. Smørrebrød dates back to the 19th century when, for many agricultural workers, lunch was the main meal of the day. It began when bread was used to wipe the plates clean of any remaining food, eventually, the food was placed on the bread in stead as topping.
Royal Copenhagen has undergone a facelift and re-opens a totally refurbished flagship store halfway on Strøget, the pedestrian street. Latest addition to this porcelain universe is The Royal Café. Here, in beautiful serene surroundings, you can have a "smushi" - the idea of sushi, but the taste of ‘smørrebrød' i.e. sandwich. The choice of smushi is changed according to the four seasons and they are served on different kinds of porecelain design.
"Smushi" has now been introduced as a separate subject at the Copenhagen Hotel- and Restaurant School.
At the world famous lunch restaurant, Ida Davidsen, the choice of Smørrebrød is so vast that the menu is two meters long. Another great restaurant for smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) is the Slotskælderen hos Gitte Kik, across from the Danish parliament building. Needless to say, this is popular with Danish politicians. Lumskebugten near the Gefion Fountain and the harbour, with a maritime interior and Restaurant Skt. Annæ, not far from the Royal Palace, are experts in this Danish speciality as well.
In Nyhavn, the small canal leading up to Kongens Nytorv, the Nyhavns Færgekro among other types, specializes in sandwiches with many different versions of pickled, fried and smoked herring. The lunch place for herring lovers!
And for dessert...
For many, the word 'Danish' itself conjures up images of the famously delicious sweet pastries, often eaten at breakfast. It is certainly true that the Danes have a collective sweet tooth. Evidence of this can be found at La Glace. La Glace is Copenhagen's finest traditional tearoom. One of its most popular specialities is a cake called 'sportscake' - perhaps the name is intended to assuage the guilt of anyone on a diet!
Danes often try to combine indulging their appetites with a cultural experience (perhaps it is a guilt thing). A great place for this is the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek gallery, which has been awarded three stars as an attraction in the Michelin Guide. Its superb café Blomsterberg serves home made cakes and fruit tarts amid the delightful setting of the Winter Garden, and with a world-class collection of French impressionist paintings and sculptures nearby.
Finally, in keeping with the Danes' love of beer, it is only fitting that one of the hottest new arrivals on Copenhagen's dining scene is a restaurant housed in a brewery. Nørrebro's Bryghus is a welcoming, open plan restaurant and microbrewery where visitors dine beside the vast, copper beer vats. The food is simple, modern and creative, but of course, the beers are the real stars: they brew everything from Belgian white beers to English-style stout. The perfect accompaniment to a new Danish food revolution.
Restaurants in Copenhagen mentioned in the press release:
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Restaurant Mielcke & Hurtigkarl |
Frederiks Have |
Ida Davidsen |
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Slotskælderen hos Gitte Kik |
Fregatten Sct. Georg III |
La Glace |
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Café Blomsterberg |
The Royal Café |
Noma |
|
Nørrebros Bryghus |
Lumskebugten |
Restaurant Skt. Annæ |
|
Geranium |
Nyhavns Færgekro |
Aamans (Østerbro) |
|
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