Press Information
March 2010

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.

Noma based in a converted 19th century warehouse beside the harbour in Christianshavn was awarded the position of the worlds third best restaurant in April 2009. With the experience of working in some of the world's finest restaurants (including The French Laundry in California; El Bulli in Spain), Noma's chef, René Redzepi, has returned to Copenhagen where he now blends the most exciting contemporary techniques with the finest Nordic ingredients sourced from as far away as Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. In 2005 Noma achieved their first star, and in 2007 a second star was added.

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.

Koefoed in the middle of the financial district is inspired by the Baltic Island of Bornholm's beautiful raw nature and natural products. Everything from the desert wine, glasses, beer and all other products originate from Bornholm. They serve a typical Danish lunch and dinner with mutton, fish or cockerel and other products from the island of Bornholm.

Aamanns in the district of Østerbro is a lunch and evening restuarnt with 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 Jacobsen chairs and Royal Copenhagen porcelain. Aamanns has room for a mere 18 persons at two big tables. Right next door to Aamanns is Aamanns Etablissement that re-opened April 2009. With top class ingredients and workmanship they have given the traditionale Danish open faced sandwich a lift, ushering it into the 21 century. Although as with Aamanns they focus on lunch, at the same time they take it to another level. There is a basic evening menu based on Danish cuisine and the owner Adam Aamann is not to be restricted by any dogma, his only premis being quality and economic availability.

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 that opened August 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 served. The two owners are Jakob Mielcke and Jan Hurtigkarl who inspired from their travels brought back ingredients and ideas from around the world. Cockroaches, pollen, beetles, weeds and wild plants are the essential motifs in the wall piece of the restaurant. An auditory rendering of the earth from core to atmosphere has been created using tectonic rumbling, gurgling waters, thunder, rain and insects tickling across the forest floor. To eliminate noise pollution between tables sound barriers have been set up on the walls and ceilings. A specially made crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the restaurant with a hurricane like vortex shape that sucks the surrounding nature of the gardens into the premises. The lighting changes significantly during the course of a day through the natural movement of the sun aided by digital programming of many different lighting effects. - But of course it's all about the food, a unique cuisine garnered from inspirational travels and developed by culinary experts with nature as its focus. By the way - don't forget to check out their state of the art restrooms!

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.

You have been able to eat a classic Danish lunch at Schønnemanns on Hauser Plads since 1877. They bake their own rye bread and there is still sand on the floor like there was in the 1800's. Serving 24 different types of beer including Schønnemanns own ale and featuring a menu with 35 different types of aquavit.

A 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: