Copenhagen Capers by Devanshi Mody
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A gentleman escorts me to a Jaguar and off we go. He very kindly takes the time and trouble to give me a whirlwind tour of the city. I ask if it's a holiday, seeing nobody in the vast, empty streets. It isn't. But the sense of immense bareness is overwhelming. I soon learn that Denmark has a population of 6 million people. I also learn after arriving at the hotel that the person I had taken to be a very elegant employee of the Avenue Hotel was its owner.
The first thing that strikes me about the Avenue is that it´s in the middle of nowhere. And my heart sinks. However, the effervescent personality of Mai, the General Manager, soon dispels all misgivings, as does the decadent chocolate cake she offers me. The Avenue is about chic chaleur, as the French would have it. The homely feel is tasted in the wonderful breakfasts with attention to quality, not quantity. The homemade muesli, breads and smoothies will have you getting out of bed. And in my case, so did the meetings the very efficient and well-connected Mai organised for me around town.
If you want ultra luxury, then it is inevitably the D´Angleterre hotel. This legendary, historic institution is apparently the only 5 Star in all Scandinavia. Posed with poise over the most central square, enveloped in a swirl of elegance, it absolutely is THE place. Having stood the test of time, the hotel has also stood the test of space, as attested by the wide, burgundy corridors originally intended to accommodate the billowing gowns of royal ladies who once graced its corridors.
Now, the international elite does the job. Go for the suites where a sense of quaint charm ever reigns but don´t forget to enjoy the terraces offering fabulous views over historic monuments. The hotel perhaps has the only spa in Copenhagen whilst the unrivalled location makes it the base from which to explore the city. Nothing quite like staying here. And it´s such a relief, after a day´s hectic sightseeing to see the D´Angleterre approaching.
What was inspiring was Copenhagen´s creative culinary scene. They probably have the biggest number of Michelin-starred restaurants concentrated in a small area. We had a soft spot for Era-Ora. Perhaps because it was the first restaurant we did and they managed to whip up a vegetarian feast at ridiculously short notice. Or perhaps because they served some of the most interesting Italian cuisine we´ve ever had. I had just flown in from Italy. And yet they surprised and impressed me. Their unusual antipasti with rare, exclusively sourced produce straight out of Italy is a super success as are the exquisite deserts (the panacotta is a must) and their award-winning wine list has the most astonishing collection of Italian wines. If locals find the restaurant somewhat stiff for an Italian eatery, the boss´s young son Michele´s whacky wit enlivens things. We were laughing at his jokes until 2.30 am.
The most talked-about restaurant in town is two-Michelin-star Noma. We´re told it´s impossible to have a table: 3 month waiting list. Yet, when we turn up, Chef Rene immediately offers us a table. We´re unsure what´s more shocking - getting a table or that the country´s most exciting chef just turned 30 and set the gastronomic trend (copied and pasted in most other restaurants in the city) which bagged him the accolade “10th Best Restaurant in Europe,” this year, thus propelling him to international fame. Expect the unexpected. His beetroot with horseradish ice was especially memorable and can one forget sea weed served with egg yoke? Rene´s humour also impressed. He arrives with a potted radishes covered in earth and announces, “Everything´s edible- except the pot.” The young chefs who come out of the open kitchen to serve you add an interesting dimension but the manager Kim was especially endearing, as was the quirky Rene himself. All the press hasn´t turned his head, yet...
MR mightn´t have received the attention Noma has and we wonder why. The food was no less fascinating and the restaurant quite marvellous. The red light effusing from hand-made flower-like lamps bathes the enclave in soft, sensuous tones imparting a languorous boudoir-like feel. The attention to detail is remarkable, from the velour walls to ornate mirrors and red roses attending upon you in the rest rooms. The 31-year-old chef Mads is as good-looking as his restaurant and we first mistook him for a model, not a chef. But he established incontrovertibly his culinary prowess with what was perhaps the most interesting and simultaneously tasty menu degustation we had. Further, the presentation is dramatic. The award-winning signature dish “Burning Fields” comes covered in a glass Fez-hat like contraption. Unveiled are root vegetables that survive following the burning of fields and are served with various interesting accompaniments, including a burnt ash cream. Sounds crazy but tastes wonderful. This young chef sustains the surprise and the savour throughout the degustation whilst his sommelier matches wines to perfection. The cheese trolley offers award-winning cheeses, including a Swiss Blue, and you finish off with 3 deserts, comprising the famous Forest Desert served on an elaborately chopped tree trunk. Stumped? We were.
The other restaurant making waves is Paustian. It´s a bit of a trek getting to this water´s edge restaurant, but it´s worth it for the young ambiance, the cool conversations with Damiano and Pedro and the most exquisite amuse bouche served with the aperitif. Extraordinary are the ingredients and textures comprising these ethereal creations. They serve the best breads in town, including a strange burnt baton which tastes very good. Things get stranger still on the Chlorophyll menu... Incredible are the almond ice pre desert and Paustian´s version of a traditional Danish desert with a twist containing milk, bread, malt and all that sounds horrid but tastes divine.
If all this is too whacky for you then Kong Hans, Copenhagen´s first restaurant to receive a Michelin star, is still doing sensible food - at a price. This is the place for traditional French recipes, which the locals sometimes find “heavy and boring,” but the restaurant seemed packed to us and is an institution. Thomas is perhaps the most respected chef in town and the lady sommelier Tilde excels with her fab French wines. Remember to dress for dinner here.
As for some of the other Michelin-starred restaurants, it´s not that you can´t be bothered with them but that they can´t be bothered with you. Geranium certainly has a reputation for unwarranted arrogance. Well, Copenhagen is a small city of little chefs with big heads and bigger mouths...
Forget them and spend an afternoon browsing around the legendary, almost 200-yer-old Royal Copenhagen which produces the world´s most expensive porcelain dinner wear. Then eat your heart out at the fairytale-like Royal Cafe next door. The spirit of Hans Christian Anderson lives on in the deliciously pretty decor that whisks you off on a magical voyage of fantasy. The Cafe attracts the city´s most chi chi ladies who come for the celebrated Danish open sandwiches and the even more decadent hot chocolate and the sponge layered cake oozing cream and covered in marzipan. The lovely thing about Copenhagen is that the sweets are never too sweet. So keep eating. And do Habib, the young manager, a favour, and try his coffee- he´s passionate about it and it could be amongst the world´s best. Certainly, the Royal Cafe is one of our favourite places on earth!
The locals also love Cafe Victor behind D´Angleterre. You go there to see and be seen, not to eat. Paris Hilton didn´t quite make it because she demanded bodyguards to be stationed everywhere, which this chic but casual cafe didn´t countenance. The lively ambiance includes people dancing on tables until 2.00 am.
To chic shop, just go down any of the streets around the D´Angleterre. Apart from the Magasin du Nord, the local version of Harrods, we recommend Hartmann´s for diamonds, Danish Silver for Silver, the Martin Asbaek antique and contemporary art galleries whilst Bruun Rasmussen´s galleries seem to run down an entire street... Buenhojgard does good antique furniture but Mandag Lukket it is for contemporary stuff and Hanne Gundelach is a marvellous little house of Art & Design. For exclusive wines try Theis O Vine, for hats do JUUL and if you want to take back extraordinary pianos then head to Bach, Klaver & Flygler. Peter Beier is the place for chocoholics. The chocolate fountain flows fatly. But the intensely dark chocolate keeps you trim. Bojesen does sophisticated connoisseur’s chocolate and great marzipan and nougat, all of which he makes himself. He also kindly offers to write you an article about himself.
Copenhagen is currently known for its contemporary art and architecture, notably the new Opera House. If this isn´t to your taste, try the National Museum and the National Art Galleries. If pressed for time then drop them but don´t miss the Rosenborg Castle with its magnificent rooms and the ever more exquisite crown jewels. The delicate works of art far surpass anything we´ve seen in Versailles, as it exists today. Could it be that the Danes had more taste than Marie Antoinette? No, we prefer brioche to Danish pastries... Unless you´re getting them from Lagkagehuset. Visit also the museum of Amelienborg, one of the Queen´s current residences. The church near the palace is perhaps the only one worth seeing.
To visit or not to visit, that is the question... We´re talking about Kronborg, the UNESCO heritage site “Hamlet Castle.” It´s about an hour out of town but has a superb chapel with painted ceilings and some fine tapestries, although the Swedes seem to have looted the loveliest art. Frederiksborg is well worth a visit- if you get there. We were sent to Frederiksberg, a military post, and thought the locals were being unfriendly when we asked where the castle was and got bewildered looks...
If you get lost, it´s not a problem because everyone speaks impeccable English (what a change from most European capitals). The problem is finding someone in the empty streets. If you see two Danes together, it probably constitutes a party...
It was time to celebrate when I was leaving, finally. We love flying the ultra slick Scandinavian Airlines but the regimental Airport staff left us cold. Late for my flight (as usual), I tried wriggling under a barrier to get to Check In, instead of meandering through a gratuitously long path to reach the same place. Airport Staff promptly accosted me and said I wasn´t allowed to do that (which I always do in all international airports being habitually late) and made me go back and take the absurdly long route. After the chaos and colour of Italy Copenhagen, declared Europe´s Number 1 Capital, was too organised and orderly for me. I can´t say I´m sorry to leave Copenhagen. But it was an experience. After all, this is the city that leaves the Little Mermaid sitting unclad in the cold to be ogled at...